Emmanuel Baptist Church History
Church History
During the time of migration from the south of African American workers and a World War, a small group of African American Beloit residents felt the need to meet at Kent Hall on State Street to formally establish what was then named the Second Emmanuel Baptist Church. The following persons were present on April 15, 1917 for this purpose:
Emmanuel was officially recognized and chartered by the Rock County Registrar on July 12, 1917. The formal incorporation papers were filed on June 3, 1927 in the same office.
Later, the church moved to the upstairs of a hall on Third and West Grand. In 1919, the church moved to Booth Hall on East Grand Ave. A building on St. Paul Ave. was purchased to serve as the church edifice and then sold in 1925 for $3,500. The present church lot was purchased prior to this on April 30, 1924. A concrete structure was completed in 1927 at a cost of $5,500. This edifice was destroyed by a fire in early 1958. The present church edifice was completed in 1960. In the late 1960’s, the former parsonage on East Grand Ave was replaced by the one on Afton Road. The present Educational Center was also purchased during this time. An addition to the church, which includes the Family Life Center and new administrative offices, was completed in 2007.
From its beginning, Emmanuel has been blessed to have several God driven ministers serve the Lord including Min. Rodney R. Haynes who served as interim pastor from 2017 to 2020. In January 2021, the congregation unanimously elected Rev. OJ Newburn, Sr. as Pastor. The following is a list of ministers in the order of their service as pastors of Emmanuel Baptist Church:
In addition to its long history of providing worship and educational programs for its members, Emmanuel Baptist Church has maintained active outreach programs in the community. These have included the Good Samaritan’s Closet, a food pantry and the still functioning Free Hot Lunch Program.
In 2017, Emmanuel Baptist Church celebrated a century of service. The church continues to uphold the values and traditions of its founders. We are in pursuit to obey the great commission uttered by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20.
During the time of migration from the south of African American workers and a World War, a small group of African American Beloit residents felt the need to meet at Kent Hall on State Street to formally establish what was then named the Second Emmanuel Baptist Church. The following persons were present on April 15, 1917 for this purpose:
| Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Guyton Mr. & Mrs. Grant Gordon Mr. & Mrs. Cook Mr. George Barr Mrs. Millie Barr | Mrs. Moriah McCord Mr. & Mrs. William Harris Mr. Reese White, Sr. Mr. W.S. William Mrs. Mallie Grace Bell |
Later, the church moved to the upstairs of a hall on Third and West Grand. In 1919, the church moved to Booth Hall on East Grand Ave. A building on St. Paul Ave. was purchased to serve as the church edifice and then sold in 1925 for $3,500. The present church lot was purchased prior to this on April 30, 1924. A concrete structure was completed in 1927 at a cost of $5,500. This edifice was destroyed by a fire in early 1958. The present church edifice was completed in 1960. In the late 1960’s, the former parsonage on East Grand Ave was replaced by the one on Afton Road. The present Educational Center was also purchased during this time. An addition to the church, which includes the Family Life Center and new administrative offices, was completed in 2007.
From its beginning, Emmanuel has been blessed to have several God driven ministers serve the Lord including Min. Rodney R. Haynes who served as interim pastor from 2017 to 2020. In January 2021, the congregation unanimously elected Rev. OJ Newburn, Sr. as Pastor. The following is a list of ministers in the order of their service as pastors of Emmanuel Baptist Church:
| Rev. Fox Rev. Arthur Pace Rev. Barksdale Rev. W.E.W. Brown Rev. J.M. Price | Rev. W.L. LaBeaux Rev. C.M. Newton Rev. Matthew Jones Rev. L.W. Veal Rev. Alfred Robbs | Rev. Cleavant Derricks Rev. N.T. Burkes Rev. Dr. J.V.A. Winsett Rev. Dr. Floyd Prude, Jr. Rev. Kevin L. Pullam Rev. OJ Newburn, Sr. |
In 2017, Emmanuel Baptist Church celebrated a century of service. The church continues to uphold the values and traditions of its founders. We are in pursuit to obey the great commission uttered by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20.
