Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Sept. 4, 1954, edition 1 / Page 14
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PAGE SIX THE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1954 Shown above is Russell Memorial Christian Methodist Church whose pastor is the Reverend W. A. McEwan, (inset). Church- (Continued from Page Three) odist Episcopal Churgji. It was founded in 1869 and its first pas tor was Edward Marlcham.” Dr. Miles Mark Fisher, a competent hi^orian in his own right, gives 18di6 as the date of the organi zation of the White Rock Bap tist Church. The church’s corner stone corroborates his view. At any rate, these two churches have been formative and constructive influences in the life of our group for nearly a century: one for 85 years; the other, 88. They came into being at a most critical time in the his tory of our group, whose need was their challenge and oppor tunity, just a few years after the end of the Civil War. Members of these two church es with any historic sen sibility—a feeling for the past and its relation to the present, cannot but look with pride upon their long record of creative ser vice. Such persons must, of necessity, experience certain divine moments when in im agination they reproduce stir ring scenes of yester years. They see those grand men of God, Markham, Edwards, Hunter, Eaton, Shepard, Browley and others; men in whom the gospel was as a fire shut up in their bones, and upon th^ir lips sharp er than a two-edged sword. To the fathers and mothers of a dark- day, such preachers were a fountain of inspiration and a tower of strength. Such noble men as these held the line against subversive and (Sscouraging forces. They laid a solid foundation upon which \ye today are building. They clear ed the wilderness for us, prepar ing the way of the Lord, making straight in the desert a highway for our God, leveling mountains of difficulties, straightening crooked paths, and making rough places plain. God forbid that any of us should be so in sensitive regarding our indebted- dess to the fathers as not to think, feel, and say with Jesus “Others have labored and we Wive entered into their labors.” It is certain that there are oth er churches in this town the origin of which dates back far enough to affect its members with the sense of history. The Rev. A. W. Lawson, pastor of the CJospel Tabernacle Holy Church, points back 64 years to the origin of that body. The cor nerstone of the new edifice in process of erection by the Saint Mark’s AME Zion Church gives 1899 as the year it was organ ized. There are probably other churches here as old as these or older. At the outset, we noted the difficulty of measuring the in fluence of the church upon the progress of a people because the church deals Jargely with in tangible realities. Yet, there are certain factors that may indicate tliat influence. These factors will be pointed out in paragraphs to follow. Hie number of members con stituting a church is indicative of the extent of its influence whether it is great or little. Take for instance, the church on the day of Pentecost. It began the day with 120 members. It closed the day with 3,120 members ‘Hiat was a miracle of influence The Saint Joseph Methodist Church began in 1860 with six members. Today, its membership totals 800. With an unimpressive numerical beginning. White Rock Baptist Church now has almost 1,500 members. Like wise, Mount Vernon has about 1400 members, Saint Mark AME Zion almost 800, and Union Bap tist, ^00. The Gospel Tabernacle has al most 200, Morehead Baptist ap^ proximately 500; Mt. Zion near ly ttO, First Calvary 500, Eben- exer 800, Oak Grove 400; Saint Titus about 150, North Side, 150; Mew mthtfl, 400; Mt. Gilead, 400; 8t. Paul about 400; Russell Memorial CME 400, Mt. Olive, nearly 400; West Durham Bap tist 400; and Covenant Presby terian, nearly 300. Nine churches in the same connection, as the Gospel Taber- nable Holiness Church must have a considerable combined membership. The membership of some churches is not mentioned here because of difficulty in contacting authoritative sources. The over all influence of the aggregate membership of our churches must be great indeed. In fact, this membership itself is the product of church influ ence. What this aggregate to tals cannot be stated without the knowledge of the membership of each church. One minister esti mates it at 18,000. This seems to be too liberal a figure. Fifteen thousand would seem to be more in line with actuality. At any rate, our churches hold quite a host of persons who acknowl edge Christ as their savior and have organized them to do ef fective service. One of the best organized churches here is the Mount Ver non Baptist Church. The pastor, the Rev. fe. T. Browne, is some what of a genius at organizing people. He has a most competent co-worker in his wife. Dr. Rose Butler Browne. Here, we find a church with five choirs, a Sunday School or ganization that raises about $200 per Sunday, a childrens’ church of more than 300 members with their own ushers, deacons, and youth council working with adult councils. They meet prac tically every Sunday in a ser vice of their own. Mount Vemon has two busses, a recently dedicated plot of land of 92.8 acres including a lake and two houses. This church al so has a Credit Union to which its members may go for help in time of financial strain. It is said that no member in Mount Vernon needs to be idle if he desires to work. A great deal of space would be required to describe the or ganization and' activities of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church. A brief statement may be made concerniiig other closely organized churches. The White Rock Baptist Church has a fine organization. Its district organi zation is hardly excelled any where. The Church sponsors re creational activities for its youth, a program which now has be come a model for other church es. The pastor. Dr. Miles Mark Fisher, had the vision and the courage to initiate such a program years ago. Mt. Zion Baptist Church, West Durham Baptist, Ebenezer Bap tist. Saint Joseph AME, in. fact, many of the city’s churches are closely and effectively organ ized. It is significant to mention here the Nursey School of the St. Joseph AME Church. This school was established in 1952. Instruction is given the children enrolled, wholesome meals ser ved, and proper rest periods ob served. “For the convenience of the parents, the school opens at 7:45 a. m. and does not close un til the last child is called for. In an effort to make this service as helpful as possible, this school operates on a year round basis. In such an organnized effort, the people leam to pool their re sources and are trained and dis ciplined for effective living and service. Especially are the young people helped. 1 have seen some of them evidence an unbounded enthusiasm for their church and pastor because they have a sense of belonging, of being needed and appreciated. Durham church people have embarked on a building program which is another evidence of the vitality of their religious faith, and growing influence. Until re cently, we had few attractive church edifices and scarcely any adequate for the most effective religious effort. But there has been a great change in the last six years. The following churches have built new edifices, splendid brick structures of beauty and attraction: St. John Baptist, First Calvary Baptist, Morehead Ave. Baptist, Ebenezer Baptist, Oak Grove J^ee Will Baptist, Russell Memorial CME, and the Metro politan Methodist Church. Most, if not all of these struc tures, have provisions for the educational requirements of the church. The first church to erect an educational building of the first rank—the finest in town among our group, was the Saint Joseph AME Church. This building has added dignity, grace, beauty and impressiveness to the area in which it is located. It represents monumental achievement un der the administration of the Rev. D. A. Johnston, the present pastor. There are three other churches now under construc tion. The Seventh Day Adventists are erecting a new edifice. The Covenant Presbyterian Churj^ building is in process of com- has launched a building pro gram which is progressing ra pidly. Th^ cornerstone has al ready been laid. When complet ed, this edifice, house of wor ship and educational building combined, will probably consti tute the largest structure in town. It is located on the comer of Pine and Pickett Streets. The Rev. A. S. Croom is put ting up a modern brick struc ture on Roxboro Street with a fine education annex. This pro ject will represent an outlay of more than $125,000 when com pleted. The old structure on Corporation Street ik available for any activities the church de cides essential. A few churches in the city have made extensive renova tions. A permastone incasement has made Mount Zion Baptist Church quite attractive. It is probable that total church property here may be evaluated at from $2,500,000 to $3,000,000. This is no small outlay for a people most of whom belong to the laboring class and are sub ject to intermittent employment at wages not too attractive. ^ The churches of Durham, too, make their influence felt through a body known as the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Durham and Vicinity. The preamble to the constitu tion of that body indicates the aim and purpose to serve the community with greater effec tiveness. “We, as ministera of the Lord Jesns Christ and oyer- seers in His church, realise that the success of onr efforts does not depend alone on per.; sonal spiritual experience and individual qualification. We al so realize that in a cooperative organizational fellowship in which we share onr exper ience, knowledge, and hopes, and together study means by which we may better serve car churches and the communities in which they exist, we gird ourselves for a more effective ministry. Such a fellowship makes for a clearer vision of our mutual needs and dependence, binds us more closely togcMier In the bonds of unity and solid arity, and makes more likely the realization of that power indicated in the biblical pro nouncement, “One shall chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight.’ Thru such a fellowship, onr churches may be led into a closer unity, solidarity, and cooperative endeavor, and find means to pool their resources—material and spiritual—for their mu tual edification, community welfare and the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God.” Three important results have come from this union of the churches thru the Ministerial 'Attlance. It has promoted-| interdenominational harmony, more friendly relations and greater cooperation. Top level In the next place, this unlm has enabled the churches more effectively to deal with Qommun- Ity problems and to meet them with concerted action rather than with a unilateral or separ ate ineffectiveness. Finally, it has caused various professional, business, and civic groups, not to mention in dividuals aspiring to sell them selves to the public, to seek thru the ministers the support of their churches. Through the Minister’s Al liance the churches hav^ made a splendid response to charity appeals. They have contributed to various relief agencies. The program of the alliance calls for an annual bequest of $1,000 to Lincoln Hospital. The Negro ministers meet once 9 month with the white ministers of the city in a body known as the Baptist Minister’s Alliance. The Rev. A. S. Croom served as its firft president. The Rev. C. E. McLester is serving in that capacity now; and, the Rev. J. S. Stewart is serving as secretary. The fellowship in this body has been ^uitful; a help to each group of ministers. Discussions relative to racial issues have been engaged In with candor, frankness, and a satisfying de gree of objectivity. We have, through this fellowship been able to bring before the white ministers of the city, prominent thinkers of our group. It ia ex pected that this bi-raciU leader ship contact will add to the mea sure of racial understanding and harmony. Some of the ministers of Dur ham have held their churches for many years. Rev. C. F. Cox, who organized the Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church 30 years ago, is still its pastor. Rev. T. C. Graham has been at West Durham 33 years. Rev. Wm. H. Fuller at Mt. Zion 27 years; Rev| Mr. Croom at Union Baptist over 30 years; Rev. M. M. Fisher at White Rock 22 years; Rev. J. H. Peppers at St. Paul 18 years; and Rev. Perry at St. Mark 19 years. Here then are seven ministers who have given Durham a com-- bined total of more than 18() years of service. The work and influence of our churches is not confined to lo cal areas. Affiliation with larger bodies, associations, conferences, and conventions enables the lo cal churches to project them selves to meet needs In state, liatlonal and international areas. The Baptist Churches contri bute to Shaw University thni as sociations and the State Baptist Convention. They contribute to pletion, and The Rev. S. P. Perry harmony has paid off. ROWE-GOODWIN-JONES, Inc. Welcomes To The Friendly City Of Durham The 34th N. N. I. A. PLUMBING Am HEATING CONTRACTORS AND ENGIl^EERS Phone 8-9677 2762 GUESS ROAD foreign minions through the Lott Carey Convention. An evidence of a church’s in fluence is reflected in att^d- ance. To my knowledge, some churches in Durham carry large morning crowds. Reports lead UB to believe that a goodly num ber of other churches are well attended. Attendance on evening services, save in a few instances, leaveb much to be desired. In Durham, our professional and business men are good at tendants and workers in their churches. ’That has been our ob servation respecting at least three churches., The biggett names in the business, civic, and professional life of Durham are church men. They serve on their church boards; some are active' in Simday School work, and some are choir members. We have noted that the pioneers in the development of Negro busi ness In this city were devoted to the church. My final word has to do with the ministers of Negro Durham. Durham has some men of out standing ability both as organiz ers and preachers. Any man who can hold a crowd Simday after Simday, year in and year out, must rated as a good preach er; and in Durham, there are some preachen who speak to a full house every Sunday. They have a message; an ajq;>eal to the whole man, the heart, mind and will. Intellectually, Durham has a good representetlon among its preachers. Some of its ministers hold degrees, acaden)Ic and hop- orary. There are others without college background who, through years of private study, self-dis cipline, and experience compel the admiration of all the bre thren and the envy of some. The people hear them gladly. It Is interesting to note the schools from which our ministers have received degrees or attend ed. Morehouse College, Virginia Union University, Shaw Univer sity School of Religion, Chicago University, Bates College, Ban gor Theological Seminary, Liv ingstone College, Hood Theo logical Seminary, Johnson C. Smith University, New York City Bible Institute, the McCor mick Theloglcal Seminary, Bene dict College, and Allen Uni versity. A number of ministers pastoring out of the city live in Durham. Some years ago, a prominent citizen here, asked the late Dr. C. C. Spaulding if the sermonic utterance this citizen had heard over the radio was typical of the preaching in our Negro church- (Please turn to Page Seven) GREEIINGS 34th Anmud National Negro Insurance Association • • • THE AUBITON REALTY AND INSURANCE COMPANY Real Estate, RenUds, Leaaet, Insurance ASSETS OVER $250,000 ■I;. 206 NORTH MANGUM STREET Telephones: 4943 — 4944 — 5-9921 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA R. H. WRIGHT, President G. FRANK GODFREY, Manager Rentals And Insurance WESLEY F. BEAVERS, Manager Sedes Department MARIE HAMM, Secretary ' Incorporated 1934 The Frjendly City Of Durham . Welcomes The 34th N.N.I.A; Convention DURHAM INDUSTRIAL BANK WE INVITE YOUR INSPECTION 116 WEST MAIN STREET DURHAM, N. C GREETINGS TO THE NATIONAL NEGRO INSURANCE ASSOCIATION TO DURHAM AND NORTH CAROLINA Hi LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA ^ BASCOM BAYNES, PrMM«n« ★ GEORGE WATTS HILL, Chairman ot th* Bomi
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Sept. 4, 1954, edition 1
14
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