History Of

 Romulus Community Baptist Church

 

A few baptized believers in Christ met at a home in the Township of Romulus, Michigan, located at 35931 Vinewood, Wayne, Michigan. They came together to form a church and named it Community Baptist.

Under the leadership of Reverend Otha Hughes, services were held at the J. Coleman Community Center on Beverly Rd. Reverend Hughes served for approximately three weeks before returning to his mother church, Mt. Olive Baptist. Shortly after his departure, Reverend Clarence Darden was elected pastor.

In September of 1947, the church purchased a house located at 6156 Fourth Street, Wayne Michigan, which was our first established church building. The church was paid off in 1958 and contractors were hired to renovate the house to make it a suitable sanctuary for worship. Many auxiliaries were formed: the Junior and Senior Choirs, Baptist Young Peoples Union (BYPU) training, Young Matrons, Usher Boards, Red Circle Club, Sunday School and quartet singing groups. In that same year, adjoining lots to the right of the church were purchased for a mere sum of $400.00 dollars.

As the church continued to grow and become more organized; it opened a bank account and started a building fund. Many chicken dinners, rainbow teas, fashion shows, plays, and various creative events were held to raise money to keep the church moving forward financially. In October of 1960, Reverend Darden left after 13 years of faithful service. The membership continued to grow under the leadership of Assistant Pastor Reverend George E. Thomas.

On March 25, 1961, Reverend Robert J. Jones was called from Memphis, Tennessee to serve as Pastor. Under his direction, the Mothers Board, Nurses Guild, and Pastors Aid were started. Reverend Jones resigned in 1964 and Reverend Thomas left. Assistant Pastor Robert Alexander held the congregation together until December 10, 1964, when Reverend Ned Copeland was called to serve as our Shepherd. While serving as Pastor, Community Baptist grew tremendously. Souls were saved and the Holy Spirit was working and moving in a mighty way! In our Jones Sub community, residents were warned to “drive slowly down Fourth Street on Sundays to avoid hitting shouting saints running onto the street.” In 1969, the Junior Choir was renamed the Inspirational Choir.

Romulus officially became a city in May of 1970. When Urban Renewal began in Jones Sub in 1972, the City of Romulus mandated us to add Romulus to our name and we became Romulus Community Baptist Church.

Under Reverend Copeland, a Youth Department was formed which included Junior Deacons, Youth Dating and Courtesy Clerks, Young Nurses, the Shining Stars, and Community News. The vision of a new sanctuary was realized on May 9, 1976, when we marched into our new church home, 6200 Fourth Street. Thanks to prayer, hard work, Gods’ blessings, and Urban Renewal, we no longer had to cross deep ditches on wooden planks or walk down muddy or dusty dirt roads to worship. The sanctuary was expanded to accommodate our rapidly growing membership. Buses, an organ and a baby grand piano were purchased. Reverend Robert Alexander served faithfully as our assistant pastor until the Lord called him home in March of 1981. Not long after the passing of Reverend Alexander, Reverend Thomas returned and served as assistant pastor. Our beginning was a humble one, but we had a vision and worked tirelessly to see it come to fruition.

In 1987, the church was paid off, the mortgage was burned, and the cornerstone was laid. Reverend Copeland served faithfully until his sudden death in April of 1989. Reverend Thomas held the congregation together until January 27, 1990, when Reverend Bennie L. Oliphant was elected pastor. During his tenure, the scholarship fund and special achievement awards were implemented and the Voices of Love Choir was created for teenagers and young adults. Reverend Oliphant served until 1993. His sudden departure left us once again without a pastor. The loyal, committed members continued to pray and worship at Romulus Community Baptist Church and Reverend Thomas continued to preach his signature sermon “The Same Jesus.”

In 1994, on the first Sunday in April, Reverend Hiram McBurrows, Jr. took the pulpit as our pastor. Over the past twenty years our church has accomplished enormous undertakings. Many structural repairs and renovations were completed. A vision from God, given to a man of God, was completed when we marched into a beautiful new sanctuary in 2007. In 2008, a church website was launched. While our physical church has grown, most importantly, under Pastor McBurrows’ leadership, our Christian walk, personal relationship, and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have been strengthened.

God’s Word says “my people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Pastor McBurrows is a profound leader and teacher. He has implemented three bible study classes, a “new” members’ class, Wednesday congregational prayer, and Men and Women’s Christian fellowship. Our awesome youth ministry includes Youth Church which meets on the second and third Sunday, the Praise Dancers, and the Faith Builders (a bible study class for children). In addition, Pastor McBurrows leads ministry training classes. Our ministerial staff has grown enormously and several pastors have been birthed under his mentorship.

As a community church, Pastor McBurrows places special emphasis on community outreach and our ministry is reaching far beyond our structural walls. He moved the annual church picnic to our church grounds to engage the community at large and implemented a low income energy program. Our ministry outreach includes a weekly food bank, ministering to people with addictions and mental illness, convalescent home church services, and bible studies in all surrounding nursing homes and substance abuse centers.

The vision that started in 1947 remains the same. While looking back at our humble beginnings, we continue to move forward, and our journey continues in the name of our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ! All praises belong to God, our Father and Creator.