Torian Davis, 21, preaches on Sundays in Riviera Beach, FL. In the parking lot, where church families listen from their cars, all are safe and prepared for the preaching of the Word. A white tent shading a pulpit sits in the foreground of the imposing, grand, red brick church built in 1965, at 1273 West 30th Street. The church, HillTop Baptist, founded by Reverend Griffin Davis, Torian’s grandfather, was built on faith. And love.
As a young man, Griffin Davis was managing his father’s nightclub, The Cotton Club, just a few blocks away, also on 30th Street in Riviera Beach. One evening Davis heard God speak to him and his hands began to shake. God told him that working at the club is not what he was to be doing with his life. The experience was so profound, Davis left his job and attended seminary in Nashville, TN. He married the lovely Hughetta Williams and they had three boys.
The way has already been made, all you have to do is walk it. ~Rev. Griffin Davis
When he returned from seminary, the Spirit of God told him it was time to build. And with faith Rev. Davis, and the community, built HillTop Baptist. He worked as a taxi driver, and walked door to door asking for contributions. For the first ten years, Davis had two suits, and two pairs of shoes to preach in. His focus was on fasting and prayer, not fashion. The mortgage was paid off in four years. Though it was built to seat 1500, as the people poured in, they eventually needed folding chairs for the overflow.
Even when the building was still under