“Believer, are you grateful for your salvation?” Reverend Richard S. Wezik, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hempstead, asks his congregation during his sermon Sunday morning. For the past eighteen years, Wezik has led this Baptist community whose foundation dates back 130 years.

The church, which consists of roughly 175 members, has remained a vital source of spiritual nourishment for Hempstead citizens. Yet, in addition to tending to the local community, the church also aids missionaries financially and through prayer in other parts of the United States and internationally in countries like Brazil, Venezuela, and South Africa.

This slideshow documents the typical Sunday mornings of Wezik, from general preaching and teaching, to one-on-one interactions with the church’s members.

On Fulton Avenue in Hempstead the sound of car horns honking is nothing new. But on Saturday afternoon, they are honking not out of road rage, but to show their support.