'Thi Negro church of today is the social
center of Negro life in the United States,
and the mo cIulI'acteristic expression of
A{rlctllt clumzcter. 14 e a typical church
In tl ImIIIl Yl1rinitz to n: it u the ''Fint
Baptist" - a roomy brick edifice Jt!tIIing
/We ItuItdred or more perJOm, tllJtefully
jinilhtd in Georp, pine, with a carpet,
a ImIlll 0 n, and stllined-gUm. window
Undemetlth is a ltuKe tWembly room
c
Second Bapti
bor, . outgro h of Sund y School
t held it meeting t 84 ain Str t,
ove the "Fi e d Ten Cent Store," in
1875.
Rev. Crom ell from Canada organized
Bapt· Church hich a located on
Bronson Street in 1880. A fram as
erected, but ortlyafte ard the Church
bum d to the ground.
with bencht!1 This building is the central
club-bouse of a community of a thousand
or more Negroes. Yariow 01'fll1lizations
meet here, -th« church proper, the Sun
day-school, two or three in ranee
societie , women's JOe/dies, Jeeret societ
ies, and mil meetings of various kinds. .
Entertainments, suppers, and lecture an
held befide the five or Iix wu/cly reli
tou service. Considerable sums of
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In 1890, Rev. Fergurson from Indiano-
polis reorganized di eartened people
d loc ted on Colfax near the inter c
tion of ·chlgan Avenue. Soon after, the
congreg tion mo ed from Colfax to
Eighth Street.
In 1893, Rev. orris cured enough
funds with free labor and built the fir t
unit on Eighth Street for orship. B p
tismal Service held on the doc of
co U ITY'COGIC: Flourishing
by fai h
Born in Gaine Landing, Ar., th-
ani I en 10 his fath r at age 14 and
moved to Philadelphia ith his mother
d family.
He orked on the e Yor b-
y , returning to Phil elphia on ee ..
end to be ith his family. orkin a
tru er for the railr d, young ell
or ed hard in the day and applied him
If to B le udy in the evenings. In the
ly momin8 one could hear him in the
ment of his home splitting wood and
preaching for all he s orth.
In 1927, he married ildred Hay
rd and a year later they ere convicted
unto Holine and ernbr ced Christ. He
immediately called into the inistry .
It the Depre ion and Rev. ells
freed for full time preaching ith th
10 of his job. He began preaching on
reet comers ith a ap box; in tent
meetings, under bru harbor, in homes
- he rever invited.
After year' p oring in est Ch S0-
ter, Pa, Brother ells traveled the UiS,
pre ching. While in orfolk, Va., 1937
during reviv, Brother ells received
tWo telegrams from the Over r of ich
. an, urging him to t e over
e , one in Grand Rapids one if u egan
Heights.
The churches there flourished under
his care. But he challenged to ex
change churches for one in Benton Har-
bor. Brother ells left Grand Rapid
the cond largest city in the state. Ben
ton Harbor' population in 1950
18,769 ith 1,966 Blacks. The church
h d a membership of 15 persons: other
AIm William in. E.G. William, G.
ashington, Sis. Pauline alters, Carri
Bums, Daisy cCoy, Sis. Emmerson,
Father B , Bro. and S· . Ollie ither
spoon, Dea. D. ashington, other
E y, in. Ho ard, Dea. oore, other
King, Eid. & other James Fair, Sr.,
The Pruitt, Ro· Jones, Willie Cole,
Ev Cole, Si . Lewis. They grew from
. mission to a church.
Despite many obstacles ch as rue,
the church flourished and prospered over
the year .
money tl1'e collected and expended here,
employment is found for the ilk, strang
en are introduced, news is de#imiNJted,
. and charity distributed. A t the e
time this JOCitIJ, inteUectual, and econom
ic centre is a reJigiou. centre of gretlt
power . . . Back: of this more formal
religion, the Owrch often and as a
real CQ1lJeTVer of morals, a strengthener
of family life, and the jinIllauthority on
c
c
Ea ain, by breaking the ice. e.
orris became P or and the ta of
building pe s for th Church too
pi ceo
From 1900 to 1935, the church
gre and flourished under the Ie der
ship of ral p or; Rev. art in,
Rev. cFarland, Rev. D.H. Foster, Re .
Carter, Re. Hill, Rev. Leggins, Rev.
R. H. C hie, Rev. J. Barnes and Rev.
T.H. ard.
In 1936 Rev. F A. Williams became
p or and by the next year, the indebt
edne as paid off. The Church cele
brated it 62nd Anniversary.
In 1941, Rev. Sebree pa ored until
his death.
Rev. .G. il n was called in 1944
to Pastor and under his le dership for
22 year membership grew to 400.
In 1956, Rev. Wilson was 'led to 477
Cherry Street hich as purchased and
remodeled. Rev. ilson authored the
boo "From Son-Lit S . s". Rev. il-
E T 1 3 PAGE 3
wlutt is Good and Right.
11au! one can e in the egro c rch
today, reproduced in microco ,all that
gretlt world from hich the Negro . cut
of{ by color prejudice and wcitiJ condi
tion. '
So ofB
.Du .
"(1 )
c
son pa on in 1966 at e 78.
In 1966 Re. Don d dkins
called to P or in . home to n. Under
hi le ership the church flouri ed and
needed ne home. In 2974, motor
cade to the pre nt loc tion t 600 Lynch
Street, mar ed the progre
In 1975, the Church celebrated it
Centennial and mar ed the . on ith
the them, "Thi Far ith God."
In 1977, the Church p id off it indebted
ne and celebrated "The Ye of Jubi
lee."
In 1982, the Church purch d The
Country Store marking a ep to rd
realizing a goal of training the youn
people to t e their pl in the busin
orld.
In 1983, ith the theme, 'Go d
Tell Ernph . on Faith," the church h
gro n to a membership of over 1,000.
Second Baptis h been touching th
live of the people of Benton Harbor for
108 years.