OUR HISTORY

The St. John Baptist Missionary Baptist Church Was Organized On August 24, 1945. Rev. Benjamin F. Davis Served As Her First Pastor. A Few Of The Founding Members, Are The Late Mothers Mamie Lands And Sadie Sanders. Sister Nancy Williams A Founding Member Continues Her Faithful Membership. (Praise The Lord)!

In 1945, The Church Was Located Downtown On Capitol Avenue(Between Third And Fourth Streets). It Was Known As "The Little Store-Front Church." After A Year In This Location, St. John's Growing Membership Relocated To A Larger Facility On Third Street. Pastor Davis And The Members Made Plans To Acquire Land On Which To Build A Church. Regrettably That Dream Did Not Materialize As Rev. Davis Answered A Call To Pastor In The Bay Area.

St. John Then Called Her Second Pastor, Rev. J.D. Griffin. Under Pastor Griffin's Leadership And Guidance The Church Expanded To Seventy-Five (75) Members And St. John Moved To A Small Church On Fourth Street. Rev. Griffin Pastored Twelve Years At St. John. However, In July 1962, St. John Found Herself Without A Leader For A Period Of Three Months.

On November 10, 1962, The Late Dr. William E. Hights Was Called To Become St. John's Third Pastor. God Sent The Members A Blessing In Rev. Hights. He Was A Man Of God With Brilliant Leadership Qualities And Unwavering Courage To Lead God's People. He Preached The Uncompromising Gospel And Stirred The Congregation With His Fervent Preaching. It Was During His Administration That The Church Herself Began To Make Marvelous Progress. Under The Leadership Of Pastor Hights, The Old Structure Was Demolished In 1982. Early September 1983, Over 200 Singing Parishioners Marched Into The New Church Building(Our Present Edifice). It Had Taken Thrity-Eight (38) Years In The Making, But Well Worth It. It Was Also During Pastor Hights' Era, That The Church Experienced Its Largest Membership Increase. The Church Roll Grew To Approximately 800 Members.

Rev. Darryl B. Heath Became A Member Of The St. John Family In 1984. In August 1986 He Was Appointed To Serve As Pastor Hights' Administrative Assistant. He Served In This Capacity For Twelve Years.

In September 1987, One Of Pastor Hights Dreams Came True. The St. John Christian School Was Established. The School Provides Christian-Based Education For Pre-School Through Sixth-Grade Students.

During The Year Of 1999, Pastor Hights Became Ill And Called Upon His Faithful Associate Ministers (Rev. Darryl B. Heath, Rev. MacArthur Weatherspoon, Sr. And Rev. Kevin Brown) To Assist Him In Preaching And Administering The Business Of The Church. On The 17th Day Of May (1999) Our Beloved Pastor Answered A "Higher Calling", To A Mansion Prepared For Him By His " Heavenly Father". He Passionately Loved St. John And Faithfully Served Her For Thrity-Six Years.

Pastor Hights And His Devoted Wife, Mary Hights Were A Formidable Team. She Was By His Side And Co-Labored With Him In His Ministry At St. John.Sis. Mary Hights Continues To Run The Course That Has Been Set Before Her As She Encourages Others (On Local, State, And National Levels) With Her Motivational And Inspiring Messages. Her Love For The Lord And Her Dedication To The Church Continues To Shine For The Entire Membership.

On June 9, 1999, St. John Called Retired Pastor Rev. Wince Batton To Carry Her Through This Difficult Time. He Graciously Accepted. Interim Pastor Batton And His Beautiful Wife, Sis. Mary Batton Held The Reins Of Leadership As St. John Readied Herself To Call Another Leader.

On June 25, 2000, St. John Installed Rev. Darryl B. Heath As Her New Pastor. Rev. Heath Considers Himself Very Fortunate To Have Had The Privilege Of Being Mentored By A Person Of Pastor, Dr. William E. Hights' Caliber And Feels That His Unique Experience Was Instrumental In Preparing Him To Take The Mantle Of Leadership Of This Great Congregation.

Rev. Heath And His Lovely Wife Arnet, Have Two Children.

Rev. Wince Batton, After Serving Effectively And Faithfully For A Year As Interim, Pastor Graciously Accepted The Position As Pastor Heath's Assistant. Since Pastor Heath Has Assumed The Mantel Of Leadership, He Began To Build On The Sound Foundation Left By His Predecessor(Rev. Williams Hights). The St. John Family Has Continued Growth With The Addition Of New Ministries. An Aggressive Plan To Liquidate The Church Mortgage Has Been Put In Place. She Will Then Be Able To Further Meet The Needs Of The Membership And The Community. Ministries That Have Been Added Are: Young Adult Choir, Children's Praise Team, Ministry To Minster To Young Mothers, Women's Ministry, Tutoring Program And Leadership Training Class, To Name A Few. Additions To The Worship Services Were Also Added: Praise And Worship Teams, And The Praise Dancers Monthly Presentation In Worship Services. With The Help And Grace Of Our Lord, St. John Has Begun An Aggressive Outreach To The Community.

Many Other Things Are Being Added, And Strengthened To Further Reach The Lost For Christ. St. John Is Not A Success Because Of One Person, But The Collective And Generous Support Of Each Member And Friends. After Fixty-Six Years, God Has Great Things In Store For Our Church Family. St. John Has Survived The Test Of Time, She Trusts The Word Of God. That Alone Will Keep Her For Another Fifty-Six Years. Our Prayer Is That God Will Continue To Be Gracious To St. John In The Future As HE Has Been In The Past.