Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church stands on Douglas Road in Coconut Grove, in the historic Village West corridor of Miami, Florida. Founded in 1895, it is the oldest African-American Baptist church in Miami-Dade County and the first Black church on the South Florida mainland to be organized by African Americans. More than a century after fifty-six worshipers first gathered at the home of Mrs. Edith Albury on Williams Avenue, the congregation still worships in the traditions of those founders, and still identifies itself as a traditional ministry rooted in the Word.
From a Front Porch to Douglas Road
The congregation traces its beginnings to 1895, when fifty-six Black members withdrew from Union Chapel, an integrated church, because they wanted to worship in the traditions of their African ancestors. They organized first as the Fifty-Six Baptist Church, and the names that followed trace the church's evolution: St. Agnes Baptist, Macedonia Baptist, First Macedonia Baptist Missionary Church, and, upon incorporation in 1976, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church of Miami, Incorporated.
The first building stood on Margaret Street on land donated by Count Jean d'Hedouville. In 1903 the church moved to Evangelist Street (Charles Avenue), and in 1948 it relocated to its present home on Douglas Road. Over the decades Macedonia gave rise to a number of other Coconut Grove congregations, including St. Paul African Methodist Church (1896), Christ Episcopal Church (1901), St. James Missionary Baptist Church (1917), St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church, St. Matthews Missionary Baptist Church (1976), and Canaan Baptist Church.
A Line of Pastors, a Tapestry of Growth
Thirteen pastors have shepherded the church since its founding. The first, Rev. S. A. Sampson, set the pattern, and each successor added something to the life of the congregation. Rev. Yates built the first baptism pool and laid the first cornerstone. Rev. Guilford expanded the building twenty-five feet on Charles Avenue and organized the first choir. Rev. J. A. Finlayson completed the present church, acquired the parsonage and property on Williams Avenue, organized a second choir, the Youth Department, the Missionary Department, and a second usher board, and led the church into the NAACP and the Parent-Teacher Association.
Rev. Cooper introduced the envelope system for tithes and offerings and reorganized the Finance Department. Rev. Jordan started the Love Circle during communion and organized the Jordanaires Choir. Rev. Rudolph Daniels, who pastored the church for thirty-four years, organized the Male Chorus, the Men Trusted Partners, and the Willing Workers, revitalized the Youth Department, purchased a van, installed the elevator, paved the church grounds, and reinstated the church in the Florida East Coast Association.
Worship and Weekly Rhythms
The church calls itself a traditional ministry, and the weekly schedule reflects that. Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings, followed by the Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 a.m. Prayer and Bible Study takes place on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., and the Sunday School Teachers Meeting is held Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evening Bible Study and prayer is at 7:00 p.m.
Services are conducted in English. Funerals and other special services are carried on the church's Facebook group, and giving is available by text, by Cash App, and through the Give Plus Church app.
The Sunday School
The Sunday School is the church's most exhilarating ministry and its primary evangelistic arm. Its mission is to teach the Word of God to saints and sinners so that they will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, and to grow the church both physically and spiritually. The aim is effective teaching that helps learners not only understand the scriptures but also apply them to daily living, planting the Word in their hearts like a tree planted by the waters.
Women's Missionary Society and MCOM Summer Camp
The Women's Missionary Society is the women and children's arm of the church's Missionary Department, which is itself divided into home mission, foreign mission, and youth work. The society's purpose is to involve women and children in the church's threefold mission of evangelizing the unsaved, educating the saved, and edifying the members. Each summer the church also runs MCOM Summer Camp, a program that extends that mission to children and young people in the community.
Pastor Lance B. Bailey, Sr.
Reverend Lance B. Bailey, Sr., a native Miamian, was elected Macedonia's thirteenth pastor and installed on August 12, 2018. He grew up in a Christian home, the son of the late Deacon John H. Bailey and Pastor Daisy Bailey, and began serving the Lord in his early childhood years as a musician at Greater Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, where he played the piano and drums. He accepted the call to ministry in August 2011, was licensed and ordained by Rev. Howard O. Rose and the Greater Fellowship family, and went on to serve as Minister of Music at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church and other congregations in Miami before founding New Vision Empowerment Church in 2015.
Bailey has served as National State Convention Head Musician and Minister of Music of the Florida Baptist Association of Congress and Christian Education, and currently serves at Scott Lake Elementary as Head Custodian, Chorus Director, and a 5000 Role Model of Excellence Program Mentor. He and his wife, Lady Monique Bailey, have four children: Kayla, Lance Jr., Benjamin, and Jeremiah. He believes a new era has begun at Macedonia and that his goal is to draw out the talents, insights, and actions that God has bestowed on each member for the growth of the church.
A Building Worth Preserving
The Macedonia campus on Douglas Road is a Florida state historical site, and the church is currently raising funds to restore and preserve the structure. The building holds more than a century of Coconut Grove history, and the congregation invites both members and friends of the church to support the effort. Donations can be made online, by text to (833) 457-0439, by Cash App to $MacedoniaMBCMiami, or by mail to the PO Box.
Visiting Macedonia
The church is located at 3515 Douglas Road, Miami, FL 33133, in the Village West heritage corridor of Coconut Grove. The phone number is 305-445-6459, and email is info@macedoniambcmiami.com. Sunday morning visitors are welcome to arrive by 9:30 a.m. for Sunday School or by 11:00 a.m. for worship. The Macedonia Missionary Bt Ch Coconut Grove Facebook group has updates and funeral livestreams.