North River Church set to piggyback on growth in Parrish

Developers are seeking to build 23,000 new homes in the Parrish and North River area, according to Manatee County government.

Long before the county reported those striking growth numbers, West Bradenton Baptist Church was planning a new congregation in the Parrish area. How did church officials know Parrish was ripe for a new congregation?

West Bradenton tested the waters in Parrish in 2011 by presenting vacation Bible school during the summer, attracting about 200 children.

That was encouragement enough, and for the next two years West Bradenton conducted a ministry in Parrish, which evolved into the autonomous North River Church in 2013.

North River Church worships at 9:30 a.m. Sundays in leased space at Annie Lucy Williams Elementary School, 3404 Fort Hamer Road. The congregation numbers between 250 and 300 each Sunday.

A contemporary worship style at North River Church has proven popular with young families, and the congregation is also beginning to see more older worshippers and retiring baby boomers as well, making it a true intergenerational church, said Pastor Michael Kennedy.

“We will have 100 or so kids under the fifth grade at our services,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy is well aware of the construction of the Fort Hamer Bridge to the south, due to be completed in summer 2017, and what it will mean to the area in growth of traffic and population.

The family of Vivian Rawls, who died in a vehicle accident at Lakewood Ranch in 2014, approached North River Church about buying her home on 10 acres, Kennedy said.

Mrs. Rawls had long thought the property at 5517 Fort Hamer Road would be ideal for a church. When the family approached the church, it was with an offer too good to refuse, Kennedy said.

Church leaders are now in conversation with an architectural firm about what a church might look like on the property. Church officials have also had a preapplication meeting with Manatee County building officials.

The church would likely be built in phases with a multipurpose facility seating about 400 coming first. The sanctuary would be added later.

“We are really excited about the potential,” Kennedy said. “I think we will see tremendous growth in Parrish and for the church.”

North River Church seeks to be a beacon of light in the community. One example is the church’s relationship with Williams Elementary School, where it provides breakfast to teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.

“We want to stand on the truth of God’s word and show how that transforms peoples’ lives,” Kennedy said. “Our people live as missionaries every single day. It affects their lives at work, at school, or wherever it may be,” he said.

The approach seems to be working. On a recent Sunday, the church baptized 24 new members.

Kennedy, 33, is a native of Albany, Ga. He and his wife of 12 years, Janie, have two children, Anna, 8, and Leah, 5.

Church deacon Pat Kennedy, no relation to the pastor, is a lifelong Manatee County resident who lives just across the street from where the sanctuary will be built.

“Every Sunday there are young people coming, and they are staying,” Pat Kennedy said. “It is unbelievable what God is doing here.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "North River Church set to piggyback on growth in Parrish."