Evening star., 1937-09-05
CHURCH OBSERVES
18TH BIRTHDAY
Nineteenth Street Baptists
Hear Sermon by Pastor
of SIS Years.
BY BENJAMIN BRAWLEY.

The Nineteenth Street Baptist
Church, which has played an i'm
portant part in the founding OF other
churches of the denomination in
Washington. has begun its 99th year
of service to the colored people of
the city.
In a special service commemorate
ing the 9Sth anniversary of the
church's founding last Sunday, Rev.
Walter H. Brooks, D. D., who has
been pastor nearly SIS years, reviewed
the unique part the church has had
In the early history of Baptist church,
munties.
The day following the pastor cele-
brated his 86th birthday anniversary,
and on Wednesday he left with Mrs
Brooks to attend the meetings of the
rational Baptist convention in Los
= Angeles
The congregation of the Nineteenth
Street Church was formally organ
lied August 30, 1889. Up to 1888 the
congregation of the First Baptist
Church, now at Sixteenth and o
streets, was still worshipping in
one-story ediflce at Nineteenth and I
streets. From time to time it re-
ceived into its membership Negro
parsons, some free, some slave, until
there were about 40 of these people.
All were segregated in portion of
the gallery. Thus early was there sug-
eested the idea of separate organ
tZation.
Rev. White First Pastor.
In 1888 the white congregation
moved away, going first to new
home on Tenth street. 1t still owned
the property at Nineteenth and
streets however, and had oversight of
the Negro members. In the tense
years following the Nat Turner in
surrection in Virginia there was no
disposition to set up these people as
an independent body Yet they were
using the whole building instead Of a
part of it and constantly looked tow
ard having their own distinct church.
On August %, 1889, under the in
splration of visit from the Rev.
Sampson White, Negro minister who
had served at the Gillfleld Baptist
Church in Petersburg, Va, church
. was formally organized on the site
by four persons who had had no con-
nection with the white congregation
William Bush and his wife, Lavinia
Perry and Emily Coke When once
there was this nucleus of an organi-
zatlon. the 40 or more persons who
had been worshiping in the edifice
were taken in. Rev. Mr. White was
the first minister, and the church
joined an association centered not in
Washington but in Philadelphia
. Until the Civil War it was known
simply as the Colored Baptist Church.
Later it became formally the Nine
teenth Street Baptist Church.
After few years, one Of the found
ers, William Bush, went to the white
organization known as the Navy Yard
Baptist Church. From this, in turn,
he, his wife and three other persons
withdrew and thus was organized in
1848 the Second Baptist Church, OF
which Rev. j. L, S, Holloman is now
pastor.
Other Groups Formed.
In 1861 Rev. Albert Bolden, formerly
connected with the Nineteenth Street
Church, led in the founding Of the
Third Baptist Church, of which Rev.
G.. o. Bullock Is now pastor.
In 1864 Rev. D. w. Anderson. who
also saw service at Nineteenth Street,
led in organizing the fourth group Of
Negro Baptists in the city, the Metro
politan Baptist Church on r street,
of which Rev. E. c. Smith is now
pastor
Similarly in 1866 the Vermont Ave-
nue Baptist Church was organized.
At the time there were just seven
members. At the death of the first
pastor, Rev John H. Brooks 18 years
later, the number was 1900. In 1910,
there were 1000, and nearly 20 years
later, when the third pastor, Rev.
j. E, Willis died, it was nearer 5000.
Vermont Avenue is now one Of the
vast church organizations Of the coun-
try
In October it will celebrate its
seventy-f1rst anniversary and the
eighth anniversary Of the present pas
tor, Rev. c. T. Murray The burn
ing Of $4,000 mortgage will sig
nalize the canceling OF all indebted
ness.
Fostered Several Units.
Meanwhile. there had gone forth
from the parent church three other