[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          200TH ANNIVERSARY OF RALEIGH'S FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

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                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 5, 2012

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Raleigh's First Baptist Church on the occasion of its bicentennial 
celebration.
  First Baptist is a pillar of the Raleigh community, with a history of 
prophetic witness and community service. For 200 years, it has been a 
spiritual home to successive generations in Raleigh and beyond, a place 
of learning and teaching, a place of faith and sustenance, and a place 
of commitment to a just society.
  The church was founded in 1812 by a congregation of 23 members--14 
black and 9 white--who had come to the State Capitol to hear Rev. 
Robert Daniel. At that time, the city of Raleigh had about 1,000 
residents but not a single church building. The new congregation was 
dubbed Raleigh Baptist Church. At first, members met at the State 
Capitol, but church facilities were soon built, and, for the next 56 
years, Raleigh Baptist Church was a unique multiracial assembly that 
reached more than 400 members.
  Following the Civil War, the church's black membership, about half 
the congregation at the time, asked for and received permission to 
establish a new congregation, which was initially organized as First 
Colored Baptist Church. It was under these auspices that the church 
settled in its current location on South Wilmington Street, completing 
the church building early in the 20th century and ultimately becoming 
First Baptist. The remaining members of Raleigh Baptist Church retained 
the sanctuary on South Salisbury Street, just a few blocks away, and 
also became known as First Baptist.
  The Rev. William Warwick, a Philadelphia native, was the first 
African-American pastor at First Baptist, leading the flock from 1867 
to 1874 and establishing the Miles School, whose students were later 
absorbed into the public schools. The seventh pastor was Dr. Oscar S. 
Bullock, who, through the purchase of a bus in 1925, pioneered a 
program of church-provided transportation to ensure children and adults 
could attend Sunday school. Dr. Charles Ward led the church for a long 
period in the mid-20th century, from 1959 through 1988. He was a 
prominent leader in the NAACP and oversaw the construction of a housing 
development for low-income members of the community. He was nearing the 
end of his ministry when I first ran for Congress in 1986, and I will 
always be grateful for his counsel and encouragement.
  In addition to Dr. Ward, I've been honored to work with several of 
First Baptist's other pastors during my time representing the Triangle. 
The Rev. Nathaniel O. Boykin and Dr. Isaac B. Horton led the church in 
interim capacities after the death of Dr. Ward in 1988. Since 1996, Dr. 
Dumas Alexander Harshaw, Jr. has led the church into a new era with his 
powerful preaching and teaching and a strong record of service to the 
broader community. Under Dr. Harshaw's guidance, the church has added 
an early Sunday service, purchased additional property and built an 
adjacent Family Life Center. Giving by the approximately 800 members 
recently surpassed the $1 million mark. From daycare and after-school 
programs to weekly meals for the homeless, job workshops for the 
unemployed, and substance abuse counseling, First Baptist continues to 
strengthen the community.
  This week the successor congregations of Raleigh Baptist Church will 
celebrate their bicentennial with a joint party at the place of their 
birth, the State Capitol. While they remain distinct these churches 
share the honor of being the first religious community of any 
denomination in Raleigh.
  Mr. Speaker, the two hundredth anniversary of the founding of Raleigh 
Baptist Church and the continued witness of these congregations merits 
recognition by this body. In particular, I look forward to celebrating 
this milestone on Saturday night with Dr. Harshaw and his flock, to 
whom I will bring the good wishes of my colleagues.

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