COLUMBIA — A long-time Columbia ministry has been waiting two-decades to hold an event on historical church property. And this fall, their prayers will be answered.

The three acres in McBaine have been home to Mt. Celestial Baptist Church I since the 1800s. Over the years, upkeep of the land and church structures became too much for members. In April of 2024, volunteers with For Columbia's Day of Serving stepped in to clean up and revitalize the property. A year later, in Spring of 2025, the group was back out for phase two.

What a difference a year can make.

"That was a lot when we think about year one. That was a lot," Pastor Ranita Warren-Norwood said.

Warren-Norwood is the pastor of Mt. Celestial Baptist Church II and she said her vision to see her ancestral land restored, beautifi

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