First Baptist Church of Ensley
First Baptist Church of Ensley is located at 1508 19th Street in Ensley. It was established in 1900 and was located at 1534 19th Street prior to moving to its present site.
The church played a role in supporting the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963 it invited A. D. King, the brother of Southern Christian Leadership Conference president Martin Luther King Jr to lead the congregation. First Baptist Church of Ensley was recognized as a "movement church" by the Birmingham Historical Society.
The church is a member of the Peace Baptist District Missionary Association and the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention.
In March 2024 the church played host to an anti-gun violence rally sponsored by the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Mothers United Against Gun Violence, the NAACP, Black Lives Matter and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Pastors
- Wesley Thomas, 1934–October 1956
- Walter Little, 1960–1961
- A. D. King, 1963–1964
- Thomas Gilmore, 1998
- Tyree Anderson, 2022, 2023
External Site
- First Baptist Church of Ensley website
References
- White, Marjorie Longenecker (1998) A Walk to Freedom: The Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, 1956-1964. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society. ISBN 0943994241
- Bookman, Alaina (March 24, 2024) "Gun violence prevention groups, White House partner for Birmingham rally." AL.com