In th month of September, 1923,
eight people met 0" Elm St., Benton
Harbor, ith Rev. Yor Haire inister
and organized on.
One month I ter in October a travel-
ling .. nary, the Re . John Davis of
Helena, Ar . met ith ven of thi
group at the home of . DeLord on
Highland vee d organized the Pilgrim
Re Bapti Church.
Pre nt at th meeting
. Harry Green ood r .
Stearn r Boo n, r. and rs. John L.
Jr. Ellen Franklin. AI
pre nt a rs. Josie Green ood, ho
e ed th t the church be named
ilgrim Re ,and the group greed.
Re. .L. Ste art of Helena, Ark.
called to be the fir Pastor, ith 25
member being added to the original
en. They ere: r. and IS. Doc.
Br r. and rs. dam Johnson,
IS. I . ah Haire r. and rs.
r . Sam H 11,
and
cho n ere e rs
Br en n Johnson, Ha 11,
Bie er, Car n nd Green ood.
The group bought lot t 227 Burton
St., and in the Spring of 1924, had made
enough progre on the con ruction to
enter the building for their flr t rvice
on the fir t Sunday in June of the same
year.
The fir Sunday School Superinten-
•
I
dent rs. ary Carson, and the fir
Te her of the Beginners' Cl Mr .
Jo ie Green ood.
The fir choir as organized ith
r. Isaiah Haire as Pre ident and Ophia
Fore ter Pianist.
On Aug. 4, 1927, The A ciationo
the General Bapti State Convention
organized at ilgrim Re t.
In 1930 Rev. J.R. Roman, Pastor,
organized the Usher Board, and appoint-
ed . George B mes a Pre ·dent.
In 1935 Rev. J.V. Parrish was elected
P or and by 1938 had cleared the
church of all its indebtne .
The church without P or dur­
ing the years 1938 and 1939 t and the
members began drifting away.
On January 14, 1941 Rev. .E.
Ellis as elected Pa tor
During the year of 1940 former
member began to return nd a factory
workers and fruit pic er from the
Southern State migrated into the
vicinity ne member ere added to
the Church roll. Within one year the
small building at 227 Burton St. as
unable to ccomodate the ttendance
with ts on Sund y morning service,
it was made larger by dding approxi­
mately 15 feet to the rear of the building
and moving the Choir tand back; this
only helped temporarily for by the
year of 1943 Sunday after Sunday
many parishioners would tand
around the all with an overflo on the
tep and even out ide li ening to the
rvi e.
Progr . e B pti Church wa organi­
zed on July 28 1946, under the leader­
ship of Re erend Daniel E. Coo BD.
the church ith 11 member purcha d
20 cre of land on the corner of High­
land and Cry al Avenue. Some of the
lot ld, but it
D.D
ARY COO
remaimn th t Progre ive Baptist
Church bro e the ground for its original
building on April 11, 1948. The corner-
one laid on ugust 1, 1948 and
the ne church w dedicated on
S ptember 28 1952.
Claybom Sam. The next fe year
ere very trying as r a oin on
and me e ntial material needed for
the construction una ilable. Ho -
ever, the members proved to h ve a lot
of patien e and detennin tion four
years ere involved from the time of th
ground bre ing to th time of moving
in for the fir t rvice.
The Progre ive Club a or anized
in 1946 by rs. D lilah Cald ell and
renamed the Young omen's uxiliari
in 1948 and nna B. endri
organized the ur id in 1951.
In 1968 Rev. illiam G. CaId ell
a appointed the First . P tor,
and rved un til 1979 at hich time Re .
Elli L Hull Sr. assumed the po t. Th
Church has boa ted a member ip of a
high as 00 with eral of the 1 al
churches emanating from Pilgrim Re t.
Rev. Ellis has ordained nine ministers
in St. Louis o. and 14 in B nton Har­
bore
The Pilgrim Re t B ptist hur h
is ill functionin cti ely at th E.
ain and Burton Sts. 10 tion and ill
be celebrating it 60th nni er ry thi
year, a ill the P or Re . . Elli
be celebratin his 91 Birthda .
THE CITIZEN BLACK HISTORY SUPPLE E T 1 3 PAGE 5
The member met in bu ine meet­
ing arch 31, 1944 and voted to pur-
ch vacant lot on the comer of
and Burton Streets from the late
Sidney Terrill Sr., and hi ife r .
Ella Terrill for $275.00 and a ne build­
ing wa started with ground broken for
the ba ment the cond eek in Septem­
ber 1944· the b ment was dug by
Pa or Ellis with an old fashioned scoop
and hor team he also poured the foot­
ing and helped with the cement bloo
in the .side walls. Bloc s were laid by
George Washington a . ed by De con
Johnny Jeffri s (5 years Luther Rice
Seminary); and Rev. James Childs (B.A. -
Lake ichigan College 2 year Luther
Rice Seminary as well as a strong
Board of Deacons: Rivers alone
Chairman; Robert Bell Hardy Peterson
Reuben Holliday Carl Shannon, Carl­
ton ay Booker T. ashington Ray­
mond ays Tommie ren illie
ulherion, and Vincent Smith and
�
dedicated and dutiful members hich
m e up their total membership of orne
350 people.
A church can only be a good as its
leader, Dr. Coo's record spe s for
itself. He attended the Illinoi Theologi­
Continued on p 8
CHARTER ME BERS - Survivin m yet
Front ro left to riPt other' Jo' Green ood, E
Second ro, other' Bre er, Franklin, Cora Bett
or . .E. Ellis tanding in rear.
CO
PE SO
time moved on and the 'congre­
gation gre the church tried to extend
it ministry by day and night throughout
the wee. The members sa everyday
as an opportunity. 0 human rvice
hich Ii d within its po er to render to
the community and which promises
to encourage fello ship strengthen
character or deepen faith was ever
neglected. Progre ive wa the first
church in the area to issue Christmas
ba ets to the economically disadvant-
ed.
On June 5, 1977 Progre ive relocated
to its pre nt ddre at 245 Pipestone
Street. The cornerstone was laid and
the church wa rededicated on Septem­
ber 27, 1981. Still under the leader­
ship of the no Dr. Daniel E. Coo ,
(BD. . Div. DD.) Progressive ha
taken in me 200 additional member
and instituted veral new ministries.
They no add to their credit three
as iate ministers: Rev. Allen Harvell
(5 ye rs Luther Rice
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