 
Assembly Resolution No. 2392
 
BY: M. of A. Sayegh
 
        COMMEMORATING the 150th Anniversary of the Messiah
        Baptist Church
 
  WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social, and
educational  benefits  they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
 
  WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and Nation to pay tribute
to those institutions  and  individuals  who  have  contributed  to  the
ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate  the  150th  Anniversary  of  the  Messiah Baptist Church in
Yonkers, New York, to be celebrated in September 2024; and
 
  WHEREAS, First organized in 1874 in Yonkers, New York,  the  Messiah
Baptist  Church is the oldest predominantly Black church congregation in
Westchester County; and
 
  WHEREAS, The Messiah Baptist Church originally held its services  in
a  hall  in the second story of 50 North Broadway in Yonkers; the church
then purchased the former Westminster Presbyterian  Church  building  in
1965;  this  building,  located  at  76 Warburton Avenue in Yonkers, was
constructed in 1880 based on  designs  by  New  York  City-based  church
architect  Lawrence  B.  Valk and was restructured in 1886 after a fire;
and
 
  WHEREAS, The Messiah Baptist Church has played  a  central  role  in
both  the  Yonkers  and the Westchester County Black community since the
late nineteenth century, and has been a regional  focal  point  for  the
Civil Rights Movement; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1965,  the church hosted speakers such as Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., President A.  Phillip  Randolph  of  the  Negro
American  Labor  Council,  and  James  Farmer  of the Congress of Racial
Equality for a Negro  American  Labor  Council  rally  at  76  Warburton
Avenue; and
 
  WHEREAS,  From  1988  through 1990, under the leadership of Reverend
Darryl George, the Messiah Baptist Church was a base for initiating  and
organizing the high-profile desegregation movement in Yonkers; and
 
  WHEREAS, Since 2015, Messiah Baptist Church has been led by Reverend
Frank  E. Coleman Jr., and his wife, Reverend Margaret Fountain-Coleman;
and
 
  WHEREAS, In 2023, the New York State Board for Historic Preservation
recommended adding the Messiah Baptist Church building to the State  and
National Registers of Historic Places; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Today,  the  church  reaches  over  one  thousand  members
throughout the year through services and  the  church's  many  programs,
 
including  bible  study, youth programs, cultural outreach programs, and
local food programs; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  Messiah  Baptist  Church remains a beautiful place in
which to worship and serve the community, and the Reverends Coleman have
a bright outlook for the future of their community; and
 
  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take  note  of
enduring  religious  institutions  and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  the 150th Anniversary of the Messiah Baptist Church; and be
it further
 
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the Messiah Baptist Church of Yonkers, New York.
Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Messiah Baptist Church

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