Bethany Baptist Church - Newark, NJ

Sometime in the year of 1870, a small group of Blacks gather in a home to worship. At that time in the city of Newark, there was only one church for persons of color, which was Methodist. Preferring to be identified as Baptists, this small group of Blacks apparently met for several months in the parlor of Deacon Jackson Watson.

During the spring of 1871, the Reverend Ebenezer Bird came from Petersburg, Virginia and found the faithful. He took charge of them and accepted the invitation of the White pastor of Peddie Memorial Baptist Church to worship in the vestry. The Reverend Bird left the struggling congregation to seek more education, but not until he moved his flock to Soap Fat Hall.

It was obvious, sometime during the latter part of the spring in 1871 that the small group would grow into a church. A Council of Baptist churches was convened, presided over by Dr. Fish, and Bethany was officially sanctioned as a church in June 1871. The church was launched with 26 members.

Initially, there were two deacons and an equal number of trustees. The fledgling congregation ordained its first minister, Owen L. Simmons, where he had served a church in Paterson for more than a quarter century. Thus began the ministry of Bethany upon church and community life in New Jersey.

Most early pastors had short tenures, and the church was often racked with dissension. During the first thirty years of its’ life, Bethany was served by eight pastors. In 1878, the first split occurred, and the pastor resigned, taking with him a group of members who formed another Baptist church, Mt. Zion.

In 1901, Bethany called a seasoned pastor, the Reverend Dr. R. D. Wynn, who at the time of his call was pastor of the great Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York City. So began one of the most glorious and expansive eras of the church’s history. Dr. Wynn began raising money to seek larger quarters and in 1905 purchased the building of the Fairmount Baptist Church for $16,000. Dr. Wynn’s health began to fail and after sixteen faithful years he was forced to resign. The church gave him a pension. He died in 1918.

Without a pastor for fourteen months, Bethany was fortunate to have the services of a Supply Pastor, the Reverend H. H. Mitchell of Columbus, Ohio. At the urging of Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., the church considered and called Dr. E. Edgar Ricks. Dr. Ricks accepted the call July 16, 1918 and took charge October 20, 1918. His initial sermon was “The Potter and the Clay”.

Under vigorous and visionary leadership, Bethany grew as never before. Dr Ricks was an excellent motivator and organizer. He instituted many new programs not known to the church – such as the envelope system, new evangelism outreach, youth programs, and a general reorganization of the church. A master at raising money, Dr. Ricks rallied the church to pay off all indebtedness and mortgages. It was a great 50^th Anniversary celebration October 23, 1921– wherein a mortgage burning ceremony occurred. .

Continuing the “Golden Era”, Dr. L. C. Hurdle ascended to pastoral leadership. A man fluent in biblical languages, Dr. Hurdle has been Dean of the Northern Baptist University at Rahway. Bethany became a leading church, gifted with solid and intellectual, biblical preaching. Dr. Hurdle served with distinction from 1924 until 1930, until he resigned.

The Great Depression affected Newark and Bethany. For almost two years, the church was without a pastor. Dr. William Preston Hayes, who was pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in New York City, accepted the invitation to pastor and took charge June 5, 1932.

William Preston Hayes was a manuscript preacher of great skill and depth. He was active in Baptist circles and served for many years as president of the New England Baptist Convention. He was recognized as a “prince among preachers”. He served Bethany 29 years and much was accomplished. One of the best indicators of a man and his influence was his service as a Commissioner on the Newark Housing Authority and wherein he was honored by the naming a large public housing development after him.

During Dr. Hayes’ long and distinguished tenure, three ministers were ordained: the Reverends Norman Olphin, Charles C. Walker and Henry C. Gregory III. Dr. Hayes retired as pastor June 30, 1961 and died in 1963, at the age of 82.

There was another long interval when the church searched for a pastor. On November 19, 1962, the congregation voted to call the Reverend James Arthur Scott. The Reverend Scott was thirty-two years of age, one of the youngest pastors in the history of Bethany. The new pastor was Director of Urban Church Programs and Field Representative for American Baptist Churches. His experience and training were to be severely tested, because Bethany was being forced to relocate due to urban renewal.

Quiet, but fast moving and unwilling to accept defeat or acknowledge disappointment, the Reverend Scott targeted programs toward the church community. The congregation had eroded during the period when there was no pastor. New programs such as Art shows and youth activities were started. A new choir of young adults was formed. The staid congregation accepted many new ideas, and installed its first female trustee in 1965, Mrs. Thelma B. Robinson. A debutante’s ball was presented in 1969 and a second one, both under the sponsorship of the Woman’s League, offered in 1970. A new parsonage was purchased in 1969.

Accepting the challenge to build a new church, the congregation and pastor girded for the battle. The budget grew and by 1974, the first million dollars had been banked. On July 7, 1974, groundbreaking services were held. Total cost of the construction was $2.1 million. Leading the construction team was a small group of men who refused to accept criticism or concede that Bethany should not build. Among these men were: the Reverend Dr. James Scott, Deacons Franklin Banks, George McCoy, John Johnson (deceased); Trustees Cecil Crump (deceased), Richard Marshall, Humphrey Smith (deceased) and William Lee.

The final service at Old Bethany was held at 8:30am Sunday, November 30, 1975. Led by our pastor, deacons, trustees, ushers, choirs, Sunday School, and congregation, we marched from the Old to the New Bethany singing, “We’re Marching to Zion” as we marched to our new facilities.

Dedication services were held on May 2, 1976, followed by a week-long celebration. Bethany would continue to grow. In fact, its growth was so rapid that it soon found its facilities inadequate. Its membership peaked at about 2,000, but an excellent stewardship program insured that the mortgage was paid ahead of time. Bethany engaged seminary students to help the pastor. The church expanded its mission outreach and consciously set about to give one-tenth of all it received to others.

Older members were recognized and heralded. In 1980, there was a Golden Membership Awards Dinner when 79 members were honored for 50 or more years of discipleship. Bethany also moved toward becoming an international church, and at the end of the Eighties, boasted that people from nineteen countries were among its members.

Four young persons have been ordained, after completing college and seminary, for the Christian ministry: the Reverends Keith Cook, Miles Austin, Edward Harper, and Joan Parrott. When the Reverend Ms. Parrott was ordained, she was the first woman to have been so honored during Bethany’s long history. Bethany would also have the distinction of being the first African American church in New Jersey to have three full-time ministers on its staff, the Reverends Edward Harper and Yvonne Best serving as assistants to the Minister. The church also has commissioned three persons for specialized ministries: Minister Berris Hill, Minister Margaret Holiman, and Ms. Deborah Sanks.

One of the reasons the church has functioned so efficiently can be attributed to dedicated Church Clerks, such as Mrs. Gertrude Jackson, Mrs. Olivia Smith, Mrs. Muriel Simpson, Mrs. Emily Morgan and Mrs. Gerry Ballard.

The Board of Deaconesses reaches out to college students and the military, assists the boy’s basketball team to purchase uniforms, and spearheaded the church’s women during Father’s Day weekend to sponsor a brunch for all men.

Dr. Scott has served as president of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention and the American Baptist Convention. He is active internationally with Baptists and in 2000 will be Chairperson of the Baptist World Alliance’s Congress in Australia.

The minister’s wife, Dr. Beverly Scott, started an outreach ministry in a public housing community. Likewise, Minister Berris Hill has started another satellite ministry in public housing. Both of these ministries offer GED and activities for youth. The Food and Clothing Closet, under the guidance of Mrs. Harriet Waltz and the Woman’s League (but members from many organizations volunteer their time), now serves more than 6,000 persons annually.

There is a ministry to singles, an AIDS ministry, outreach to prisons, and the missionaries spearhead offering worship to residents of nursing homes. More than $225,000 has been contributed to Black colleges during the past nineteen years, and a similar amount has been allocated for scholarships. A new program, the Rites of Passage, for boys has been developed. Bethany leads all Protestant churches in America in the number of members enrolled in Kerygma Bible Studies.

As we stand in the shadow of a new century and celebrate our 125^th Anniversary, we are readying for another major building program. The church decided to build a chapel, school, additional office facilities, and such amenities as choir rehearsal rooms and a lounge. “We have outgrown our facilities” is on the lips of many members.

Bethany is a strong, Christ-centered church. It has order and is growing in love. It has both passion and compassion – essentials for Christ’s followers – and moves forward with resolution, imagination, and trust in the unchanging God.