A Newark Family Church Since 1971
Good Neighbor Baptist Church is rooted in Newark's Historic Weequahic section, where its sanctuary at 100 Chancellor Avenue has centered a church family since 1971. The church calls itself a "Family Church" and defines its work as bringing souls to Christ, working in love and unity, caring for one another, and serving the surrounding community. That identity is visible in Sunday education and worship, the first-Sunday schedule for baptism and the Lord's Supper, a weekly community food bank, and ministries for children, youth, adults, women, men, and seniors.
From Springfield Avenue to Chancellor Avenue
Good Neighbor's humble beginnings came in 1971 at 432-434 Springfield Avenue. The late Louise Scott-Rountree and the late Rev. Malachi David Rountree formed the new church body from the fellowship of Good Neighbor Cathedral, and the congregation took the name Good Neighbor Baptist Church. Support came from an unusual partnership of institutions and individuals. The National Newark and Essex Bank worked with the American Baptist Extension Corporation and two other banks in a pilot lending project that provided $94,000. Loans, the Rountrees' sacrifices, family resources, and the commitment of dedicated friends enabled the congregation to purchase its Chancellor Avenue building for $270,000 within three months. Twenty members opened the doors at 100 Chancellor Avenue in 1971.
That practical support continued through the W.J.R. Club, formed in 1973. Twelve members each contributed $1,000 to purchase shares that helped the church acquire the 24-unit Claireese Hotel and two adjacent buildings. The project supplied capital that assisted Good Neighbor with its financial obligations and helped keep payments on time.
Rev. Malachi D. Rountree served as pastor from the church's birth in 1971 until 1981. He defined the mission in terms of family-like membership, being good neighbors to one another, and community outreach. At the height of his ministry, more than 200 people worshiped as part of the Good Neighbor family. The early church developed a network of ministry leaders from the same close-knit circle. The late Moses Rountree Sr. became the first deacon and chairman of the Deacon Board. Deacons Perrie Wilson and Marlon Wilson served faithfully, with Marlon also serving as the first superintendent of Sunday School. The late Geruth Rountree was the first "Church Mother" and first chairwoman of the Deaconess Board. Louise Scott-Rountree founded the Hospitality Committee, served on the Prayer Band and Deaconess Board, and founded the Floral Club; she and Geruth Rountree were the first co-chairs for Women's Day. The late Elease Wilson-Archibald led the Usher Board and sang in the Senior Choir. Her daughter, the late Rev. Jewel Boone McKoy, was the first church clerk and later served as assistant pastor until 1985.
Rev. John Theodore Teabout led the church from 1983 to 1994. The congregation continued to grow spiritually and numerically, the Youth Department expanded, and the mortgage was burned in 1993. Rev. Dr. George Blackwell III became pastor in November 1994 and was installed in March 1995. His leadership brought a renewed emphasis on spiritual growth. The sanctuary was renovated in 1996, a Children's Church ministry was formed, the weekly community food bank began, and a weekly senior fellowship club became part of the church's life. A long-running capital effort called the "Tree of Life" campaign started in 2002, and the first women deacons were installed in 2019.
Sunday Begins at 9:00 A.M.
Adult Christian Education begins at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, followed by Morning Worship at 10:00 a.m. The worship service follows a detailed order: a musical prelude and devotional, call to worship, processional, Gloria Patri, responsive reading, morning hymn, invocational prayer, song of praise, acknowledgment of visitors, Helping Hand offering, announcements, pastoral remarks, music by the Good Neighbor Baptist Church Choir, an altar call called "Mountain Moving Time," tithes and offering, a choir sermonic selection, the message, an invitation to discipleship and salvation, doxology, benediction, and a departure in song. The Good Neighbor Baptist Church Choir takes an active role both in the music of the service and in the sermonic selection.
The first Sunday of each month carries added elements. The schedule pairs a baptism service with Adult Christian Education and includes the Right Hand of Fellowship and Lord's Supper. The church's invitation to the Lord's Supper is simple: all are welcome. Visitors are expressly acknowledged during the service, and the spacious, well-appointed, air-conditioned sanctuary provides the setting for both the spoken word and the congregation's music.
The church's ministries include Children's Church, while its covenant makes responsibility for children's religious education part of the shared life of the congregation. Adult Christian Education at 9:00 gives adults a regular teaching time before the 10:00 worship gathering. For newcomers, the Sunday service combines teaching, worship, congregational participation, fellowship, and an explicit welcome.
Prayer at Seven and Study After
The church's Thursday rhythm starts with Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. A telephone prayer line also joins at 7:00 p.m., giving members and friends a way to participate in that weekly prayer. Adult Bible Study follows the prayer service at 7:30 p.m. and is offered on Zoom from September through June. The study is a regular part of the church's teaching life rather than a special program, and visitors can connect by Zoom.
Other recurring gatherings give members regular opportunities to organize the church's work. The Deacon and Deaconess Boards meet on the fourth Sunday immediately after the service. The Missionary Board meets on the third Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., the Trustee Board on the fourth Saturday at 10:00 a.m., and the Women's Ministry on the fourth Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Men's Ministry meets on the third Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Quarterly church business meetings are held on the first Thursdays after the third Sunday in January, April, July, and October at 7:30 p.m.
Ministries Across the Family
Good Neighbor's family identity is reflected in ministries for different ages and interests. The Youth Choir gathers at 7:00 p.m. on the Fridays before the third and fourth Sundays, and the Praise Dance Ministry meets on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The youth structure also includes Junior Nurses and Junior Ushers. Alongside them, the church maintains a weekly senior fellowship club, giving older members a regular setting for connection and fellowship.
The church's music reaches beyond the main Sunday choir. The Senior Choir, Adult Choir, and Youth Choir have all been part of congregational music, showing music's long place in the church's life. The Good Neighbor Baptist Church Choir continues to sing at morning worship, including a sermonic selection, while the youth choir and praise dance team offer additional ways to participate. The Deaconess Board, Hospitality Committee, Floral Club, Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, and Usher Board extend that participation into service, hospitality, fellowship, and church order.
Several ministries also connect faith to daily life. Since its earliest years, the church has described community outreach as central to its mission, and the Missionary Board keeps that emphasis active in the life of the congregation. The Gift Registry supports members who may need housing, cash, or a hot meal. Tithes and offerings can be mailed to the church, placed in its secure mail slot near the front door, or given through Givelify. Giving is also part of Sunday worship through the Helping Hand offering, tithes, and offering, while the historic Tree of Life campaign showed the congregation's willingness to fund long-term capital needs.
Ministerial Leadership and Deacon Care
Pastor Reverend Dr. George Blackwell III leads the ministerial team. Associate ministers are Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree, Rev. Marcus Johnson, Rev. Theodore Frazier, Min. Mary Chestnut, Min. Gwendolyn Thomas, and Min. Isaiah Grier. Together with the deacon and deaconess boards, they support the church's worship, member care, teaching, and ministry work.
Deacon Matthew Aaron Sr. chairs the Deacon Board, with Vincent Byrd as vice chairman, Kathy West as secretary, and Sharon Hill-Williams as treasurer. Othello Brandy, Cleveland Hines, Lorretta Seamon, and James Wallace also serve as deacons. The Deaconess Board is chaired by Gina Aaron, with Tanya Barr as vice chairlady, Dorothy Wallace as recording secretary, Charlene Davis as assistant recording secretary, and Carol Mitchell as treasurer. Renee Graves serves as chaplain, and Joyce Hines and Camille Perry are deaconesses.
The deacon model is deeply rooted in member care. A deacon is assigned to each person who joins Good Neighbor, and members are reminded that their deacon is only a phone call away when someone in the family is ill or needs assistance. The boards' monthly rhythm after the fourth Sunday service places this care and oversight at the center of church life. The Trustee Board also supports the church financially and spiritually, while the Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, Missionary Board, and other churchwide bodies organize work for the congregation.
A Covenant of Faith and Care
Good Neighbor's Baptist identity is expressed in the baptism and Lord's Supper that shape its first-Sunday worship, as well as in the language of its church covenant. Members affirm that they have been led by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and to profess their faith in baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Entering covenant together, they describe themselves as one body in Christ.
The commitments in that covenant are concrete. Members promise to walk in Christian love, advance in knowledge and holiness, support worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrine, and contribute regularly to the church's expenses, a faithful ministry, relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. They also resolve to study the Word of God diligently, educate their children, be kind and just, seek reconciliation rather than offense, and carry one another's joys, burdens, and sorrows with tender sympathy. At its center, this is a family covenant: spiritual growth is the members' foremost priority, and love and unity guide the work of bringing souls to Christ and serving the community.
Community Care at the Heart of the Food Bank
The weekly community food bank is one of the clearest expressions of the mission Good Neighbor defined in its earliest years. It brings practical care into the regular life of the congregation each week. The senior fellowship club and Gift Registry add other forms of connection, with the latter allowing gifts of housing assistance, cash, or a hot meal for people in need. The church's hospitality work also extends beyond the sanctuary through the Hospitality Committee and the Floral Club.
The pattern has continued across generations: members build relationships, respond to needs among their own household, and extend a neighborly spirit beyond the church. The congregation's founders used their resources, gave their time, and accepted leadership so that Good Neighbor could purchase a home, serve its families, and reach its community.
Weddings in the Spacious Sanctuary
Good Neighbor also opens its sanctuary and multipurpose hall for weddings. The space is spacious, well appointed, and air-conditioned. Trustees set the wedding rental fees, which cover opening the church, waiting time, cleaning the sanctuary, and use of the multipurpose hall; the pastor charges a separate fee. The church provides tables, chairs, and use of the kitchen, with an additional $50 kitchen deposit returned after inspection. The reception may run for four hours after the time in the wedding contract. Rehearsals may last two hours, or up to four hours when a rehearsal dinner is included. A deposit of one-half of the quoted fees is due when the contract is signed, with the balance due two weeks before the wedding.
Those practical details complement the church's larger identity. Good Neighbor Baptist Church grew from 20 members into a family marked by worship, education, music, member care, and neighborhood service. At 100 Chancellor Avenue, that family remains centered on loving one another, working in unity, and extending practical welcome to the people of Newark.