First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids First African Baptist Church
Front view, First African Baptist Church
Location	23 Montgomery Street Franklin Square Savannah, Georgia
Country	United States
Denomination	Baptist
Website	www.theoldestblackchurch.org
History
Founded	1777
Founder(s)	George Leile
Architecture
Years built	1859
Administration
Division	National Baptist Convention, U. S. A. Inc.
Subdivision	General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, Inc.

The First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, is a very old and important church. Many people believe it comes from the first Black Baptist group in North America.

Even though it officially started in 1788, its roots go back to 1773. At that time, some members formed a small group. Other churches, like Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina and First Baptist Church in Virginia, also claim to be the first.

Today, the First African Baptist Church has a museum. It shows many interesting items from the 1700s to now.

History of the Church

The story of the First African Baptist Church began with George Leile. He was an enslaved person who became the first African American allowed to preach by the Baptists in Georgia in 1773. He preached to enslaved people on farms along the Savannah River.

Leile's owner, a Baptist, set him free before the American Revolutionary War. Leile then helped many enslaved people become Baptists. One of them was David George. David George and seven other enslaved people formed the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina.

When the Revolutionary War started, Leile moved to Savannah in 1778. The British controlled Savannah and offered freedom to enslaved people who escaped. David George and his group also came to Savannah for freedom. They joined with Leile's followers.

Leile also taught Andrew Bryan and his wife Hannah in 1782. Bryan became a strong leader and preacher for the group.

After the war, in 1782, many Black people left Savannah with the British. Leile and his family went to Jamaica. David George and his family went to Nova Scotia. Both of them started new Baptist churches in their new homes.

Andrew Bryan, who had bought his and his wife's freedom, was the only one of the early Black preachers to stay in Savannah. He kept preaching and organizing enslaved people. He did this even when local church leaders tried to stop him. Bryan became the first pastor of the church.

On January 20, 1788, the First African Baptist Church was officially recognized. It had 67 members. They met in a barn outside Savannah. A white minister, Rev. Abraham Marshall, and his Black assistant, Jesse Peter, helped them. Jesse Peter was also one of the founders of the Silver Bluff Baptist Church.

In 1794, the church built its first wooden building. Andrew Bryan had bought the land for it. They called it Bryan Street African Baptist Church. Bryan saw the church grow to over 400 members. By 1800, it had 700 members.

In 1802, Bryan Street Church changed its name to First African Baptist Church. Two other Black churches were also started around this time.

Andrew C. Marshall, Bryan's nephew, became the pastor in 1815. In 1822, two Black Baptist churches joined together to form the First African Baptist Church. The church also started the first Sunday School for African Americans in 1826.

By 1830, the church had grown to 2,417 members under Marshall. In the 1850s, they built a new church building. This is the building you see today across from Franklin Square.

The group that stayed at the old Bryan Street building became the First Bryan Baptist Church. Over time, there was a friendly competition about which church was truly the "first." In 1888, it was decided that the First African Baptist Church of Savannah was the original "banner church." This was thanks to Marshall's strong leadership.

The Civil War and the Underground Railroad

The First African Baptist Church played a secret role during the American Civil War. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a network of safe places for enslaved people to escape to freedom.

The church had a hidden space about four feet high under the floorboards. Runaway enslaved people could hide there. The holes in the sanctuary floor look like a tribal symbol. These were actually air holes for those hiding below. The special design of the ceiling also showed that the church was part of the Underground Railroad.

Civil Rights Movement

In the 1950s and 1960s, the church was also important during the Civil Rights Movement. People who worked for equal rights for African Americans held many of their weekly meetings at the church.

Pastors

Here are some of the important leaders who have served as pastors of the church:

• George Leile (1778–1787)
• Andrew Bryan (1788–1812)
• Andrew Cox Marshall (1812–1856)
• William J. Campbell (1857–1877)
• George Gibbons (1878–1884)
• Emanuel King Love (1885–1900)
• Sennica J. Thornton (1901–1907)
• Lamonta M. Williams (1909–1913)
• Malachi J. Williams (1915–1922)
• Edgar Garfield Thomas (1924–1928)
• Mack T. Walton (1929–1931)
• J. Alfred Wilson (1931–1939)
• Ralph Mark Gilbert (1939–1956)
• Curtis J. Jackson (1957–1961)
• William F. Stokes II (1963–1973)
• Lawrence McKinney (1973–1980)
• Thurmond N. Tillman (1982–Present)

The Church Building

The church building you see today is in a historic part of Savannah. It is at the corner of West Bryan and Montgomery streets. It was built in the 1850s and finished in 1859.

Both free African Americans and enslaved people built the church. They made the bricks and built the church after working in the fields. This church was the first brick building in Georgia owned by African Americans. It is part of the Savannah Historic District.

Upstairs, in the balcony, you can see some of the original pews. These were made by enslaved people. The pews have carvings that look like West African Arabic script. The beautiful stained-glass windows were added in 1885. They show pictures of African American people.

The church's original bell tower was damaged by a hurricane in the early 1900s.

The Museum

The church has a museum with many old and interesting items. You can see things from when the church first started in 1773.

The museum also has pictures of all seventeen pastors. There are written records from the 1800s, and old newspaper articles. You can also see communion sets from 1814. Handmade quilts are on display, with stories about their designs.

The museum is open to visitors from Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can also visit by making an appointment. Guides give tours of the church and museum. About 20,000 to 25,000 people visit each year.

Church Connections

The First African Baptist Church is connected to two large Baptist groups. It is part of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.. This is the second-largest Baptist group in the world. It is also part of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, Inc.

See also

• No Better Than This, a music album partly recorded in this church.