FIrst Baptist Church Mahan celebrates 150 years in Suffolk - Virginian-Pilot
Nov 28, 2016Its first such celebration came in 1870, four years after the church was founded, when members moved into their first spiritual home on what is now Church Street.A second Red Letter Day followed in 1892 when a new sanctuary was completed on Mahan Street, and its name was changed from the Second Baptist to First Baptist Church.Its third Red Letter celebration came in 1951 upon completion of its present structure on an adjacent lot on Mahan Street.On Nov. 13, First Baptist Mahan celebrated its 150th anniversary, reflecting on its historic past, but also looking ahead to a bright future.It is one of the oldest of traditional black churches in Suffolk. Little Bethel Baptist Church of Chuckatuck also claims title as oldest since both churches shared the same first pastor, the Rev. Jordan Thompson.Twelve pastors and a circuit rider, the Rev. E. G. Corprew, have served at the church since its inception. Both East End Baptist Church and Balm of Gilead Missionary Baptist Church on White Marsh Road trace their church’s origins to Mahan, said Harvey Whitney, a deacon and church historian.Mahan documents date the church to 1866, a year after the end of the Civil War, when a small group of black worshippers started holding services in a home at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Union forces had also used the home during the war.Remains once found at the site could have been of black worshippers buried near the church, according to earlier talks by Sue Woodward, former director of the Suffolk Nansemond Historical Society. Another possibility is that the remains belonged to Union soldiers, she said.Mahan worshippers traditionally celebrate anniversaries on the second Sunday in November and this year’s sesquicentennial observance capped a yearlong celebration of church history.At the Sunday service, Mahan youth portrayed each of its past 12 pastors and circuit rider and praise dancers enacted liturgical messages.Several historical presentations were made during the year, said Cidra Davis, chair of the anniversary committee. Ar...
