Bethel Church (Jacksonville, Florida) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Bethel Church |
|
|---|---|
Historic building on complex
|
|
| 30°20′9″N 81°39′30″W / 30.33583°N 81.65833°W | |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Country | USA |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | thebethelexperience.com |
| History | |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founder(s) | James McDonald and Ryan Frier |
The Bethel Church (once called Bethel Baptist Institutional Church) is a very large Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It's known as a 'historically-black' church, meaning it has a long history connected to the African American community.
It was started in 1838, making it the oldest Baptist church in Jacksonville. Today, about 12,000 people are members of the church. Its senior pastor is Bishop Rudolph W. McKissick Jr. The old church building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of The Bethel Church
How the Church Started
The Bethel Church began in 1838 with just six members. Two pastors, James McDonald and Ryan Frier, helped found it. At first, four members were white, and two were Black people who were enslaved by white members.
They first met at a place called "Mother Sam's" on a plantation. More and more people joined the church quickly. Most of the early members were enslaved African Americans. They would get special passes from their enslavers to attend church services.
In 1840, the church built its own meeting house at Duval and Newnan streets. This was the very first church building in Jacksonville. Four years later, in 1844, this building was sold to another church group called the Presbyterians.
A Time of Change and New Buildings
In 1861, the church built a new, lasting building in the LaVilla neighborhood. This was at Church and Julia streets. For a long time, Bethel Baptist Church had both white and Black members.
But after the American Civil War and when slavery ended, things changed. White members decided they wanted to separate the church by race. At this time, members were also disagreeing about which pastor to follow. The white members tried to make the Black members, who were now free, leave the church.
The Black members took their case to court. The court decided that the Black members were the rightful owners of the Bethel Baptist name and property. This was because they were the majority of the church's members. During this time, many Black Baptists across the South were starting their own churches. They wanted churches that were not controlled by white people.
Forming New Churches
Because of this, the white members formed a new church called Tabernacle Baptist Church. They later changed its name to First Baptist Church. This church used to be one of the largest Baptist churches in the United States.
Tabernacle Baptist bought the Church Street property from Bethel Baptist Church, as the court had ordered. Cataline Simmons became the first pastor of the Black church. In 1868, Bethel Baptist moved to a large new building on Union and Pine streets.
In 1895, they replaced this building with a big brick one. But this building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1901. This huge fire burned down much of downtown Jacksonville.
The Current Historic Building
In 1904, the church built its current main building. An architect named M. H. Hubbard from Utica, New York designed it. This 1904 building mixes styles like Greek Revival architecture and Romanesque Revival architecture. This beautiful building, located at 1058 North Hogan Street, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Growth and Community Work
During these years, Bethel Baptist Church continued to grow a lot. By 1890, there were 1,200 members. The church also received more than $3,000 in pledges every year. In 1894, the state of Florida recognized it as an "Institutional Church." This meant it was allowed to do social and educational work in the community.
In the late 1900s, the church opened a new, larger complex in 1988. This was built right next to the 1904 church building. This new three-story building is used for education and church offices. In 2000, the church campus grew even more. They added a $7.5 million building. This new building has a new sanctuary, a conference center, and spaces for youth groups and other support groups. It also has a bookstore.
In 2023, the church had an average of 14,000 people attending its services.
Images for kids
-
Historic building on complex
