Almost 20 years ago, Pastor John R. Powell happened upon an inconspicuous church building with a "For Rent" sign on it while working on a delivery route in Surprise.
His and so many others’ prayers were answered as they discovered the abandoned house of worship he transformed into a steadily growing congregation at Gideon Missionary Baptist Church at 12763 N. Grand Avenue.
Nestled between Dysart and Greenway roads, the painted white structure with the church and pastor’s name, “Reverend John R. Powell,” displayed in big, black letters can be seen from the adjacent US 60 highway through gaps between the tree-lined train tracks.
