OUR STORY

A Brief History of the Memorial Baptist Church of Baltimore City, Inc. 

Memorial was organized and incorporated as the People’s Church of Baltimore City in May 1915. In 1938, we became affiliated with the Baptist denomination and on Sunday, April 5, 1942, moved to our current site at Caroline And Preston Streets. Many names were suggested for the new church but the name Memorial Baptist Church was established to declare the building as a memorial to all who had and were working to effectively minister to lost souls, strengthen the fellowship, and advance God's kingdom.

The Memorial Baptist Church celebrated its Centennial year of ministry in May of 2015. These 100 years of fellowship has been served by three pastors: Rev. C. Edward Browne, the church organizer, Rev. Angus A. Smith, and Rev. Calvin E. Keene.

Our beloved pastor and organizer, Rev. Charles Edward Browne, transitioned in 1967. Rev. Angus A. Smith, who served as Assistant pastor and performed pastoral duties during Rev. Browne’s illness, became pastor in 1967. In 1993, Rev. Calvin E. Keene was elected Pastor. Since that time, the ministry of Memorial has been positioned for soul winning in the new millennium.

In 1995, as a vehicle for furthering Pastor Keene’s vision for ministry and church expansion as well as community development, a Community Development Corporation was chartered. Through the CDC, we have advanced the church expansion and community development vision through the purchase of land parcels on and around Memorial’s perimeter. Some of these parcels will be used for the expansion of ministry.

The Capital Campaign for emerging ministries and community development was begun in 2005. Memorial has been able to further community development through its membership in Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development (B.U.I.L.D.). We have advanced rebuilding in our community by joining with the neighboring BUILD churches to organize our community for the development of “affordable housing.” Through BUILD and our partnership with The Investment Fund of Philadelphia (TRF), we have been able to organize capital investment from local and state government, foundations, and private investors. This partnership has yielded 127 homes to date with plans of even more.

Memorial gives generously to missions (domestic and foreign) to include: the Baptist Aged Home, the Maryland Baptist Center, the United Baptist Missionary Convention of Maryland, Inc., the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention, the National Baptist Convention, USA, as well as other national charities. Our church has lifetime membership in the National Association for The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as well as the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention.