North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church

Last updated

North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church
NOMBC
Richard Clark Memorial Church.jpg
North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (c. 1917) former church building in Oakland, California; now home to the True Gospel Missionary Baptist Church
North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church
North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church
37°49′24″N122°16′45″W / 37.823422°N 122.279034°W / 37.823422; -122.279034
Location1060-32nd Street,
Emeryville, California, U.S.
History
Former name(s)Richard Clark Memorial Church (1904–1907)
North Oakland Church of Christ (1908–?),
North Oakland Baptist Church
Founded1904;121 years ago (1904)

North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) is an American Baptist church founded in 1904, and located in Emeryville, California. [1] [2] It is consider one of two pioneering Baptist Black churches in the area, the other being Beth Eden Baptist Church in Oakland, California. [3] It has moved several times over the years, and since 1921 it is located at 1060-32nd Street in Emeryville. The church was founded as Richard Clark Memorial Church, and was formerly known as the North Oakland Church of Christ, and North Oakland Baptist Church. [4]

Contents

History

It was founded as Richard Clark Memorial Church in 1904, and the church first met in the home of Rev. James A. Dennis on Myrtle Street in Oakland. [4] As the membership of the church grew, Richard Clark donated an empty lot of land. [4] Rev. James A. Dennis had previously served as the pastor at Beth Eden Baptist Church in Oakland, California. [4] The first church building was completed on 29th Street under Rev. Dennis' leadership, and was named the North Oakland Church of Christ. [4]

Sometime around 1921 they took over the building at 32nd and Linden which had been the former home to St. Paul's English Evangelical Lutheran Church, and is their current location. The church building burned down in 1930, but the congregation rebuilt. [5] [6] The current version of their building was completed in May 1960, under the leadership of Rev. Ansel Ogden Bell. [3] [4]

Under the leadership of Rev. Claude B. Murray in the 1970s, the church performed numerous ministries internationally, including in Haiti and Liberia. [4]

In 2002, a joint project between the North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church and Oakland Community Housing Inc. (a nonprofit affiliate supporting the Oakland Housing Authority) broke ground to build 65-units of affordable senior housing at the Sylvester Rutledge Manor, 3255 San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville. [7] It was completed in July 2003, and named in honor of one of the former pastorate who led the project. [8]

In February 2023, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) at 3701 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland was destroyed by a fire, and for a year they held their services at North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church. [9]

In 2023, North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church experienced financial issues with back due taxes due. [10] The local community raised the funds and paid off the debt with help from the West Oakland faith community, the Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC), Central Hills East Oakland Congregations, and the Statewide Baptist Association. [10]

Pastors

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Local Pastors and Elected Officials Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church". Oakland Post . Post News Group. March 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Congressional Record, Volume 151 Issue 114 (Tuesday, September 13, 2005)". Govinfo.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Baptist Church Mortgage Paid". Oakland Tribune . November 16, 1971. p. 9. Retrieved December 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Taylor, Martha C. (June 24, 2016). "North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church". From Labor to Reward: Black Church Beginnings in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, 1849-1972. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 41–44. ISBN   978-1-4982-3282-1.
  5. ↑ "Fire Destroys Church Here". Oakland Tribune . July 30, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved December 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Hasty Exits Save Sleepers in Church Blaze". Oakland Tribune . July 30, 1930. p. 3. Retrieved December 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Groundbreaking for senior housing development". Oakland Tribune . July 25, 2002. p. 21. Retrieved December 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 "Rev. Sylvester Rutledge, Jr. Obituary (1937 – 2024)". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ McBride, Ashley (August 4, 2025). "Oakland's First A.M.E. Church bids farewell to stately Telegraph Ave. sanctuary as demolition begins". The Oaklandside. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Thomas, Carla (March 14, 2023). "Local Pastors and Elected Officials Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church". Oakland Post, Post News Group. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Memorial for Rev. Ansel O. Bell". Oakland Tribune. July 20, 1972. p. 22. Retrieved December 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.