Jackson's First Black Church, Still at the Helm
Mt. Helm Baptist Church stands at 300 East Church Street in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, in the heart of the historic Farish Street district. It holds a distinction few congregations anywhere can claim: it is the oldest African-American Baptist church in the city, with roots going back to 1835, and it has been the cradle of institutions that reshaped Black Christianity across the country. The Mississippi Baptist State Convention, the Church of Christ Holiness (USA), and the Church of God in Christ can all trace part of their denominational origins back to this single body. Jackson State University, originally Jackson College, was once housed inside the Mt. Helm building. Today the church calls itself "a downtown church for the whole family passionately loving God with our hearts, heads, and hands," and "a spiritual anchor in downtown Jackson and a launching pad for leaders who will impact the church, the community, and the world for the glory of God."
From the Basement of First Baptist
The story of Mt. Helm begins inside another church. When the First Baptist Church of Jackson organized in 1835, its members included Black and white worshippers. A report to the Union Baptist Association in 1841 listed forty-two members, thirty-one of them Black. In 1843 the First Baptist building was constructed out of bricks made by enslaved people of Prior Lee, a white lay preacher who worked among Blacks. He gave the bricks on condition that Black members would be allowed to use the basement for their own services. From 1835 to 1867 Black members held prayer meetings and services in that basement, under white oversight enforced by Poindexter's Code and the suspicion that followed Nat Turner's Rebellion. The first pastor among them was the Rev. Marion Dunbar.
When slavery ended, Black members left First Baptist at the request of its deacons and had no building of their own. Thomas E. Helm, a white Presbyterian businessman, and his wife Mary gave them eighty square feet of property at what is now the corner of Lamar and Church Streets. In 1868 the former First Baptist members built a wood-frame church on that land, and they named it Mount Helm Baptist Church in gratitude to the family whose gift made it possible.
The Mother Church of New Denominations
In the decades that followed, Mt. Helm did something few congregations ever do: it gave rise to entirely new church bodies. The seeds of the Church of God in Christ were planted here in 1897 through the friendship of Mt. Helm's pastor, the Rev. Charles Price Jones, and the Rev. Charles Henry Mason. Together they hosted a two-week "Holiness Convocation" at Mt. Helm. Mason went on to found the Church of God in Christ, headquartered today in Memphis, the first Pentecostal body to obtain incorporated status. When Jones tried to rename Mt. Helm "Church of Christ," the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the Helms' gift had been given specifically for a Baptist church and the name could not be changed. Jones and many of his followers departed and went on to found the Church of Christ Holiness (USA). The Mississippi Baptist State Convention traces part of its own roots back to Mt. Helm as well.
During Rev. Dunbar's pastorate the church also helped establish the first permanent Negro Baptist Association in the state, the Jackson Baptist Association, with Dunbar as its first president. Mt. Helm gave classroom space to Jackson College, the predecessor of Jackson State University, from 1883 to 1885 while the school was without facilities of its own, erecting temporary rooms on the south side of the church to accommodate growing enrollment.
Two Centuries of Pastoral Leadership
Twenty-two pastors have served Mt. Helm since Rev. Dunbar. The second, the Rev. Elbert B. Topp, left in 1893 with a large group of members to form Farish Street Baptist Church. The dynamic evangelist Rev. Benjamin J. Perkins, who pastored from 1912 to 1919, drew such crowds that people stood outside to listen and evening services often ran past midnight. Rev. Adolph Lemuel Rice, pastor for thirty years beginning in 1927, removed the word "Missionary" from the church's name, leaving the simple "Mount Helm Baptist Church" that endures today, and founded the Brotherhood Bible Class and the Ollie Love Bible Class, both still active. Under Rice the church resumed support of missions to Africa, donating money and goods to the Klee Industrial Mission.
The Rev. Thomas B. Brown led the church from 1958 to 1979 and oversaw the construction of the present building at Church and Dreyfus Streets, financed by the sale of church bonds, a new approach for the congregation at the time. Under his leadership the church ran a successful day care center and developed a ministry to the deaf that still provides a sign language interpreter during Sunday worship. The Rev. Levi Benjamin Baldwin Jr. expanded the Board of Trustees to include women, started the 24-hour Dial-A-Prayer line, and launched the church's newsletter, The Mount Helm Herald. Later pastors added a Health and Wellness Ministry, a Pantry and Clothing Ministry, and the practice of holding services earlier on fifth Sundays so members could visit other churches.
Dr. C.J. Rhodes and a New Era
In April 2010, at twenty-eight years old, the Rev. Dr. C. J. Rhodes became the youngest pastor in Mt. Helm's history. A Hazlehurst, Mississippi, native called into ministry at eighteen, he holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Divinity from Duke University Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Biblical Seminary. He was inducted in 2026 into Morehouse College's Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity Board of Preachers. He is also the director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Alcorn State University, founder and founding director of the Hiram Rhodes Revels Institute for Ethical Leadership, founder and president of Clergy for Prison Reform, third vice president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, and a former board chair of Mission Mississippi. Nicknamed "the Scholar with a Holla," he writes a regular column called The Compass and is the author of two books, "7 Leadership Principles of Service and Success" and "Deeper Still: Ministry Empowered by the Holy Spirit."
Under Dr. Rhodes, a full-scale replica of the original 1868 Mt. Helm building has been enshrined as a permanent exhibit in the Mississippi Museum of History, placing the church at the center of Mississippi's historical narrative from Reconstruction through the twentieth century. Mt. Helm also took a leading role in the 2022 commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the 1897 Holiness Revival, gathering clergy, elected officials, and community leaders across denominational lines to retrace the sacred ground that gave rise to two Black Pentecostal bodies.
Helm Place and the Work of the Hands
One of the most visible signs of Mt. Helm's current ministry stands near the sanctuary itself. Under Dr. Rhodes' leadership the church catalyzed the development of Helm Place, a landmark mixed-income housing initiative in the Farish Street district. The development replaced long-standing blight with eighty-eight affordable and market-rate townhomes and a four-thousand-square-foot community center, bringing together civic leaders and residents to celebrate a vision rooted in the church's longstanding commitment to remain in and serve its neighborhood.
When the Jackson water crisis left thousands of residents without reliable water service in 2021 and 2022, Mt. Helm became a leading site of relief and advocacy, organizing large-scale produce distributions and partnerships to bring additional resources into the community. The church has also awarded scholarships to graduates of Jackson Public Schools and contributed to advanced academic programs, extending its impact into the lives of young people across the city.
The Five Ships
Mt. Helm's vision is built around what Dr. Rhodes calls "Five Ships." Faithful Stewardship means treating time, talent, treasure, and truth as gifts from God and using them in ways that glorify the Creator. Intentional Fellowship aims at the unity Jesus prayed for in his disciples, a beloved community that loves across every barrier that separates people from God and from each other. Bold Leadership seeks a congregation that is "courageously Spirit-led, allowing God to produce through us the personal and social renewal we desperately need." Life-Changing Worship centers on the only One worthy of worship, the only One who can truly change lives. Costly Discipleship nurtures spiritual maturity through biblical teaching and service in a Kingdom way of life. "With the Spirit blowing in our sails, we'll navigate across life's stormy waters to a deeper place in God to his glory," the church writes.
Sunday at the Helm
Sunday is the heart of the week at Mt. Helm. Sunday School meets every Sunday morning at 9:30, followed by Sunday Worship at 11:00. Hymn singing has been central to worship here since the early twentieth century and remains so today; before the worship service begins, the choir sings praise songs in a practice started by the Rev. Anthony Jackson in the 1990s and continued ever since. The Music Ministry draws on four choirs - the Senior Choir, the Youth Choir, the Sanctuary Choir, and the Men's Ensemble - under choir directors who teach music, train singers and musicians, and provide music for services and programs.
The Children's Church Ministry provides a Sunday morning worship experience for youth twelve and under, while parents worship in the main service. Ushers greet worshippers as they enter, seat them at the proper time, and hand out orders of worship. A sign language interpreter is provided during Sunday worship for the deaf, a ministry that has continued for decades. Visitors who prefer to watch from home can find recent sermons on the church's YouTube channel.
Midweek Anchor
On Wednesday evenings the church gathers twice. Prayer meets at 6:30 and Bible Study follows at 7:00, giving members a midweek anchor for both conversation with God and conversation about Scripture.
A Net of Ministries
Visitors who want to serve have many doors to walk through. The Deacon Board and Deaconess Board work alongside the pastor to plan worship, perform pastoral ministry, care for the sick and shut-in, and assist with Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The Sunday School Ministry is divided into departments and classes for all ages and supports a Vacation Bible School each year. The Christian Education Ministry develops a regular schedule of classes for spiritual growth.
Two long-standing Bible classes anchor adult formation. The Brotherhood Bible Class, founded in 1928, meets each Sunday morning with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of the Scriptures among the men of the church and community. The Ollie Love Bible Class carries on the same tradition in a parallel ministry. The Colley Missionary Society, organized under Rev. Dunbar during the church's first generation, emphasizes missions and maintains the church's connection with the Jackson District Missionary Baptist Association. The Women's Fellowship Ministry promotes spiritual growth and fellowship among women of the church, and an advisor from the Society serves the Junior Matrons' Auxiliary. Anyone interested in serving can sign up through the Ministry Sign-Up Form.
Beliefs and Identity
Mt. Helm is a member congregation of the National Baptist Convention (USA) and is connected to the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi. The church describes itself as a historically Black urban Baptist church that welcomes "people of every culture, color, class, and creed." It believes in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform individuals and communities, and in holistic ministry that forms the mind through teaching, ignites the heart through vibrant worship and prayer, and mobilizes the hands through service to the city. The church sees itself as "a people to become," growing together in faith, family, and faithful witness, and committed to biblical Christianity and Spirit-filled discipleship. Its stated mission is "to the glory of God to develop mature Christlike disciples into Spirit-led leaders," and it aims to be "a safe space for hard questions and heart issues," while also being committed to social transformation.
Visiting and Connecting
Mt. Helm welcomes visitors to its historic downtown campus. The sanctuary includes a pulpit lift and accessible restrooms installed under a previous pastorate. Sermons are shared on YouTube, and giving is available online. Through The Compass, Dr. Rhodes extends the pastoral task with reflections on faith, scripture, and public life. The church office can be reached at 601-353-3981 or admin@mthelm.org, and the address is 300 East Church Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39202.