First Baptist Church City of St. Louis is a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church located in

Midtown St. Louis Midtown is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located west of the city riverfront at the intersection of Grand and Lindell Boulevards. It is home to the campus of Saint Louis University and the Grand Center Arts District. Historic stat ...

at 3100 Bell Avenue in St. Louis. It is affiliated with the

National Baptist Convention, USA The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., more commonly known as the National Baptist Convention (NBC USA or NBC), is a primarily African American Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is headquartered at the Baptist World Cen ...

History

The First African Baptist Church had its beginnings in 1817, when two Baptist missionaries,

John Mason Peck John Mason Peck (1789–1858) was an American Baptist missionary to the western frontier of the United States, especially in Missouri and Illinois. A prominent anti-slavery advocate of his day, Peck also founded many educational institutions a ...

and James Welch, established the Sabbath School for Negroes in St. Louis, with the assistance of

John Berry Meachum John Berry Meachum (1789–1854) was an American pastor, businessman, educator and founder of the First African Baptist Church in St. Louis, the oldest black church west of the Mississippi River. At a time when it was illegal in the city to teac ...

. Meachum began preaching and assisting the missionaries in 1821. Peck provided guidance and supervision during monthly visits. Meachum, ordained by Peck in 1825, founded the First African Baptist Church in 1827. It was then independent of the missionaries. The church, described as a "plain and comfortable brick house for worship", was located at Third and Almond (now Market) Street. It was the first African-American church west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. An ordinance was passed in 1825 that made it illegal for African Americans to assemble, unless they had a permit and the events were attended by a police officer. The church required enslaved people to have permission of their owners to attend the church, which eased the concerns of many influential community members. It was founded as First African Baptist Church in 1827. It was the first African-American church west of the

. Initially, most of the congregants were African American enslaved people who had permission from their owners to attend church. From its beginning, the church offered reading and religious education clandestinely. The city of St. Louis enacted laws to restrict assembly, education, and religious services for black people. While he was transparent about who might attend church services, Meachum secretly operated a school for blacks in the basement of the church called the Tallow Candle School. It taught reading and Biblical scriptures and also provided a worship service. The school admitted all people who wished to receive an education, and it charged a monthly tuition of one dollar per pupil for those who could afford to pay. Some of the pupils chose to be baptized and become members of the church. The congregation grew from 14 people at its founding to 220 people by 1829. Two hundred of the parishioners were slaves, who could only travel to the church and attend services with the permission of their owners. The church was a stopping point on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. The church grew to more than 500 people by the 1840s. On March 22, 1846, 22 or 23 of its members were released from the church and founded the Second Colored Baptist Church (now the Central Baptist Church). In most cases, the founding members had moved west of the church and desired a location closer to their homes. In 1847, the school was closed by the police. Meachum then opened the

Floating Freedom School The Floating Freedom School was an educational facility for free and enslaved African Americans on a steamboat on the Mississippi River. It was established in 1847 by the Baptist minister John Berry Meachum. After Meachum's death in 1854, the Fre ...

on a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

on the

. Since it was anchored in the Mississippi River, it was under the jurisdiction of the federal government and not subject to the Missouri laws and ordinances. A larger church was built between Fourth and Fifth Street in 1848. Meachum died while delivering a sermon in 1854. The ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...

'' reported in 1874, that the church numbered 3,600 with 30 deacons. On the second Sunday in May of that year, 125 baptisms were performed by Mr. Holmes, a former enslaved man who was emancipated after the end of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. People who wished to become members first met with the church's membership committee for their neighborhood, and if approved, they then met with the pastor, followed by a vote being taken of the members. A second building was constructed next to the church in 1952 for educational and recreational facilities, including a combination gymnasium and auditorium for up to 3,000 people. In 1997, the church partnered with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's IN UNISON choral ensemble program. The church moved to its current location in

in 1917. In 1940, a fire destroyed the church, which was rebuilt over the following 13 months. In 1952, a separate two-story building was constructed for education and recreational facilities, including 10 classrooms, a combination auditorium and gymnasium for up to 3,000 people, and recreation rooms. In 1997, the church partnered with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's IN UNISON choral ensemble program. A history museum is located in the basement of the church.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First Baptist Church City of St. Louis Baptist churches in Missouri 1817 establishments in Missouri Territory Religious organizations established in 1817 Buildings and structures in St. Louis 19th-century Baptist churches in the United States Midtown St. Louis National Baptist Convention, USA churches