What is Black Church Weekly?
The Black Church Weekly is a publication by the team at Values Partnerships, a social impact firm focused on communities of faith and communities of color. We're delighted to bring you news and views related to the Black church and opportunities to engage on policy, entertainment, and culture each week! The Black Church Weekly is edited by Rev. Kip Banks, senior consultant with Values Partnerships, former General Secretary of the Progressive National Convention and pastor of East Washington Heights Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Its publisher is Joshua DuBois, former faith-based advisor to President Barack Obama.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your lights so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” This word has certainly been true of Black Churches in Washington, DC; their lights have shone brightly and made a difference for American Americans, our nation, and our entire world. In fact, in speaking about Black History and the Black Church renowned theologian Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. said, “The Black Church IS Black History.” This is a truth that was captured in a wonderful PBS documentary “This is My Story, This is My Song” about the Black Church. In this documentary, Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates describes the Black church as the oldest, most continuous, and most important institution in the history of the African American people.

This presentation highlights seven DC Black churches, beginning with the 15th Street Presbyterian Church once led by the Reverend Henry Highland Garnet, a stalwart in the effort to end slavery. Out of the 15th Street Presbyterian Church came Dunbar High School, the nation’s first public Black High School, and out of Dunbar came much of Black History as we know it. Out of Dunbar comes pioneering Black medical doctor, Charles Drew, who was also a Howard University professor and mentored hundreds of Black doctors across the country. Out of Dunbar comes Black lawyer, Charles Hamilton Houston, a principal NAACP strategist and mentor to Thurgood Marshall, and many other black lawyers across our country. Out of Dunbar we get Benjamin O. Davis, the first African American Brigadier General, and the Father of Black History itself, Carter G. Woodson, who taught at the school for several years. You can even make the case that the first Black President was a product of Dunbar. Dr. James Bowman, a Dunbar alum, was a prominent medical professor at the University of Chicago and his daughter is Valerie Jarrett who mentored Barack Obama and got him involved in politics.

After the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, we go to the 19th Street Baptist Church founded in 1839, the oldest Black Baptist Church in Washington DC, once pastored by the Rev. Dr. Walter Henderson Brooks. One of Brooks’ congregants was Dr. Nannie Helen Burroughs, who contributed much toward the recognition of the power and influence of African American women. She headed the National Baptist Convention’s women auxiliary, was an active colleague of both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, a prolific writer, educator, orator, businesswoman, and Presidential advisor. She also founded a school, The National Trade and Professional School for Women and Girls, Inc., which opened on October 18, 1909, and remained in operation, later, as a black private Christian school until 2012. In addition, Burroughs edited and published a missionary publication, “The Worker,” which is still in circulation today.

Next, are four churches with pastors who were known as the “Four Horseman:” William Jernigan at Mount Carmel Baptist; JLS Holloman at Second Baptist; EC Smith at Metropolitan Baptist and Earl Harrison at Shiloh Baptist. At the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church was William Henry Jernigan. Jernigan joined with activist Mary Church Terrell and became a principal architect in the effort to desegregate DC. At Mount Carmel, he also foundede also founded the Fraternal Council of Negro Churches, the first sustained national ecumenical movement amongst black churches. Jernigan represented the Black church in Congress, and official Washington. Upon his death, the Baltimore Afro-American reported, “For years [Jernigan] has been recognized as the 'watchdog of the race' at the Nation's capital.”

Next, is Second Baptist Church, located just across the street from Mt. Carmel and in its history is the Rev. William Bishop Johnson who helped found the National Baptist Convention USA and edited the National Baptist magazine – one of the earliest Black Baptist publications. Also at Second Baptist was the Rev. Dr. JLS Holloman, the first President of the Washington Baptist Seminary, and whose daughter, Dr. Marjorie Holloman Parker was a former president of the oldest African American Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). Next is Metropolitan Baptist Church. Former Metropolitan Pastor EC Smith was a colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the church convention of Dr. King, was incorporated at the Metropolitan Baptist Church while he served as the church’s pastor. Shiloh Baptist Church has also contributed much to black history including the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention which was formed at Shiloh in December 1897. Shiloh’s former Pastor Earl Harrison pastored Shiloh for over 50 years and led the effort to desegregate the mainstream DC Baptist Convention.

Finally, we turn to the Greater First Baptist Church of Washington, DC of which the late Eugene Allen, former White House Butler for 34 years was a member. Allen’s life was brought to life in a movie “The Butler.” In the movie, we see that Allen’s position as White House Butler gave him a front row seat to many of the notable events of the 20th Century. These events included the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film shows that Eugene Allen was intimately involved in the lives of the Presidents and other key officials that he served. But, what the film doesn’t show is that Allen was a man of prayer. I learned this directly from a conversation with his pastor, Dr. Winston C. Ridley, Jr., First Baptist’s pastor. From these conversations, it was clear that as notable White House events were unfolding, Allen was praying about them.

But the prayer was not limited to Eugene Allen —there were many other people of faith serving in the White House, the Congress, the Department of Defense, the NSA and other key governmental offices.These people were members of the great churches in Washington, DC including Mount Carmel Baptist, Shiloh Baptist, Metropolitan Baptist, and many others. I believe that it is their prayers — the prayers of the righteous that has allowed God to shine His grace upon our nation. Indeed, it is only by the grace of God that our nation has been able to lay any claim to greatness. The Bible tells us, “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation” (I Timothy 2:1-2).

Why do we see so much dysfunction in Washington now? I believe it’s because, although the story has been untold, the churches in the District of Columbia have been under assault. Thee forces of gentrification,including rising property values and pro-development policies are often hostile to the needs of the church. The result has been that many churches have been forced to leave the city. Unfortunately, as the churches have left, so has the soul of our nation’s capital.

This says to us that we must do all that we can to preserve the churches and to make certain that our churches are equipped to deal with the forces of gentrification that are occurring not just in Washington, DC, but throughout the nation. We must advocate and keep on praying for our President, and all our lawmakers that we may lead lives of peace. I am grateful for the history of the Black church in Washington, DC, and across this land because the Black Church is Black History and Black History is American History!

When it’s hard to put feelings into words, music is the language. Sound It Out, uses the power of music to help caregivers start conversations with their children about emotional wellbeing.

Join us on Thursday, February 10th at 7 pm EST, Ad Council and Values Partnerships will be hosting a national virtual event with parents, guardians, and/or caregivers around the country along with their children.

During the virtual event, we will hear from Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble and Dr. Regina Miranda, both psychologists, and advisors who helped build out the guides for the Sound It Out campaign. In conversation with Nicholas Wiggins, Managing Director at Values Partnerships will touch on the importance of mental health, especially for middle schoolers.

We will also hear from the shining stars from the Sound It Out campaign, on how they process challenging times and their emotions, and the winners of the Sound It Out Challenge will be announced. If you have any questions you would like to ask Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble and/or Dr. Regina Miranda, please be sure to submit your question on the registration form.

Register at bit.ly/sounditoutevent

Faith United to Save Democracy

For the coming 2022 Midterm election, Democracy is on the ballot! It is our job as faith and community leaders to mount a vigorous nonpartisan campaign to equip our communities to protect their right to vote their convictions in free, fair, and safe elections.

We invite you to utilize the Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) Multi-racial, Mulit-faith, and Multi-generational Voter Toolkit for the 2022 Midterm Election & Beyond. Use the Toolkit to organize webinars and other virtual forums to equip your network with this important information that makes voting more accessible for everyone, especially vulnerable voters. Escalating attacks on the right to vote necessitate a broader, more united and diverse faith coalition. Shortly, we will have a Spanish-language version of the toolkit.

Despite the over 400 new voter restriction laws in 49 states, we have the moral authority, and organizing strength to mount vigorous voter education, registration, identification, mobilization, and protection campaigns STARTING NOW to prepare our communities for the November 8, 2022 Midterm Election. It is especially important to engage younger voters who are a much larger part of the voting electorate in 2022. The toolkit contains helpful tips for engaging young voters, as well as, voters in other categories.

Our victory is in our unity and in our unwavering faith!

Save the date and join us on Sunday, February 27th at 9:15 am Eastern for a Day of Hope & Healing: Celebrating Resiliency & Holistic Health in the Black Community with award-winning gospel artists Fred Hammond, Casey J., J.J. Hairston, plus an AMAZING line-up of key faith leaders and trusted medical experts for conversations around:
* The impact of COVID-19 on holistic health
* Actionable health plans
* What you still need to know about COVID-19, vaccines, variants, and how to stay safe
* And more!

Streaming nationally at Facebook/BlackDoctor.org

And in-person at Metropolitan Baptist Church (149 Springfield Ave. Newark, NJ 07103)

Brought to you by: Metropolitan Baptist Church, Ad Council, Black Coalition Against COVID, Choose Healthy Life, COVID Collaborative & Values Partnerships

You will leave equipped and empowered to make your health a greater priority in 2022 & beyond! Don't miss this important event!

Our dear friend Lisa Sharon Harper has a book releasing next week. Lisa Sharon Harper (LSMA, Columbia University; MFA, University of Southern California) is the founder of Freedom Road, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap. A sought-after speaker, trainer, and consultant with more than 100,000 social media followers, Harper has written several books, including the critically acclaimed The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Relevant, Essence, HuffPost, The National Civic Review, and CNN, and she has appeared on PBS's Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, TV One, Fox News, NPR, and Al Jazeera America. Harper previously served as chief church engagement officer at Sojourners, where she mobilized the church to engage campaigns on immigration reform and racial justice.

Divided into three parts, Fortune helps readers understand how America was built upon systems and structures that blessed some and cursed others, allowing Americans of European descent to benefit from the colonization, genocide, enslavement, rape, and exploitation of people of color. Culminating with a powerful and compelling vision of truth-telling, reparation, and forgiveness that leads to what Martin Luther King Jr. called the Beloved Community—when racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice are replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood, it includes illustrations and an eight-page glossy insert that features photos of Harper’s family.

Please stay tuned for more information about Harper's Fortune. The title is now available for preorder on Amazon. Additionally, we will be sharing more information shortly about how you all may engage with an upcoming Twitter Town Hall featuring some major influencers and changemakers as they discuss the film.

Black Church Weekly Photos

Submit your photos - #MyBlackChurch

The Black Church Weekly wants to feature photos of black church gatherings taking place across the country. You can submit photos of your in-person socially distanced services, bible studies, zoom worship services, and even your various ministries serving in your local community. Please email all photos to: kip@valuespartnerships.com. When submitting them please include the name of your ministry, location, and name(s) of the senior pastor(s). All submissions will be featured in our next newsletter!

#BlackChurches4Broadband Encourages Families to Sign up for Emergency Broadband (Internet) Benefit

Our hero, the late Congressman John Lewis, said that internet access is “the civil rights issue of the 21st Century.” A high-speed home broadband (internet) connection is vital for full enfranchisement in today’s world. It opens the door to educational and economic opportunities, connects family and church communities, allows access to remote health care services, and empowers greater civic engagement and activism. Congress recently created an Emergency Broadband Benefit giving eligible families up to $50 per
month to pay for home broadband service. You may be eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit if your household has experienced a sudden loss of income during the pandemic, or is currently receiving federal benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, Lifeline, Pell Grants, or free and reduced-price school lunches, Visit blackchurches4broadband.org to learn more about eligibility and how to sign up.

Willie McLaurin appointed interim Executive Committee president, becoming the SBC’s first-ever Black entity head (Baptist News Global, 02/03/22) Willie McLaurin, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization, has been appointed interim president and CEO of the Executive Committee.

One in 10 Black Americans are now foreign-born; here’s why that matters to the right-wing backlash against immigration (Baptist News Global, 02/03/22) When Americans debate about immigration, they most often think of people coming from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

One of the oldest active Black churches in Canada is right here in Windsor (CBC, 02/02/22) Along Peter Street in Windsor, there sits a church — its brick exterior handmade from the clay of the Detroit River by the free and runaway enslaved people from the U.S. who worshipped at the congregation.

Seminary granted $1M to launch House of Black Church Studies (Christian Post, 02/02/22) An ecumenical seminary based in Tennessee has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to advance studies on the African American church.

Philadelphia Black church looks to sell after preservation dispute (Axios Philadelphia, 02/02/22) Hickman Temple AME Church in West Philadelphia will not be designated a historical site as church leaders look to sell the property.

The Witness of the Black Church Rings Through NBA History (Christianity Today, 02/02/22) In 1949, 42 bronze bells were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean from the Netherlands and installed in the bell tower at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Harlem.

History of a local Black church and its impact in Waco (KXXV, 02/02/22) The Church is so deeply rooted in Black history, dating back to slavery.

Online church is church. I will not abandon my people. (Religion News Network, 02/02/22) One of my members at Middle Church is a mother in Idaho who came seeking theology that affirmed how wondrously her trans daughter is made.

'Deep roots.' One of Louisville's earliest Black churches lives on in this wedding venue (Louisville Courier Journal, 02/02022) Vernan Winburn felt chills as the music and the spirit came back to Muir Chapel.

Rockdale County to spotlight the “Black Church Experience” during 2022 Black History Month (On Common Ground News, 02/01/22) Throughout the month of February, the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners invites citizens to present the “Black Church Experience,” highlighting unique stories, insights into the historical significance of the Black Church within Rockdale.

How did Pittsburgh’s oldest Black church form? What was its role in the Underground Railroad and fighting slavery? (Public Source, 01/31/22) In 1808, the story goes, people of African descent established the first Black Protestant congregation in Pittsburgh — what would later become the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Hill District.

Binghamton's First Black Churches Played A Vital Role In The Community (FOX 40, 01/31/22) Broome County has a very rich history, and although that history has been well-documented over the last two centuries, unfortunately, very little has been written about the area's African-American community.

The Religion of Protest (The Cut, 01/31/22) “This ain’t your grandparents’ civil-rights movement!” Rapper Tef Poe yelled from the stage of the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on October 12, 2014.