Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 October 2002 — Page 38

The Muncie Times, October 3, 2002, page 38

On Sunday, October 13, the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate 150 years of contending for the faith in the Muncie Community. A daylong celebration is being planned to commemorate the life of the first black Baptist Church in the city. Originally named the Second Baptist Church of Muncie, Calvary was organized in May of 1872. bight charter members comprised the first congregation including William and Sarah Jones, who lived in a log cabin on the corner of Jackson and Beacon Streets. The Williams allowed the worshippers to meet at their home. Membership increased and in 1879 land was purchased at 1115 East Jackson Street. Under the pastorate of Reverend Booyer, a frame church was erected in 1881 at this first location. Continued congregational growth led to the construction of a brick edifice begun in 1901 and completed in 1903 during the administration of Pastor Kimball. The church's decision to be renamed the Calvary Baptist Church was of great historical significance at this point. The current church, located at 1117 E. Jackson, was completed in 1974, during the tenure of Pastor A. Claude Watkins. Demolition of the former brick church followed in 1975. In more recent year, Calvary has been actively involved in the area of foreign missions. Henry Puller assumed the pastorate in 1983 and, under his leadership, evangelistic teams ministered in Haiti and Africa during the decade of the eighties. Though the auspices of the Baptist World Alliance, members of Calvary also had the opportunity to travel to Korea and Argentina and offer aid to the citizens of these countries. Calvary's presence in the Muncie community has been firmly established. Most noteworthy is the Calvary Plaza which is a senior housing complex, located at 200 E. 26th St. It has been operable since 1993 and continues to be fully occupied with residents from various walks of life. Building the church numerically and maturing her members spiritually is the common theme at Calvary these days. "We must become more ministry and evangelism-oriented and spread the gospel through every means available," said Jonathon Morehead, Calvary 1 s current pastor. "This commitment is essential to Calvary's growth and prosperity in the 21 st century," he said.