Ebenezer Baptist Church

This article is about the church in Atlanta, Georgia. For other uses, see Ebenezer Baptist Church (disambiguation).

Ebenezer Baptist Church
Service in 2023 in the Horizon Sanctuary (built 1999) with President Biden speaking
Map
33°45′19″N 84°22′27″W / 33.75528°N 84.37417°W / 33.75528; -84.37417
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
CountryUnited States
DenominationBaptist
AssociationsAmerican Baptist Churches USA, Progressive National Baptist Convention
Weekly attendance6,000
Websiteebenezeratl.org
History
Founded1886
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)The Honorable Reverend Doctor Senator Raphael Gamaliel Warnock

Ebenezer Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. was co-pastor together with his sons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1960 until his assassination in 1968 and A. D. King from 1968 until his death in 1969, the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and, in its later expanded sanctuary, congressman John Lewis, and the church for which United States Senator Raphael Warnock has been pastor since 2005. Its historic church building and expanded sanctuary building are located in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

History

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The church was founded in 1886 by Pastor John A. Parker and eight people,[1] on Airline Street.[2] The church's name derives from the Books of Samuel, where the Prophet Samuel names a place "Ebenezer", meaning "stone of help", to commemorate God helping the Israelites defeat the Philistines.[3]

Adam Daniel Williams (maternal grandfather of Martin Luther King Jr.) became pastor in 1894, and the church had only 13 members. It grew to 400 members by 1903[4] and in 1913, the church had 750 people.[5] In 1922, the building was dedicated.[6] In 1927, Martin Luther King Sr. became an assistant pastor, then senior pastor in 1931.[1] In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. became co-pastor of the church with his father until his assassination in 1968.[7]

In 1975, Joseph L. Roberts Jr. became senior pastor.[8]

In 1999, a new 1,700-seat church building called the Horizon Sanctuary was inaugurated within the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.[9]

Since 2005, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock has been the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church;[10] he is the fifth person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding.[11] On January 30, 2020, Warnock announced his campaign for Kelly Loeffler's Senate seat during the 2020 special election. In a special runoff election on January 5, 2021, Reverend Warnock defeated Loeffler receiving 51% of the popular vote. With this victory, Warnock made history by becoming the first Black senator from the state of Georgia. On December 6, 2022, Warnock made further history by becoming the first Black senator from Georgia elected to a full six-year term.[12][13]

The funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. was held at the church on April 9, 1968.[14] The funeral of Rayshard Brooks was held on June 23, 2020, at the church.[14] The funeral of John Lewis was held on July 30, 2020, at the church.[14]

In 2021, it had 6,000 members.[15]

Pastors

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The pastors of Ebenezer Baptist Church since its foundation have been as follows:[16]

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Finkelman, Paul; Wintz, Cary D. (2009). Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century Five-volume Set, Oxford University Press, USA. p. 119.
  2. ^ Ridgeway 2009, p. 9.
  3. ^ Evans, Jason Oliver (January 15, 2021). "How the Ebenezer Baptist Church has been a seat of Black power for generations in Atlanta". The Conversation U.S. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Williams, Adam Daniel (A. D.)". June 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Martin Luther King, Clayborne Carson, Ralph E. Luker, Peter Holloran, Penny A. Russell, The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929 – June 1951, University of California Press, USA. p. 13.
  6. ^ Finkelman, Paul (1992). Encyclopedia of African American History: 5-Volume Set, Oxford University Press USA, USA, 2009, p. 119.
  7. ^ Finkelman, Paul (2006). The Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties: A – F, Index, Taylor & Francis, USA p. 889.
  8. ^ Paul Finkelman, Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century Five-volume Set, Oxford University Press, UK, 2009, p. 119
  9. ^ Sack, Kevin. "A New Place to Nourish One Dreamer's Legacy", nytimes.com, USA, March 8, 1999.
  10. ^ Greg Bluestein. "Exclusive: Pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church considers U.S. Senate run". ajc.
  11. ^ Fausset, Richard (January 30, 2020). "Citing 'Soul of Our Democracy,' Pastor of Dr. King's Church Enters Senate Race". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  12. ^ Fausset, Richard; Martin, Jonathan; Saul, Stephanie (January 6, 2021). "Democrats Win Both Georgia Races to Gain Control of Senate". NY Times. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Peoples, Steve; Barrow, Bill; Bynum, Russ (January 6, 2021). "Georgia election updates: Raphael Warnock makes history with win as Democrats near control of Senate; 2nd runoff race too early to call". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Suggs, Ernie (July 29, 2020). "Ebenezer Baptist Church fitting site for John Lewis' funeral". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Roger House, A tribute to Ebenezer Baptist Church: From Martin Luther King to Raphael Warnock, The Hill, USA, January 18, 2021
  16. ^ "OUR HISTORY".

Sources

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Cited sources
  • Ridgeway, Benjamin (2009). Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-738-56798-3.
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