In 1827, the First African Baptist Church (now First Baptist Church located at Cardinal and Bell) was organized under the leadership of the creator of the “Freedom School”, Reverend John Berry Meachum.Because Missouri was then a slave state, Meachum had to take his church to free land, more specifically, free water. He took the unique approach of using a steamboat anchored in the middle of the Mississippi River as his church.

Twenty-three members of Reverend Meachum’s congregation at the First African Baptist Church decided to withdraw from the congregation due to the trend of people moving west and requested letters and permission to start their own church. Permission was granted. This group of 23 was led by Reverends Richard Sneethen and John Richard Anderson.

The breakaway group, which consisted of both slaves and free individuals initially met for prayer meetings at the home of Brother Lewis and Sister Mary Scott on Cherry Street, now known as Franklin Avenue as well as at the home of Deacon Patrick Sexton. Regular worship began on March 22, 1846 at Liberty Hall, which was a hall adjoining the Liberty Engine House at the corner of Third and Cherry Streets. Thus was born the Second African Baptist Church.

Reverend Richard Sneethen, was the first to lead and give the church a sense of direction and left it debt-free, with a surplus of two thousand dollars. After a year of faithful service he heard and accepted the call to service at a church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Upon Reverend Sneethen’s departure, Reverend John Richard Anderson became shepherd of the flock. In October 1847, the church was formally constituted as a regular Baptist church by the Recognition Council.

In 1847, the Missouri Legislature passed a law stating that no Negroes could be taught “Letters.” In other words Negroes were not to learn how to read or write.

In 1851 under Reverend Anderson’s leadership, the church marched from the hall adjoining the old Liberty Engine House to the congregation’s first house of worship at Eighth and Green (now Lucas Ave.) Streets. The property cost three thousand dollars to erect. There were about three hundred members in the congregation at the time. The Second African Baptist Church then became the Eighth Street Baptist Church. During this period baptism took place at Chouteau’s Pond. Harriet Scott, wife of Dred Scott, was a member of the Eighth Street congregation.

In the early 1850’s, under the leadership of teachers from Second Baptist Church, which was predominantly white, a Sunday school was created. Then to celebrate the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, they held a great Thanksgiving service. It was not until January 11, 1865 that Missouri, at its Constitutional Convention in St. Louis, abolished slavery within its borders. The convention was held at the old Mercantile Liberty Hall. Reverend Anderson did not live to see Missouri become a free state. He died suddenly in the summer of 1863 after taking medication that had been poisoned as a result of a pharmacist’s mistake. Other than that of Thomas Hart Benton, a noted white Missouri politician, Reverend Anderson’s funeral was the largest St. Louis had ever seen. He was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Reverend James Freeman Boulden was called into service from Philadelphia three months after the death of Reverend Anderson. During the two years Reverend Boulden led the church he sent out Brother William P. Brooks, one of the twenty-three original founders, as a state missionary. He founded many churches throughout the state. He also ordained to the gospel Reverend S. P. Anderson (Reverend John Anderson’s son) who would later serve twice as the pastor of the church.

Reverend Boulden organized the Southern and Northwestern Conventions, both of which did much evangelizing and formed schools and churches in the Mississippi Valley.

Reverend Hiram P. Revels, a protégé of Reverend Boulden as well as a teacher and pastor in St. Louis, went to Mississippi and entered politics. He later became a United States senator. Filling the seat once held by Jefferson Davis.

The Reverend Henry Highland White followed Reverend Anderson and served a three year tenure at Eighth Street steadily moving the church forward. An eminent theologian and scholar, Reverend White was one of the organizers of the Missouri Baptist Convention and also one of the founders of Western College (now Western Baptist Seminary, Kansas City, MO).

Reverend White also conducted a private church in the basement of the Eighth Street Church to help the newly emancipated African Americans learn how to read and write.

Reverend Simon Peter Anderson was the son of Reverend John Richard Anderson and the first and only pastor to serve the flock twice as its shepherd. He formed the Samaritan Relief Society in 1874 to help the aged, poor, and sick of the church as well as to provide burial services for its members.

Reverend Simon Anderson championed the cause for public education of blacks in the city of St. Louis. In 1877, he served as an active member of the first and only Negro board of education in the city.

In 1880, after serving as pastor for twelve years, he resigned.

The church continued to grow and thrive as a most notable religious force in the St. Louis community during these years. Reverend Sampson P. Lewis was now the pastor and his most notable contribution to the church was the organization of the Ladies Missionary Circle in 1882. The Circle assisted in the education of Reverend Enos Scruggs and other young ministers who were training at Western College. In July of 1884 Reverend Lewis submitted his letter of resignation.

After receiving his second call to pastor the church, Reverend Simon P. Anderson returned to the pulpit. During his second term he led the church from Eighth and Green Streets to a new church site at Twenty-third and Morgan (now Delmar). It was at this new location that the name of the church was changed to Central Baptist Church.
During the thirty-four years the church was at Eighth and Green, it had taken in 1,740 members. The church was the largest black Baptist congregation in the city of St. Louis.
From its humble beginning the church had proved to be actively involved in politics, social issues, educational reform, and human rights for all people. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union also held its first meetings at this location. The church was growing and productive and an inspiration to all who entered her doors.

By the late 1880’s the church called Reverend John Lewis Cohron, Reverend Cohron was active in the organization of the Missouri Baptist Convention. It was at this time that he inspired and encouraged Central to lend one thousand dollars to Western College ( now Western Baptist Bible Seminary).

As the twentieth century was ushered in and the need to continue increased awareness and positive opportunities for Negroes, Reverend Cohron determined to make a difference, became increasingly active in efforts to help blacks.

He was one of the founders of the Orphan’s and Old Folks’ Association Among Negroes at the urging of his wife, Sara Cohron, who along with Annie Malone opened the Orphaned Home for Colored Children which was later named for Annie Malone who championed and financially supported the institution.

Reverend Cohron started the Baptist Young People’s Union (BYPU) at Central and helped to form the Pine Street and Phyllis Wheatly branches of the YMCA/YWCA, the Young Men’s Praying Band, and a young people’s literacy society.

The Reverend George E. Stevens came to Central and would serve for thirty-four years. During his tenure he developed innovative ways for the church to provide better service to its members by introducing the envelope for tithes and offerings, the budget, and the “groups” system which placed the members in clusters according to the area they lived in. These groups served as a catalyst in communication and increasing the good and welfare of the membership.

The church began the new and modern departmentalized Sunday school, unified the board of deacons and trustees and established the office of Assistant Pastor during this generation.

Under the leadership of Reverend Stevens, the church purchased and remodeled its first parsonage and parish house.

The church purchased a new location from the Pilgrim Congregational Church for $45,000 and on the morning of July 13, 1913, the congregation marched from its old church at Twenty-third and Morgan to its new home at the corner of Washington and Ewing St.

In 1927, Pastor Stevens wrote and published “The History of Central Baptist Church: 1847—1927.”

For the next four years Central moved forward under the leadership of Reverend Clarence M. Long.

The music department of Central was expanded during these years with the organization of the Gospel Chorus and the Junior Choir.

The church continued to grow with Reverend Long as its shepherd. He introduced the church activity calendar in order to effectively keep up with what was happening at the church.

Reverend Dr. Thomas Elliott Huntley preached his first sermon on Mother’s Day, 1942, as a result of an invitation from the Central Baptist pastoral search committee. He was installed in August of that same year. After a three-month debt-clearance campaign instituted by Reverend Huntley, the original $4,538.54 mortgage balance was burned in Sunday, April 4, 1943.

As part of the 100th Church Anniversary, the administration launched 100 hours of continuous prayer around the clock-all day, all night. Central was saturated with prayer with members often stopping in to pray before going to work.

Knowing that he could not do this work alone, Dr. Huntley proposed a plan to divide the work of the church into three departments with a full-time worker for each department. Hence the church adopted the 3-point program and two of the workers were hired in 1946. They were William H. Claiborne, a graduate of Morehouse College who would serve as Director of Christian Education with full charge of that phase of the church. The same year, Frankie Weaver (Anderson) was named Director of Social Service, and worked to devote full time to the social welfare of the membership. In the fall of 1947 a 40 passenger bus was purchased which the pastor labeled: “Central Baptist Church on Wheels.” In February 1948 the Evangelistic Commission was established and the initial visit of the Church on Wheels was made at Veterans Hospital and later that year began to evangelize to families in the neighborhood at the corner of Beaumont and Lucas.

In the late 1940’s a section of the second floor of the church was converted into classrooms and for the Pastor’s study. The church had a full time church secretary, Hazel Hopson, who remained in that position until 1980. In 1949 the spectacular new pipe organ was first played. The music department became the best in the city under leadership such as J. Roy Terry, Myrtle Crump, Larry Wade, and Mildred T. Bailey.

In 1961 the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to St. Louis and preached for the first time in St. Louis at the Central Baptist Church during the morning worship service. He was to reside over the National Baptist Sunday School and BTU Congress and invited the Central Baptist children’s choir, The Trebelettes, to accompany him to the Kiel Auditorium to sing before his sermon.

Central became very active in the Antioch District Association, Missouri Baptist State Convention and National Baptist Convention by sending delegates to annual sessions.

On Saturday night, March 6, 1971, the church was destroyed by fire. As devastated members gathered the following morning they were greeted by the pastor of First Baptist Church, who offered use of their educational building as a temporary home until the renovation of our educational center was completed. Pastor Huntley took on the challenge of rebuilding the church and on Sunday, December 21, 1975, the congregation, along with community and civic leaders, marched into their new debt-free sanctuary.

After the death of Reverend Huntley, the street formerly known as Ewing was renamed T. E. Huntley Ave.

For three years the church searched for a new shepherd to lead them. After a vote of the congregation the Assistant Pastor, Reverend Clydrow Durbney was called.

He had been appointed in the early years to work with the Church on Wheels and was responsible for bringing hundreds of children to Christ.

During a morning worship service Reverend Durbney announced his resignation and another search committee was appointed to look for a new Pastor.

 

 

 

 

Late in 1985 the Reverend Ronald Broadnax Packnett was called to assume the pastorate of the church. He and wife, Gwendolyn and newborn baby girl, Brittany Noel relocated from New Haven, Connecticut.

Reverend Packnett established Central’s Crisis Intervention Center to assist the homeless and less fortunate with food, clothing and spiritual guidance; the Thanksgiving and Christmas give-aways are extensions of the Crisis Intervention Center. This program is completely funded by the church membership and private donations and receives no government funding.

The Central Youth Council (CYC) enriched the lives of our youth by supporting educational tours to the places like, National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the King Center in Atlanta and the US Capitol in Washington D.C.

KILALO-Rites of Passage a manhood and womanhood training program was established for youth at Central and in the community. Our Girl Scout program was reactivated also. Packnett was known as the pastor interested in our youth and children.

Reverend Packnett was an active leader in St. Louis serving on boards and hosting a radio program on KATZ. Central became involved with the St. Louis Public Schools Mentoring Program along with the Jewish congregation of Temple Israel and Rabbi Mark Shook.
The Men of Central (MOC) Ministry was established during the Packnett years.

Membership rolls of Central were increased during this generation of leadership and the church continued and increased its role in the community and local, state and national denominational organizations.

The church was without a permanent pastor for three years but was led by Reverend Ralph Jackson, Interim Pastor, until the invitation was extended to the Reverend Dr. Robert Charles Scott, a Monticello, Mississippi native who was pastoring a church in Lexington, North Carolina. He would be the youngest pastor to be called to this church.

Reverend Scott has added several teaching ministries to Central: TNT -Thursday Night Teaching (Bible Study) (a noon class was added in 2004), CEO-Christian Education Orientation (New Disciple’s Class), and Teacher Training (training classes for those working with young people). These additional ministries were also established by Reverend Scott: Women of Central, Nursery and Child Care (Sunday mornings), Guys Night Out (Recreational), Couples Ministry, CBC Learning Clinic (Tutoring Services), Pastor’s Choir (Daytime Choir), Technology Ministry, Young Ladies of Christ (for 5-17 year old girls), Young Men of Christ (for 5-17 year old boys), and Friday Night Live, a contemporary praise and worship service.

The church has experienced an increase of finances due to the teachings and encouragement of tithing by Reverend Scott. The budget has increased dramatically and funds have been at an all time high because of the increase in discipleship and stewardship.
Renovation of the Dr. William H. Claiborne Educational Center and a new women’s lounge in the sanctuary building were completed, and plans are underway for a major project to create an administrative building. Additional land has been purchased for parking expansion.

In 2004, Reverend Scott revealed our vision for the church and a new church logo. New officers have been appointed to fill vacancies and training is recurring for all the leadership of the church. It is expected that the leaders of this church tithe, attend at least one of the teaching ministries of the church, and be committed to the teachings of Jesus Christ and incorporate the church vision into their ministries.
Pastor Scott licensed the church’s first female minister, Executive Minister Dr. Alice C. Price, and several other ministers including Cheryl Goliday, Latasha Milton and Craig Maddox. Other ministers that have come to serve include Tracy Watkins, Jason E. Evans, and Reverend Vincent Gaitor. Pastor Scott also ordained the church’s first female deacon, Cora Mae Hicks.

Some of the country’s most distinguished preachers of the gospel have graced Central’s pulpit due to Dr. Scott’s invitation. Among them have been Reverend Dr. Charles Booth, Reverend Dr. William Curtis, Reverend Dr. William J. Shaw, Reverend Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, Reverend Dr. Joan S. Parrott, Dr. Bernadette Glover-Williams, Reverend Dr. Sir Walter Mack, Reverend Dr. Carolyn Knight, Reverend Jasmin "Jazz" Sculark, and Reverend George Waddles.

Central continues to prosper because of wonderful leadership. Central’s history is long and rich and we give all the Glory to God for His goodness and blessings.