Grace Baptist Church stands at 17 West Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut, a congregation with roots reaching back to November 30, 1891. On that date, fifteen people who had been meeting at the African Methodist Church organized what is now known as Grace Baptist Church (then called Calvary Baptist Church), with the Rev. M. J. Haskins as moderator. It was the first Baptist church with a Black membership organized in Norwalk. The founding flock had migrated to the city from various southern states and found employment here, and they saw the need for a worship home of their own.
Founded as Norwalk's First Black Baptist Church
With an initial membership of thirty, Grace Baptist elected its first pastor, the Rev. D. C. Thomas. The new congregation was constantly on the move in its early years, holding services in rented spaces across South Norwalk: a hall in the Lauder Block on South Main Street, the Gazette Building, Prince Hall, and the Grand Army Hall.
A Permanent Home and a Statewide Union
In 1902 the congregation purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Quincy and Butler streets from the late Andrew Thompson, senior deacon of the Community Baptist Church (formerly South Norwalk Baptist Church). He sold the lot for a nominal sum so it could be used as a church site, and the faithful few laid a first edifice there, a white wood-frame structure. On March 19, 1902, the church received its Certificate of Organization.
Two years later, in 1904, Grace Baptist joined ten other Missionary Baptist churches in the state to organize the Connecticut Missionary Baptist Union (today the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention), meeting at Messiah Baptist Church in Bridgeport. In 1908, Mrs. D. C. Thomas of Grace Baptist was elected the first president of the Women's Auxiliary of the Union at the Grace Baptist Church of Waterbury.
As the years passed, the congregation outgrew its first building. Under the pastorate of the late Rev. John P. Ball, Grace Baptist purchased the former Jewish Center in 1957 for $125,000. After extensive alterations, a major portion of the building was converted into a place of worship, and the church moved to West Avenue.
The Fire of 1967 and a Congregation That Rebuilt
The Rev. Dr. Richard H. Wood became the eleventh pastor on June 4, 1960, and was officially installed on September 18, 1960. Under his leadership, a fifteen-year mortgage was paid off in just six years, aided by a $20,000 gift from local philanthropist Mr. Charles Dana and contributions from other churches and public funds. A Mortgage Burning Service was held on Sunday, November 28, 1965.
Just eighteen months later, on February 4, 1967, the church was destroyed by fire. The building was beyond repair. Dr. Wood and the faithful membership committed to rebuilding. The First Methodist Church and the Calvary Baptist Church of South Norwalk offered space for worship, with services held at the Methodist Church on the first Sunday in February and, from then on, at Benjamin Franklin Middle School until December 1969.
A groundbreaking service was held at the First Methodist Church of South Norwalk on Sunday, September 24, 1967. Construction began in August 1968, and the first services were held in the Martin Luther King Memorial Hall on December 14, 1969. The sanctuary was completed in February 1970, and on Sunday, June 4, 1970, a Laying of the Cornerstone service was held with Dr. Wood preaching. Among the many accomplishments under Dr. Wood's leadership was the purchase of the adjacent property at 23 West Avenue. On October 24, 1993, he ordained Rev. Diane C. Wilson to the gospel ministry, the first female minister ordained at Grace Baptist. Dr. Wood retired in December 1993 after thirty-three and a half years of leadership. He went home to glory on April 4, 2000.
On September 1, 1995, the Rev. Derek L. Calhoun became the twelfth pastor and served until 1999. Under his leadership the Rev. Eva R. Gittens was ordained into the gospel ministry, the membership grew by several hundred, and the church acquired the adjacent property at 31 West Avenue.
Devoted to the Word, Free to Flow in the Spirit
Grace Baptist describes its work with two phrases: "Devoted to the Word of God... Free to Flow in the Spirit of God." The mission statement declares that the church exists to present the Living Christ to a dying world in this present age, providing a worship, study, and service environment where individuals are not only encouraged to grow spiritually but also empowered to lead others to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and to become disciples who make disciples of Jesus Christ. Everything done in the church is, in their words, "for the S.O.U.L. purpose" - to seek, to optimize, to utilize, and to love.
The congregation's vision is to see the Kingdom of God established through a growing community of believers in Norwalk. The church lives by Paul's words in Philippians 4:13: "I (we) can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (us)," and stands on the conviction that "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
Articles of Faith
The Bible is the sole basis of all the church's beliefs - "God's infallible inerrant written revelation of His Word," the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks. There is one God, self-existent as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each possessing fully the nature of deity. Jesus Christ is God incarnate, virgin-born through the Holy Spirit, who lived a sinless life, performed many miracles, voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross, rose from the dead in a glorified body, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return personally, visibly, and bodily to establish His Kingdom.
Salvation is wholly the work of God's free grace, received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer is called to live under the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and to earnestly seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which brings an overflowing fullness, a deepened reverence for God, an intensified consecration, and a manifestation of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit.
The church practices two ordinances: baptism by immersion and Holy Communion. Baptism is an outward sign of inward spiritual rebirth, in which the believer declares union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Holy Communion, consisting of broken bread and the fruit of the vine, is a memorial of His suffering and death, a sharing in the divine nature of the Lord, fellowship with all believers, and a prophetic expectation of His second coming.
Pastor Curtis and Twenty Years at Grace Baptist
The Rev. Dr. Lindsay E. Curtis, a Chicago native from a long lineage of ministerial and pastoral service, became the thirteenth pastor on April 1, 2001. He was licensed to preach in 1973 by the Union Baptist Church of Springfield, Illinois, and ordained in 1979 by a council of the Woodriver District Association, an affiliate of the Illinois Baptist General State Convention. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois and has studied at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Moody Bible College, and the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He received a Doctor of Divinity from Eastern Theological Seminary.
From 1990 to 1994 he served the St. Paul Baptist Church in Terre Haute, Indiana, as its twelfth pastor. Over $500,000 in renovations have been completed under his leadership, including a new HVAC system, state-of-the-art audio and video, and renovations to the sanctuary and adjacent church property. The $1.4 million mortgage on the adjacent properties has been retired, leaving the church debt free. Pastor Curtis describes Grace Baptist as being "in the heart of the city, with a heart for the city."
Pastor Curtis is President of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention, a Commissioner on the Judicial Selection Commission for the State of Connecticut, Chaplin to the Norwalk Fire Department, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Directors for Norwalk ACTS (a partnership of over one hundred civic leaders, educators, and organizations working for better education for all Norwalk children), a board member of the Urban League of Southern Connecticut, and Past-President of the Norwalk Branch of the NAACP. He has testified before legislative committees on equity and fair educational funding, and served on the state's Legislative Achievement Gap Commission. He and his wife Janis (Richardson) Curtis are the parents of three daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren.
Deacons, Deaconesses, Ushers, and Ministers
Minister Dr. Monisha Gibson and Minister Eugene Burnes serve as Associate Ministers. Julius Camp is the Minister of Music. The Deacon Ministry is chaired by Jesse George, with Hugh Burke, Ernest Ramsey, Nathan Sumpter, Jill Murray, Yolanda Skinner, Ian Hardman, Johnathan Gibson, and Minister Dr. Monisha Gibson serving alongside. The Deaconess Ministry gathers Christine Burke, Vivian Kingwood, Rhonda Andrews, Cassandra Herring, Charlotte Ramsey, Barbara Thompson, and Gwendolyn George. The Usher Ministry includes Paul Steward, Michele Paulk, Monica Schroeter, Dorothy Byrd, Doug Sutton, Dorothy Anglin, Taniese Simpson, Debbian Simpson, and Robert Steward.
The Missionary Ministry
The Missionary Ministry brings together Laura Shular, Ronald Andrews, Delores Ross, Rhonda Andrews, Kia Burnes, Hazel Stuart, Elva Purefoy, Pearl Pinnock, Frances Hyatt, Hilda Bailey, Lurilene Burrows, Elizabeth Burns, Yolanda Skinner, Marilyn Maitland, and Dorothy Johnson. Pastor Curtis has extended his own ministry beyond Norwalk to Jamaica, Malawi, South Africa, and on a multi-religious trip to Israel.
The Building on West Avenue
The Grace Baptist campus includes the sanctuary and the Martin Luther King Memorial Hall. The sanctuary seats up to 650 people and is reserved for special occasions; the church retains the right to monitor events in the sanctuary out of respect for its role as a place of worship. Martin Luther King Hall seats 300 and is available with round tables, folding chairs, and coat racks that can be arranged to suit the event. Sunday worship services are recorded each week and made available on the Sermons page. Rentals are arranged through the church office Tuesday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with a $200 security deposit for members and $300 for non-members.
A Heart for the City
Located in central Norwalk on West Avenue, the congregation has long been woven into the wider civic life of the city. Dr. Wood was the first Black trustee on the Norwalk Hospital Board, and Pastor Curtis has continued that tradition of civic leadership through the NAACP, the Norwalk Fire Department chaplaincy, Norwalk ACTS, and advocacy before state legislative committees on educational equity. The same commitment to community marked the giving of Mr. Charles Dana, whose generosity helped retire the mortgage in the 1960s and assisted in the rebuilding after the 1967 fire.
Through more than thirteen decades, Grace Baptist has been a steady witness in Norwalk. As the congregation's history puts it, "a generation goeth, and a generation comes" to carry on a priceless heritage, and the blessings of God through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ go with them into the future.