March 3, 2003

Black, white churches reunite
___TAMPA, Fla. (RNS)--For the first time in 138 years, two Baptist churches here, divided since the Civil War, worshipped together under the same church roof.
___Members of Beulah Baptist Institutional Church, which was founded by former slaves, came to First Baptist Church of Tampa Feb. 9 for the worship service.
___Founded in 1859 in Tampa, First Baptist originally was based in a wooden frame house where slave owners sat in pews on the bottom floor and their slaves sat in the balcony.
___When the Civil War ended in 1865, the freed slaves in the area were given financial aid by First Baptist Church to build a separate church. Thus, Beulah Baptist Institutional Church was founded in 1865, the first Baptist church for African-Americans in Tampa.
___The link between the two churches had been lost to history until James Favorite, pastor of Beulah Baptist, found some old documents last year that spoke of First Baptist helping birth Beulah.
___Favorite informed First Baptist Pastor Jim Knight, who quickly suggested the reunion for February--Black History Month. Favorite agreed to bring members of his congregation to First Baptist, the mother church.
___Symbolically, the balcony of First Baptist was closed during the joint service.

The Baptist Standard



News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook