Saints Memorial Baptist ChurchThe church with the open hands and warm heart

The Saints Memorial Baptist Church has its origins in the faith and convictions of God’s people with the need to confess what God had already done in their lives. To fulfill the divine mandate, in 1901 a group of men and women met weekly for prayer and bible study. They met in the house of Mr. And Mrs. Clement Tuck on Landover Road. Mr. Tuck, the town crier, led the meetings over the next two years in his home. During this time the group grew under the care of Rev. G. T. Murray of Devon. The mission was formally constituted as the Second Baptist Church of Bryn Mawr on Sunday, July 19th, 1903, in Powell’s Hall.

The Early Years 1903-1926

The first seven years were devoted to developing into a mission, preaching station, and ultimately a congregation. This was no easy task due to succession of pastors over the following years. Although the incumbency during these early years was somewhat limited the pastors were all very able men and the foundation for faithful witness was well and truly laid. Several of these ministers went on to distinguish themselves in pastorates in the city of Philadelphia and even farther. However, it was during the pastorate of Reverend Jospeh Green, along with seven other trusties, that a notary public, Mr. Theodore Richardson, was aquired. With his assistance the congregation applied to the Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and registered as a Baptist church. The charter was granted on June 10, 1903, and 35 believers became the charter members of the Second Baptist Church of Bryn Mawr.

Charter Members

There was steady growth under the ministries of the Rev. Frank Mitchell, the Rev. E. B. Harris and the Rev. John Ruffin who moved to Philadelphia In February 1926 J. Arthur Younger a young Virginian was called to the pulpit and remained for fifty years .The Bryn Mawr community at that time was being transformed from a rural village into a dormitory suburb of industrial Philadelphia with consequences for the African-American population in the area. Second Baptist Church under Rev. Younger, with his motto, Let us arise and build, challenged the congregation to be a transforming agency for the community. It deepened its spiritual life and was affiliated with and a supporter of the National Baptist Convention. It also espoused the causes of the NAACP and the UNIA.

The Younger Years 1926-1976

The Younger years were marked by a deep devotional life as well as a vigorous outreach to the community. There was a constant emphasis on personal and congregational worship. He produced a liturgy for Sunday worship. This was printed and placed in the pews. It included prayers with appropriate verbal or silent responses or read in unison. There were selected Bible readings and a sermon. The Order for the Communion was also printed and included the Covenant, the Words of Institution, and ended with the Offering for the Poor.
On October 7, 1928, just two years after his arrival, a solemn ground-breaking service for a church took place on a plot of land across the road from the blacksmith’s shop. The corner stone was laid on November 18, 1928, and the building completed in a year thanks to a loan from the American Baptist Home Mission Society, and the permission given by the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church for the free use of the blue-prints of their chapel. The new church building was dedicated on Sunday, May 19, 1929, with much rejoicing. The ceremonies lasted through June 9, 1929.
The Second Baptist Church recognized its national and international obligations and sustained its links with the PBA, the ABC, and the NBC, with the Reverend. Mr. Younger serving on several committees and boards. The Rev. Arthur Younger resigned in his letter dated Friday, October 1, 1976, citing his failing health. In it he wrote that he would like, “ to leave behind a legacy of devotion and dedication to the Lord’s humanity…. a legacy that compels each generation to thirst for knowledge and understanding so that each generation may ensure a place in God’s sun and our nation’s life for generations unborn.” The letter was read at a church meeting the following Sunday October 3, 1976, and accepted with regret. The Rev. Guy MaGee, a bi-vocational pastor, was invited as interim with limited responsibilities for the preaching and teaching ministry The Rev. Dr. Barry Hopkins of Stamford, Connecticut was called to the pastorate on July 6, 1978, and was installed in an impressive service in July of the following year.

The Hopkins Years 1978-1991

The Rev. Barry Hopkins was a graduate of Virginia Union University and Seminary. He had served as Youth Minister in Springfield Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Virginia After seminary he was called to the celebrated Sixth Mt. Zion Church in Richmond, Virginia as assistant to the minister and subsequently became the Senior Minister. While there he became involved in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was invited to serve as the secretary for Africa by the Board of International Missions of the American Baptist Churches. He brought to his task a worldwide vision as he liaised not only with the American and African churches, but also with other churches where there were peoples of African descent, thus bringing the churches of the Caribbean and Central America into the conversation. It was while he was in this position that he accepted the call to the Saints Memorial Baptist Church.
Rev. Hopkins brought to the Bryn Mawr congregation an impressive array of credentials. He earned a doctoral degree from the Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1970 and through his studies had honed his counseling skills and was a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counseling. He had participated in or directed significant projects for reconciliation in West Philadelphia and the Greater Germantown area. He established centers for counseling and psychotherapy in Center City Philadelphia and also established a Conference Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
One of his earliest acts was to add to the staff a young pharmacist, Michael Stitt, to oversee the youth program. Under the theme “Caring and Sharing” Mr. Hopkins skillfully built upon the work of his predecessor by cementing the ties of the congregation with the wider church community. The church was dually aligned with the ABC and the NBC but when the Progressive Baptist Convention was formed due to conflicting theological world views Saints became a charter member of the Progressive National Convention.
During his pastorate he arranged a series of mission trips, which had as their goal mission education and personal development. There were tours to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Although the 60’s were the heyday of the Civil Rights movement, their relationship to the wider society was not always evident and so the churches used their influence in getting the new laws understood and implemented. Saints Memorial and a number of ministers of Black Churches formed the Mainline Black Ministerial Alliance and protests against racism in the township led to the creation of the Mainline Martin Luther King Association.
The church also developed effective social programs. A Food Pantry was established as well as the encouragement of Black Entrepreneurship. Housing, especially for the elderly, was a serious problem. So, the “Share-a-Home project was developed. It consisted of inviting needy members, in the evening of their lives, to live together in “shared” accommodations with shared amenities in a home which was near to the church.

The Russell Years 1997-

Dr. Horace O. Russell was invited to be the Pastor of Saints Memorial Church on Sunday, Nov. 17, 1996, and was installed in a memorable service on Sunday, February 9, 1997, and is the incumbent.

Ministerial Personnel

Since then several persons have been added to the ministerial staff including the late Rev. Wayman Walker, Rev. Dr. Virginia Sargent and Rev. Mary Braxton all of whom were active in the church when Dr. Russell took over. In addition the church has invited other ordained clergy the opportunity for ministry in the church. These include the Rev. Dr. Eric Holmstrom, a trained Baptist Hospital chaplain, and chaplain to the armed forces, the Rev. Dr. Lee Peace, who retired after many years of outstanding ministry in the city, and the Rev. Marcella Teasley, who serves the armed forces outside the Commonwealth Minister Aundreia Alexander.