Union Missionary Baptist Church
- This article is about the church in Homewood. For the church in Columbiana, see Union Missionary Baptist Church (Columbiana).
Union Missionary Baptist Church, also called Union Baptist Church, is a historic Baptist church located at 1731 26th Avenue South in Homewood's Rosedale neighborhood. The church was founded by the merger of Healing Springs Baptist Church and Walnut Street Baptist Church in 1914. The union of the two congregations on March 14, 1914 gave the church its name. Ira McKinney was the first pastor.
The stone-veneered church is constructed in a simple Gothic-Revival style with a crenellated parapet over the narthex and a circular window above the entrance. The two octagonal towers on the front of the church have been modified. The left-hand tower was originally much taller. The church bell has been relocated to a low brick wall to the right of the entrance. Union is associated with the adjoining Partridge Crossroads Cemetery.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Union Missionary Baptist Church temporarily housed Rosedale High School while it repaired damage from a bomb.
Pastors
- Ira McKinney, 1914-
- T. B. Davis, -1926
- G. P. Crosby, 1929–1937
- Edward Steele, 2017–
References
- Wurtele, Martha & Jake Collins (2015) Homewood. Images of America Series. Arcadia Publishing ISBN 1439653968
- Cromwell, Sydney (October 19, 2018) "Union Missionary Baptist marks 131 years" Homewood Star