Historical November–December 1998 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
On June 30, 1991, the New Cote Brilliante Church of God became one of Skinker DeBaliviere’s important institutional neighbors.
The congregation, led by Pastor Miki Merritt, occupied the sanctuary at Washington and Skinker, formerly home to the Delmar Baptist Church. Rev. Merritt and his congregation have been very pleased with their new home.
The church had about 120 families as members when it came to the neighborhood.
There are now 300.
The church is affiliated with the Church of God which is headquartered in Anderson, Indiana.
Some neighborhood families have joined the church and Merritt hopes that will continue.
He finds the neighborhood a perfect home for his congregation and enjoys its ethnic and racial diversity. Shortly after his congregation’s relocation, Merritt became active in neighborhood activities and opened the church’s facilities to neighborhood activities.
The pastor represents his church on the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council. Many meetings sponsored by the Council and its committees have occurred there. Merritt certainly wants this to continue because he wants to “increase the quality of life for families in our community.” He sees his church as a community center for residents of all ages, including children.
The New Cote Brilliante Church of God holds services at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday is the church’s family night.
There are classes for all ages and a midweek service. Merritt and the church played host to the Youth Cycles program for several years.
The church’s school building provided a home to Head Start for five years.
This program was not renewed because the church had little outdoor space. At this time, Merritt and his board are interested in establishing a pre- and after-school care program for children. Merritt feels very strongly that programs for young people are vital.
He would like to see the renovations to make the church’s gym active.
He is also interested in the church as a site for tutoring programs. Merritt wants New Cote Brilliante to make a positive difference in the community.
The success of the church in its new location also has led to a continuing problem: parking.
When services and other events are held at the church, spaces nearby are at a premium. Thanks to the city, there is angle parking along Skinker and a temporary stop sign to ease access to Skinker from Washington. Merritt is very grateful for the neighborhood’s patience as he and his elders have attempted to deal with the problem.
The church has purchased a lot north of Skinker that it would like to use for parking and institute a shuttle between the lot and the church.
He has asked his parishioners to park further from the intersection and is now looking for someone to direct traffic, particularly at nighttime.
He is also encouraging people not to park east of the church on Washington so that neighbors there are not adversely affected. Ideally, he would like the parking near the church to be for the elderly, the physically challenged, and special visitors. Merritt has been working with Laure Porterfield, director of the SDCC, and Julie Schoemehl, president of Rosedale Neighbors, to find solutions. Since his arrival in the neighborhood, Merritt has played a strong role in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration.
The New Cote Brilliante choir directed by his wife has offered stirring inspirational numbers each year. Merritt has offered the benediction and has provided some funding for the event. New Cote Brilliante Church of God and its pastor have become vital actors in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood and intend to keep working with the residents to increase programs and keep the church open to the community.
Original photograph caption
Reverend Miki Merritt. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 1998.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1998_11.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
