ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH
ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH. Antioch Baptist Church is known as one
of the oldest black churches in Shreveport, Louisiana. The current building has
sat proudly on Texas Avenue since 1901, in what was then the midst of a thriving
black community of businesses and churches.
According to Willie Burton's The Blacker the Berry: A Black History of Shreveport,
the seeds for the church were planted prior to the end of the Civil War, although it was called the
First Baptist Church and included both white and black parishioners. "Blacks who attended were
basically town slaves and a small number of free men of color." They were relegated to the
"traditionally assigned" seating for blacks, such as the balcony or the extreme rear of the sanctuary.
On February 25, 1866, seventy-three black congregants organized into a
missionary Baptist church, under the name of First Colored Baptist Church of Shreveport,
Louisiana. The white members left the church building to the black members and the new
church was formed. Reverend Dr. David Matthews, who became pastor in 1957, told Nancy
Morris of the Shreveport Journal that "they (the early members) had no help in organizing
from anyone." This may have been the reason for three splits in the church between 1866 and 1877,
during which time the church was renamed twice, becoming Antioch Baptist Church in 1877.
Not only did Antioch find its way to creating a strong and long-lived
church, one of its branches, Avenue Baptist Church, also became a historical church in
Shreveport. Antioch was called the mother of black churches in Shreveport not only
because it was Shreveport's first black church, but also because other churches were
established from it.
Antioch was the livelihood of the community. It was the only place
where the black community could develop politically and professionally, as well
as spiritually. It was the one place where black people "could have status,"
especially in the Reconstruction South.
On July 27, 1889, the church elected Reverend Armstead M. Newman,
formerly of Alexandria, VA, to take charge as pastor. Rev. Newman began the work
with 146 members. Prior to Rev. Newman's election a great number of dissatisfied
members had withdrawn from the church and built another house of worship known as
Avenue Baptist Church. In a short time these members were granted letters of
dismission (sic) and Rev. Newman brought peace to the relationship between the
two congregations. The Thirteenth District of the Louisiana Baptist Convention
was created at Antioch Baptist Church in 1888, and the Thirteenth District Academy,
a school for black children, followed in 1894.
The Antioch Baptist Church still stands on Texas Avenue, although
surrounded by empty lots and vacant buildings. It is a reminder of what a congregation
of committed and willing people can do.
Sarah Hamer
Bibliography: Burton, Willie. The Blacker the Berry: A Black History of Shreveport.
The Times, Shreveport, Louisiana. 2002;
Hicks, William. The History of Louisiana Negro Baptists and Early American Beginnings from 1804 to 1914.
The Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwest, Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana. 1998;
Morris, Nancy. "Antioch Baptist: Shreveport’s Oldest Black Church."
The Shreveport Journal, 25 Feb 1987;
Morris, Nancy. "Churches: Roots of Black Culture." The Shreveport Journal, 25 Feb 1987.
Citation
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style,
is the preferred citation for this article.
Sarah Hamer, "ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH," Handbook of North Louisiana Online
(http://www…….), accessed …………. Published by LSU-Shreveport.
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