The History of Emmanuel Baptist Church

Orated by Deacon Emeritus Mary Jenkins

“I heard the voice of Jesus say…” Thus begins one of the old Negro hymns sung many times by the tiny group of believers, who began meeting for Wednesday evening Bible classes and prayer. The seeding of the Emmanuel Baptist Church began years ago in the year of our Lord 1914. The church started as a mission, holding prayer services in a rented house in the 1300 block of Excelsior Street. They felt the need for a Church in the Columbia Heights community, and as their numbers grew, they began to have Sunday school and Worship Service twice a month. Various local ministers were invited to speak. Finally, in 1916, they were properly organized as Emmanuel Baptist Church. The anointed men who spearheaded the formal organization of Emmanuel were Professor J. W. Paisley, Rev. R.L. Files of Mount Zion Baptist Church and Rev. Pink Joyce of Rising Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Church received its name from Professor J.W. Paisley who taught in the Public School System.

The membership increased as the Lord added to the small church. In the same year of 1916 Emmanuel called the first pastor, the Reverend J. R. Summers who was recommended by Dr. Edward Golson, pastor of First Baptist Church. The membership had grown and a building fund campaign was launched by Rev. Summers who pastored Emmanuel for two years. In the early spring of 1918, the church extended the call to Rev. Eli W. Walker of South Carolina. Shortly after Rev. Walker assumed his pastoral duties, the Church had to relocate to make way for the Southern Railway Station. A rented house on the corner of Bruce and Hill Streets was secured, and the church continued to grow. As the need for additional space became evident, the members decided to build a Church. Land was purchased at 619 Smith Street, and the “Little White Church on the Hill” known as Emmanuel was built in 1922. After serving Emmanuel for four years, Rev. Walker resigned and moved to Durham where he was instrumental in building Calvary Baptist Church.

During the next five years several ministers served Emmanuel, including Rev. David Clark, Rev. A.S.  Salter, Rev. James Parker and Rev. E. S. Duke. In 1927, Rev. Eddie J. Gallman, father of the famous gospel singer, Mrs. Edna Gallman Cook, came to pastor Emmanuel and remained until 1931. At that time, he resigned to pastor Springfield Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Rev. J. D. Monroe was called to pastor in 1931. During his years of leadership Emmanuel grew to a membership of approximately 400. A lot on Vargrave Street was purchased to build a larger Church. In 1945 Rev.  Monroe resigned after 14 years of distinguished service. In 1946, the call was extended to Rev. L.C.  McClure of Charlotte who pastored Emmanuel for four years during which time the membership decreased. With this decline in membership, the Building Fund was totally exhausted to meet general expenses.

On June 29, 1950 Emmanuel extended the call to Rev. S.W. Mack Sr., a native of Winston-Salem and youngest pastor to date of the church. Rev. Mack was the pastor of Jones Chapel Baptist Church, which is now First Baptist Church in Morrisville, N.C. In August 1950, Rev. Mack returned to Winston- Salem and with continuous prayer the members began to realize the full potential of their name Emmanuel meaning “God with us”.

 In 1952, due to increasing membership and the loyal attendance of students from neighboring Winston- Salem Teachers College, now Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), under the leadership of the eminent pastor, Rev. Mack, Emmanuel initiated a remodeling project, which cost in excess of $10,000. Shortly after, WAAA, the first black-owned radio station in Winston-Salem, began operating and Emmanuel became one of the first Churches to broadcast outreach services on the station.  The Church purchased the first parsonage at 1046 Thurmond Street for $8,500 and an organ was purchased, which remains in the church today.

 

Many auxiliaries were organized and Emmanuel became affiliated with The Baptist State Convention, Rowan Baptist Association and Lott Carey Foreign Missionary Convention.  Essie B. Lennon made significant contributions to Emmanuel during this period. While she was president of the Missionary Circle the auxiliary received an A-1 rating from the Convention and has maintained the rating ever since. Mrs. Lennon also served for 26 years as Financial Secretary to the Forsyth County Missionary Union. Her dedication and Christianity went far beyond the walls of Emmanuel Baptist Church as demonstrated through her participation in community, civic and numerous professional affiliations. Essie Lennon was the first female Trustee of Emmanuel. After serving for 37 years as president of our Missionary Circle, Mrs. Lennon passed away on November 3, 1986.

A building fund was launched in 1963 to meet the need to promote effective Christian education. Under the leadership of Reverend Mack, Emmanuel purchased the North Winston Baptist Church on June 18, 1967 for $75,000. On September 17, 1967, with police escort, members traveled by motorcade to the new location at 500 East 16th Street. A church bus was purchased to transport members and Emmanuel soon became a leader among churches in North Carolina. The Sunday school grew and hosted the Sunday School Convention. The ushers joined the Ushers Convention and several new deacons were ordained.

On Sunday morning, March 26, 1972, shortly after midnight, fire swept through the Church and it was completely destroyed. The cause of the fire was not determined. The first Sunday after the fire members worshipped at the newly built Gilmore Memorial Chapel. Emmanuel also worshipped at the North Hills Community Center for 2 years, during which time land was purchased to build a Church. The new Church was purchased at 1075 Shalimar Drive, allowing us to return to our original community.

 The first service at the Shalimar Drive location was held on Sunday, June 23, 1974. Later an Educational Building and Fellowship Hall were added and other renovations made inside the church and on the grounds. Emmanuel hosted sorority, political and community meetings, and obtained a lifetime membership in the NAACP. The Church newspaper, “The Informer”, was published during this time.

Emmanuel members sponsored a trip to the Holy Land for Pastor Mack and his wife. In 1975 Pastor Mack’s 25th Anniversary was the first affair of its kind to be held at the Benton Convention Center.

Emmanuel Missionaries sent delegates to the National Baptist Convention and the Lott Carey Convention. The Union of Four Churches: Emmanuel, Union Baptist Church, St. John Baptist Church and New Bethel Baptist Church was organized during the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Mack, Sr. after 32 years of total dedication and service to Emmanuel Baptist Church, Dr. Sir Walter Mack Sr. passed away on Saturday, November 27, 1982. A great tribute was paid to his memory by local and national personalities and more than one thousand people attended his services. Mere words could never express the loss felt by Emmanuel. As a tribute to Rev. Mack, the S.W. Mack Scholarship Fund was established as a Trust with two stated purposes: (1) to contribute to the higher education of S. W. Mack, Jr. and Christopher Mack, sons of the late Dr. S.W. Mack Sr., and (2) to provide monetary assistance toward the training and higher education of deserving young persons interested in pursuing a career in the ministerial field. Emmanuel has felt the impact of God’s continued presence with the visionary pastorate of Rev. John Mendez and his leadership has increased both the Church membership and outreach. Under his administration, Emmanuel has developed a heightened awareness of the moral responsibility to become more involved in ministering to the social needs of the community as well as national and international issues.

Toward a vision of Christian education several institutes of higher learning have been established including The Board of Christian Education, the Frank Lennon Congress of Christian Education and Institute, the Kemet School of Knowledge, New Members Orientation Class, the Howard Thurman Library/Reading Room and an After School Tutorial Program. The Youth Council Ministry, Singles Ministry, Infant Ministry, Audio Tape Ministry, Emmanuel’s Counseling Service, Senior Citizen’s Committee, Music Council and Parking and Rescue service were also created. Other supporting ministries such as the Membership Committee became more active, and new auxiliaries included the Deacons’ Family Ministry, Church Council, Political Awareness Committee (now called the Social Action Committee), and Bi-Weekly Bible Classes. The Youth Auxiliaries came together to form the Youth Ministries Department, Youth Council Ministry and Summer Youth Programs. Recreational programs were created including the softball and basketball teams and an exercise program, which offered walking, aerobics and bicycling. Outreach organizations to support those in need included the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Anonymous.

The Emmanuel Church family has been empowered to develop and continue the following ministries: Hospitality, Audio and Tape Ministry, Transportation Ministry, Prison Ministry, Bereavement Committee, Drama Ministry, Family Health and Family Estates Ministry, Wedding Ministry, Cancer Support Ministry, Step Team, Beautification Ministry, Public Relations, Information Systems Ministry, Stewardship Ministries, Singles Ministry, Infant Ministry and Junior Church, Growing in Christ, Young Adult Ministry and Emmanuel Counseling Service. The music department was revised. The Mass Choir, EBC Choral, Ensemble Choir and the Male Chorus combined their anointed voices to form “The John Mendez Mass Choir”. Emmanuel continues to keep alive the heritage of old spirituals with our anointed Spiritual Choir.

Emmanuel became affiliated with and supported conventions and ecumenical religious organizations by sending delegates and financial contributions to The Progressive National Baptist Convention, General Baptist State Convention, National Baptist Convention of America, American Baptist Churches USA, Lott Cary Convention, Baptist World Alliance and the Nation Council of Churches. Emmanuel holds an honorary affiliation with the All-African Conference of Churches in Nairobi, Kenya and Reverend Mendez was the first African-American Pastor to address their General Board at a historical meeting in Madagascar.

Emmanuel is honored by our association with Rev. Julia Swindell and Rev. Benjamin Dunlap. Rev. Swindell served as the first female ordained minister with the Baptist Ministers Conference & Association and was well known at all the Conventions. Rev. Swindell passed on January 2, 1985 after serving with distinction. Rev. Dunlap, the first minister to be installed as an Assistant Pastor at Emmanuel served faithfully until his death on September 24, 1987.

Emmanuel is very proud of all of our Associate Minister’s achievements. Several of our Associate Ministers were blessed to receive new directives in furthering God’s calling. Dr. Alton Pollard accepted a position as Director of Black Church Studies and Associate Professor of Religion and Culture at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Cornelius Battle accepted the call to pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., Rev. Calvin Runnels was appointed the first African American Chaplain at N.C. Baptist Hospital. History was also made when Rev. Stephanie Ellis-Gibbs became the first female minister ordained at Emmanuel on March 10, 1996. 

 

We were blessed to have Rev. Dr. Sam Mann one of our brother in Christ and Pastor of St. Marks Church of Kansas City, Missouri conduct our annual Fall Revival. On February 24, 1988 Presidential Candidate, Jesse Louis Jackson, brought his campaign to Emmanuel. Emmanuel has been honored to host many renowned speakers such as Dr. Beyers Naude from South Africa. His new struggle is focused on helping to combat AIDS in Africa. Following his impassionate pleas for help in stemming the disease, Emmanuel Single’s Ministry and Nurses’ Board jointly sponsored an HIV/AIDS Education program to increase awareness of the devastating disease.  Father George Clements, Roman Catholic Priest from Chicago and founder of One Church, One Child, a program dedicated to identifying adoptive parents for homeless African American and Biracial children, was a distinguished visitor at our church. Emmanuel’s involvement with the Prodigal Community Shelter for homeless men continued to expand. Two Emmanuel Members, Hazel Watson and April Ruffin traveled to Guatemala on a mission to serve children in orphanages, feeding programs, schools and a wheelchair ministry. On October 14, 1989, Emmanuel celebrated the 75th Church Anniversary at the Benton Convention Center with speaker Dr. Fredrick G. Sampson of Detroit, Michigan.

In August 1994, six Deacons were ordained. This service set a precedent with the ordination of 3 women Deacons Helen Cooper, Mary Jenkins and Nadine Brown. The Emmanuel Layman’s League, under the presidency of Kenneth Love was rated the top League by the General Baptist State Convention. Emmanuel was proud to note that one of the former Associate Ministers; Dr. Alton Pollard III counted votes that led to the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa. Emmanuel maintained firm roots with the motherland by participating in clothing and books drives for the children of South Africa. The church was also honored to have Dr. Beyers Naude, one of Nelson Mandela closest friends and supporters from South Africa visit Emmanuel and address our congregation.

 The Emmanuel Church Family saluted Deacon Sammie Torbit for serving 20 years as the Chairman of the Deacon Board and embraced Deacon Jerry Dodd as the new Chairman. Deacon Mary Jenkins was elected Chairperson of District 4 Group of the Women’s Baptist Convention. New ministries were organized as part of Emmanuel’s Purpose-Driven vision including Evangelism, Financial Counseling, Bereavement, New Era Ministry, Economic Development, Public Relations and Communications. Text Book Scholarships were established along with The SW Mack Annual Scholarship Fund to assist more students with the cost of a college education. Emmanuel also joined with the spiritual nation of the Apaches in support of their struggle to retrieve their Holy Mountain on Mount Graham.

The 1998-99 church year was filled with unique and historical events. Our Pastor, Dr. John Mendez, celebrated his 15th Pastoral Anniversary. The guest speaker for this event was the renowned religious and civil rights leader, Dr. Fred Shuttleworth of Cincinnati, Ohio.  Emmanuel joined in the struggle to protest the burning of Black Churches by supporting St. Delight Church through the National Coalition for Burned Churches. The After School Tutorial Program was noted for its superior quality by Attorney General Janet Reno during her visit to Emmanuel. The Kemet Academy was recognized for outstanding work in educating children by two financial awards from the Winston Salem Chronicle and the J. W. Paisley Alumni Association. The Ikose W’aye Infant Ministry became involved in the Fanning the World Campaign 2000 which educated the community regarding infant mortality. The Laymen League started Project Pride a mentoring program for young males and teenagers. The Singles’ and Infant Ministry united to provide support services to single mothers and their children. The Youth Auxiliaries came together to form the Youth Ministry. The Emmanuel Step Team was one of the newest ministries added to the Youth Ministry. The Music Department was re-organized. The Mass Choir, EBC Chorale, Ensemble Choir and Male Choir combined their anointed voices to form “The John Mendez Mass Choir.

 In that same year, the women of Emmanuel held their first Women’s Retreat August 22-23, 1999 at Caraway Conference Center in Asheboro, N.C. The theme was “Building the Bridge through Sisterhood.” New deacons were also appointed to the Deacon Board in the persons of Tony Fields, Beatrice Murray, and Everett Scott.  The Lay Ministry of Care Givers was established for the purpose of providing regular visits and contact with sick and shut-in members of the congregation and the Healing/Intercessory prayer Ministry was established.

 

One of Emmanuel’s most historic and monumental achievements occurred on May 2, 1999. Members shouted for joy as ground was finally broken to build a multi-million dollar edifice. Reverend Mendez preached that “there are two building processes going on: one is being built by Rentenbach (the builders) while Christ is spiritually constructing the Church. Reverend Mendez began a weekly Bible Study on the Tabernacle and Worship that inspired many. This day was a long time coming, but by the grace of God through prayer, giving and sacrifice it became a reality.

Ecumenical Services/Events were held from May 26 to June 6, 2001 beginning with the Apaches of San Carlos, Arizona on Saturday May 26th. On Sunday, May 27th, the church dedication began with Rev.  Mendez preaching the 11 AM sermon. The scriptures were Isaiah 65:1-16 and Revelation 7:9-12. The sermon was “AMEN”. The evening Dedication Service was opened with greetings from representatives of the World Council of Churches, USA; the National Council of Churches of Christ; The Progressive National Baptist Convention; the General Baptist State Convention; The Rowan Association; the Winston- Salem Minister’s Conference; The North Carolina State Legislature; and the Board of Alderman. Dr. Charles G. Adams, Theological Scholar and named as one of the top 15 preachers in the United States, of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan was the speaker of the hour. Weekday services were held from May 29 thru June 7 and included the pastors and congregations of St. Paul United Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Donald Jenkins, St. John CME Church with Rev. Bobby Best, Goler AME Church with Rev. Seth Lartey, Calvary Hill Church with Bishop Turner, Mt. Zion Baptist Church with Rev. Serenus Churn; Greater Cleveland Avenue Christian Church with Rev. Sheldon McCarter, and Highland Presbyterian Church with Rev. Steve Mc Cutchen all of Winston-Salem. Dedication services concluded with a banquet at the Dudley Conference Center with Ernie Pitt, Editor of The Chronicle of Winston-Salem. We dedicate this temple to The Lord our God! Glory to God!

The 1999 – 2000 Church-year was focused on The Emmanuel Vision of a Purpose-Driven Church. The vision provides a sacred space where the well and the good, successful and the useful, the hurting and the hopeless, the oppressed and the depressed, as well as the outcast and the rejected can find empowerment for living in the name of Jesus. The 5 Purposes are Evangelism, Fellowship, Ministry, Discipleship and Worship.

The following ministries were initiated in the year 2000: Publicity Communications Committee (now known as the “Public Relations Committee); Project Pride, a mentoring program for young males, ages 7-17; The Step Team; The Bereavement Committee, and New Era Systems (now known as Information Systems Ministry.  During this year the nationally noted authority in Black Family Development, Delores J. Wylie delivered the Women’s Day Address. Additionally, Emmanuel was blessed to have Mrs. Elizabeth Williams Young, Assistant dean (Christian Education Congress) of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina serve as the speaker for the Missionary Anniversary.

The Camp Meeting Choir of Winston-Salem, including the few “original living members, with Emmanuel’s own, Ms. Doris Hunter serving as President of the choir, held its 63rd Anniversary Celebration at Emmanuel with the theme “Just A Closer Walk with Thee”.

In May 2001 the congregation of Emmanuel was blessed with the distinction as our Spiritual Choir and Rev. John Mendez participated in the multi-media production of artist Leslie Dill’s Tongues on Fire:  Visions and Ecstasy exhibition. The exhibition was held in the Potter Gallery of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) and included an opening night reception with the Spiritual Choir in song. Billboards along Highway 52 displayed photos from the exhibit from May 12 thru July 1, and included our pastor Rev. Mendez. Students from the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking in collaboration with Leslie Dill completed a film documentary of Dill’s involvement with the Spiritual Choir and the opening night reception.

 

Also in 2001, some of the women of Emmanuel were nationally recognized in book signings and receptions for the book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. Exodus: Emmanuel Men of Excellence Men’s Day sermon was delivered by one of Emmanuel’s own, Dr. Alton Pollard.  

In recognition of Choir Day, 2001, the legendary Gospel Recording Artist, Dorothy Norwood appeared in concert accompanied by the Emmanuel Baptist Church Choir. Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams of Detroit Michigan returned to Emmanuel to conduct the annual fall revival. His soul stirring sermons inspired Emmanuel members.

 The Women’s Day Committee presented a program entitled “Healing through Spiritual Rejuvenation” which was designed to attract young women ranging from 12 to 21 years old. The special guest speaker for Women’s Day Sunday service was the attorney and judicial candidate Denise Hartsfield. Emmanuel Baptist Church hosted a historical event when the Baptist State Convention and the General Baptist State Convention assembled at Emmanuel for a joint session for the first time since 1982. The theme of the meeting was “Joining Hands for Kingdom Building”. The two conventions with combined resources of 1.8 million members and 8,000 churches, announced that they would jointly build two houses in Princeville to aid victims of the hurricane. Both conventions expressed their hope that this would be the start of a campaign to eradicate sub-standard housing statewide and bring many people to Christ.

In celebration of Annual Choir Day, The Choir Ministry, presented a Music Workshop led by the renowned facilitator, Dr. Shirley M. K. Berkley of Glen Arden 1st Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Project Pride, the Mentoring Program for the young men of Emmanuel, sponsored an open forum entitled” Young Black Males Dealing Effectively with Police”. WS Police officer and Emmanuel member, Officer Jimmy Boyd discussed the proper way to respond when approached by a police officer. He reviewed citizen’s rights and tips to avoid potential trouble.

 The Sunday School Anniversary guest teacher and preacher was Dr. Brad Ronnell Braxton, Asst.  Professor, Homiletics and Biblical Studies, Wake Forest University Divinity School. Dr. Braxton conducted an educational workshop and preached a stirring sermon during the anniversary weekend. Reverend Cornelius Battle, Pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Durham. NC and an Emmanuel son, came home to deliver the dedication sermon for the installation of officers. His sermon laid out the blue print for Christian service.

Rev. Mendez was instrumental in providing the guidance and direction to assist the Black Ecuadorians to build a church from the ground up. As a result, the Missionary Circle has continued Emmanuel’s support by providing financial contributions and educational materials to the church in Ecuador. The second Sunday in November was a glorious day as five Emmanuel members preached their initial sermons. Emmanuel gave witness as each of them demonstrated their spiritual gifts to further God’s word. Reverend Mendez invited Rev. Dr. Felicia McMillan, Rev. Mary Coleman, Rev. Raymond Marshall, Rev. Eric Baldwin, and Rev. Everett Scott to approach the sacred desk to preach the word as God had given to each of them.

Emmanuel has been blessed to host the Rowan Association, Industrial Area Foundation (IAF) Convention, and a joint session of the General Baptist State Convention with the “Dean of Black Preachers,” the Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, of Brooklyn, New York as guest preacher.

 In 2003 Reverend Mendez and several members of the congregation joined in a protest against the war held in New York City and called upon the heads of state to find peaceful solutions to prevent the impending war.  During the Church’s 89th Anniversary weekend, Emmanuel held the largest ever Community Fun Day sponsored by the Deacon Board. The event attracted a large turnout from the church family and the community with a variety of entertainment activities, food and fun for all. Members prepared and shared their favorite dishes in the dessert competition and awards were presented to Emmanuel’s “best bakers”. Emmanuel traveled to Washington, DC to join a coalition of churches and civic organizations from all over the country to participate in the historic Affirmative Action Demonstration at the U.S. Supreme Court. We were accompanied by students from the African-American Association of Wake Forest University who joined us in solidarity to support Affirmative Action.

In 2003 a joyous celebration was held in observance of Reverend Mendez’s 20th Pastoral Anniversary. He was saluted at a grand banquet with Rev. Serenus Churn as the guest speaker. Several significant people in the pastor’s life and religious and community leaders shared this monumental celebration. A church with a global vision, Emmanuel Baptist Church demonstrated its concern for humanity in a global issue by electronically signing petitions protesting the stoning death of a Nigerian mother. As a result of the protests that were spearheaded by Human Rights International the court overturned the ruling and the woman’s life was spared.

The Emmanuel Spiritual Choir continues a tradition in the African-American heritage that grew out of slave songs. To ensure that this music will be preserved for many years to come the Spiritual Choir recorded their first CD. The CDs were distributed throughout the country. In yet another historical experience, The Spiritual Choir’s stirring renditions of praise were selected for tours of St. Phillips, the oldest African-American church in the vicinity. 

 

A few days before Christmas in 2003 Emmanuel’s prayers for justice were finally answered with the release of Darryl Hunt who was falsely accused and jailed for a murder that he did not commit. Emmanuel hosted the press conference following his release after 19 years of confinement. Darryl thanked Emmanuel and all those who advocated for an appeal, visited, prayed and supported him during his unjust ordeal. He acknowledged that Rev. Mendez’s support was instrumental in helping him to survive this travesty of justice. Our pastor and church family are commended for the tenacity and perseverance in attempting to right a terrible wrong.

 During the year 2004 The Board of Christian Education coordinated the Ministry Leaders training retreat focusing on developing Christian leadership skills and establishing mission statements for all ministries. The leaders came away for the training rejuvenated and ready to do God’s work.

 During this year the Emmanuel Youth Church was reestablished under the leadership of Reverend Eric Baldwin, Rev. Felicia McMillian, Rev. Lee Hill and Jamila Mendez, an educator in the Winston-Salem schools. The Emmanuel Youth Church is instrumental in developing Christian leadership in our youth and teaching them about the proper operation of the church.

Emmanuel women held their first Women’s Conference under the leadership of Rev. Beatrice Murray. The theme was “Equipping Women for the Kingdom Sake: Mind, Body, Spirit and Soul”. This program was a tremendous success and offered spiritual food and healing for the women who participated. Emmanuel was instrumental in the organization of North Carolina Black Churches for North Carolina Black Colleges Campaign initiated to raise funds to support NC Historically Black Colleges and to prevent further college closings. In a historic press conference, college presidents including Dr. Harold Martin of WSSU and Johnetta Cole of Spellman College assembled at Emmanuel to launch the program. The Emmanuel Missionary Circle continued to strive for excellence by teaching the true purpose of missionary work. They presented Dr. Justus Y. Reeves, for a training session for Missionaries with the theme “As the Father sent me so send I You.

 The Layman’s League held a retreat in South Carolina and Georgia that was spiritually rejuvenating and a tremendous bonding experience for the Men of Exodus. They had the unique opportunity to visit the first African American church in the United States, one of the few remaining historical sites that preserve the traditions of African slaves who settled there.

In observance of Baptist Heritage Week and the Pastor’s commitment to educating the congregation, The Christian Education Ministry coordinated the Baptist Heritage Seminar using as a resource “Total Praise; An orientation to Black Baptist Beliefs and Worship”.

Men’s Day 2004 service featured one of the most prolific leaders of our time – Ron Daniels, a renowned civic leader, university professor and authority on African-American History. His speech challenged the men of Emmanuel to be strong black men and to uphold their roles of fathers and husbands.

 The year 2004 marks a milestone in the history of Emmanuel – a ninety-year journey. This year’s theme expresses our pride in our past and our faith in our future. As we begin the next decade bringing us to a century our earnest request is that we remain IN THE POTTER’S HANDS and that HE continues to Remold, Renew and Rebuild.

Finally, as we thank GOD for HIS blessings and celebrate HIS love and providence in guiding us into another successful and productive year, we acknowledge HIM humbly from our beginnings and all days thereafter. We praise GOD for HIS wondrous works and thank HIM for all HIS blessings.