A church more than 20 years in the making officially opened its doors at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Liberty City last week, planting roots in one of Miami’s most underserved communities.
United by Faith, led by Pastor Eric Pigatt and his wife Naomie Pigatt, held its opening ceremony at the school with local officials, youth and community members in attendance. For the Pigatts, the moment was the culmination of decades of street ministry, home worship services, and a faith that refused to fold under years of logistical and financial hurdles.
“It’s been over 20 years in the making,” said Pastor Eric Pigatt. “It wasn’t easy getting to Miami Northwestern. It was not easy.”
Naomie Pigatt, surrounded by pastors and supporters, shares the importance of unity.
(Rafael Hernandez for The Miami Times)
Before securing the school as a home base, Eric said the church operated in the streets, at Liberty Square, and inside their own home.
He credited a network of supporters for helping navigate the bureaucratic obstacles that stood in the way, including former State Sen. Daphne Campbell, Miami-Dade County Public School Board member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall’s office, Miami Northwestern Principal Kedler Pouca, and others who helped clear the path.
Campbell said she had no hesitation throwing her support behind the effort when the Pigatts reached out.
Christian music artist Jude Papouloute sings on stage.
(Rafael Hernandez for The Miami Times)
“When they called me and told me they want to open this church over here, and there were some difficulties, I had to reach out and help them,” she said. “When I see what’s going on — no jobs, kids on the street, housing sky high — the church is not only a place for worship. It’s a place of refuge.”
That vision of the church as a refuge is personal for Naomie Pigatt. A sickle cell patient and founder of Fighting the Pain TV, Naomie has faced her own battles with the disease, at one point given only days to live.
She credits faith with saving her life and now channels that same conviction into the ministry she and her husband have built from the ground up.
“I don’t want to be a church that’s just indoors,” Naomie said. “I want to affect my community. I want to bring resources to my community. And I can’t do it alone.”
The opening ceremony placed a heavy emphasis on Liberty City’s youth, with the children and teens in the audience outnumbering the adults.
Pastor Eric Pigatt delivers the event’s closing remarks.
(Rafael Hernandez for The Miami Times)
In a community where the highest reported household income hovers around $30,000, with most families earning far less, the Pigatts say reaching individuals during their youth is not optional, but urgent.
“The young people are the future, and if they don’t understand the assignment, they’re going to miss it all,” Eric said.
United by Faith plans to offer programs centered on youth development, leadership training and mentorship, bringing in speakers who have risen from Liberty City and similar low-income circumstances to show young people a road map out of poverty.
The church also plans to address gentrification head-on, teaching young residents strategies to remain part of the community as development reshapes the neighborhood around them.
The youth attending the opening rise to their feet.
(Rafael Hernandez for The Miami Times)
“We’re going to be teaching principles and strategies to transform the mind, so the young people are ready for what’s happening as far as gentrification, how to adapt, how to be resourceful, not to get transitioned out, but to be transitioned in,” Naomie said.
Beyond programming, the church will also address basic needs. Naomie spoke of feeding children who go home to empty refrigerators, clothing youth who attend school with holes in their clothes, and serving as a lifeline for families pushed to their limits.
Creative outlets like open mic competitions and arts programming are also part of the plan, partnering with local artists and media outlets like 103.5 The Beat to give young people a stage.
For Pastor Pigatt, the measure of success five years from now is simple.
“Seeing souls get saved,” Eric said. “To see people say, ‘You know what, I love God because of you.’”