Deeper Life Deliverance Fellowship to break ground on first independent church building in Freeport

Deeper Life Deliverance Fellowship, a Freeport-based Christian ministry, is preparing to reach a significant milestone. On Sept. 14, the congregation of about 200, led by Overseer Regina Johnson, will gather on South Ocean Ave. to break ground on the first building that is all its own, a moment that has been many years in the making.

The new church, which Deeper Life is subtitling the City of Refuge, marks a pivotal moment in the ministry’s 26-year history. Johnson – who first began her ministerial career in 1982 – founded the church in 1998.

Johnson served under the Rev. Joseph J. Howe at Faith Baptist Church, and later became assistant pastor at St. John’s Baptist Church in Westbury. But 1998, she answered a divine calling, she said, to establish her own ministry, one that would addressing not only spiritual needs of its congregants, but also physical, mental and emotional ones.

The church was established in a rented building in Hempstead, where it remained until 2011. That year, the congregation moved to Freeport, where it began sharing space with the First Presbyterian Church. Deeper Life held services there for 13 years, becoming a vital part of the Freeport community.

“We were in, or have been in Freeport, actually, for about 13 years,” Johnson said. “… Now we’re worshiping, holding our services in Westbury until our sanctuary is completed.”

Despite its challenges, Deeper Life’s mission has never changed. “We’ve always had the desire to meet the needs of people who desired to be able to study and to learn about God, and to build their spiritual relationship with God,” Johnson said. “We’ve always had the desire, and God gave us the vision of Deeper Life.”

Over the years, the congregation has been deeply involved in community outreach, operated a food pantry and offering clothing to residents in need. “We have a tremendous outreach ministry, which we’ve been operating in Freeport ever since we moved there,” Johnson said.

In addition, the church has hosted numerous back-to-school giveaways, providing students with school supplies, as well as annual winter clothing drives. Even during the pandemic, when many organizations struggled to maintain their operations, Deeper Life continued its mission, adapting to new challenges and finding ways to serve those in need.

Erecting an independent church building has long been a dream for Johnson and her congregation. In 2015, they took a significant step toward realizing it when they purchasing the property at 212 S. Ocean Ave., previously home to the Hi-Hello Child Care Center. The church continued to operate the day care facility until 2020, when Deeper Life decided to close it.

“God impressed upon us that it was time to be released from the day care and focus on building our sanctuary,” Johnson recalled.

Since 2019, the church has been working diligently to bring that vision to life. The process of acquiring permits, securing financing and navigating the complexities of construction during a global pandemic was challenging. “It has taken us from then until now to complete the process, and of course, being able to actually start building,” Johnson said.

Construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months. The project, estimated to cost around $1.2 million, is being funded by a combination of a financial institution’s loan and generous donations from members of the congregation.

“Expenses can be great — you know, everything, of course, since the pandemic has shot sky high,” Johnson said. “But I thank God for the members of Deeper Life, who have been faithful. We’re not a large congregation … but they’ve been faithful, they’ve worked, they’ve given of (their) resources”

As the groundbreaking approaches, the mood in the congregation is one of excitement and anticipation. “It’s been a long time coming,” she said, “but I do believe that each step of it (is) the plan of God. It has been a blessing. All I can say is that God has been there every step of the way.”