A 1896 Congregation on Shrewsbury Avenue
Pilgrim Baptist Church sits at 172 Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank, New Jersey, a corner that has belonged to this congregation since 1955. The church is one of the oldest African American Baptist churches in the borough, organized in June 1896 by the Rev. Ebenezer Bird. The name Pilgrim was chosen because the pioneers had no permanent house of worship and moved from home to home to conduct services. A small first building went up in 1910 on a lot at 17 Pearl Street, and the current Shrewsbury Avenue edifice was purchased seven decades ago. Across more than 130 years, fourteen pastors and a generation of deacons, trustees, and members have shaped a church that today opens its doors for Sunday worship, midweek prayer, a Saturday evening service, children's education, women's and men's fellowships, and a monthly food pantry.
Worship on Sunday Morning
The Sunday schedule at Pilgrim centers on two gatherings that frame the week. Adult Sunday School meets at 8:20 am, offered both in person and on Zoom for members who cannot be on site. The Worship Service follows at 10:00 am in the sanctuary and is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel so that virtual members and those at home can take part. Children and youth have their own track during the same hour: Kingdom Kidz and NextGen Christian Education classes begin at 10:00 am, and a separate Youth Church gathers in person at the same time. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month. The sanctuary is filled by a gospel-rooted worship tradition that pairs preaching with congregational song under the leadership of Senior Minister Rev. Terrence K. Porter.
Midweek Prayer and Bible Study
The middle of the week is held together by two connected gatherings. On Wednesdays at 6:00 pm the Community Prayer Meeting opens by phone line and on Zoom, giving members and friends a way to lift up concerns together. At 7:00 pm the Bible Study continues on Zoom, walking through Scripture in a setting designed to be conversational and accessible for those joining from home. Together the hour and a half of Wednesday evenings forms one of the most regular touchpoints of the church, in addition to the Sunday gatherings.
Saturday Night Church
For those whose Sundays are already spoken for, Pilgrim offers a second weekly worship hour. Saturday Night Church meets every Saturday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the building. The service mirrors the Sunday morning pattern of preaching and praise and has become a regular alternative to the morning schedule, particularly during summer months when the gathering has sometimes moved outdoors. It is also the service that anchors a Saturday rhythm for youth, families, and adults who want one more touchpoint during the week.
Open Table Tuesday
Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm belong to Open Table Tuesday, a weekly gathering that the church lists alongside its prayer and Bible study offerings. The name signals the church's language of fellowship and table fellowship, an extension of the congregation's identity as a place of praise, prayer, and preparation.
Kingdom Kidz and the Next Generation
Children and young people are a through-line of the congregation. Kingdom Kidz & Next Gen is Pilgrim's arm for Christian education and is the church's busiest weekday gathering after worship. Each Sunday at 10:00 am, age-appropriate classes meet while adults are in worship and youth have their own service. During the summer, the program expands into a Vacation Bible School - recent themes have included "Tropical Trek" for VBS 2026 and "Next Gen VBS 2025" - and a Summer Youth Club. The work is led under the children's ministry name that the church has used for years, with classrooms and activities documented in the church's photo gallery, including school-aged girls' classrooms led by Ms. Lynn and "Big Girls' School" and "Little Girls' School" sessions tied to the church's Mission of Grace outreach in Haiti.
Women of Wisdom and Men's Ministry
Two adult fellowships shape the social and spiritual life of the church beyond Sunday. The Women's Fellowship, also referenced as Women of Wisdom, gathers on the fourth Saturday of each month at 9:00 am, with separate celebrations such as Women's Day and a Women's Retreat that have spanned multiple days in past years. The Men's Ministry of Pilgrim meets on the second Saturday of each month from 8:00 to 10:00 am, with a yearly Men's Day that brings in guest preachers and an annual Men's Ministry Day service. Both fellowships are visible through the church's photo gallery, which documents retreats, choirs, honorees, and intergenerational gatherings.
Hope and Comfort Center
The Hope and Comfort Center is the church's name for its in-house benevolence work, anchored by the Fulfill Mobile Pantry that pulls up at Pilgrim on the first Thursday of each month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. The pantry is a partnership with Fulfill, the food bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and distributes groceries on site at 172 Shrewsbury Avenue. The center also connects the congregation to a wider circle of local resources, including the affordable housing listings that the church regularly shares through its Affordable Housing Alliance page. Pilgrim also maintains a Prayer Wall where members and visitors can submit requests, mark items as prayed over, and ask for anonymity.
Mission of Grace in Haiti and Jamaica Relief
Foreign Mission Outreach is one of the defining ministries of Pilgrim. Through the Mission of Grace, the church has sustained a long-running relationship with work in Haiti, including a school program that the photo gallery documents year by year. In recent seasons the church has appealed for food, mattresses, and batteries for lighting after disasters, and it has rallied fundraising concerts when crises have hit the region. After Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in 2025, Pilgrim organized a Jamaica Disaster Relief Benefit Concert and a Jamaica Relief Initiative, channeling giving through its online giving platform. The work in Haiti and Jamaica is presented as a partnership - the church lists founders and pictures classrooms, schoolgirls, and program staff alongside the call for supplies.
Housing Help and Scholarships
Two pages on the church's site extend Pilgrim's reach beyond its walls. The Affordable Housing Alliance page curates current listings from across Monmouth County and beyond, with links to properties in Middletown, Colts Neck, Manalapan, Old Bridge, South Brunswick, Long Branch, Jackson, and Wall Township, plus contact information for the AHA - Affordable Housing Alliance. The 2026 Scholarship Opportunities page collects three named awards for graduating high school seniors and continuing education students: the Eddie Mae Maxie Lee and Johnnie Maxie Memorial Scholarship, the Alice Baker Scholarship Fund, and the Continuing Education Award. Applications are posted as downloadable forms.
Pastor, Deacons, and Trustees
Rev. Terrence K. Porter is Pilgrim's fourteenth senior minister. A full leadership biography is available as a downloadable PDF, and a short note from the pastor appears in a recorded Facebook reel. The ordained deacons serving under him are Deacon James Plummer (chair), Deacon Tommy Dean, Deacon Jesse Garrison, Deacon James Hall, and Deacon Calvin Credle. The Trustee Ministry is chaired by Trustee Pam Coefield and includes Trustee Bertha Pullen-Williams, Trustee Al James, Trustee Ollie Jones, Trustee Richard Towler (assistant secretary), Trustee Randy Phillips, Trustee Phyllis Troy, Trustee Lee Williams, and Trustee Greg Hawkins. Trustee Diane Lee serves as treasurer and Trustee Charles Garrison is also named to the board, with Joya Anderson as Church Clerk. The church describes itself as a diverse community of Christian believers committed to advancing the Kingdom of God in worship and witness, with the bountiful blessings of the Holy Spirit at the center of its life.
A Week at Pilgrim
Most weeks at Pilgrim follow a familiar rhythm. Sundays begin with Adult Sunday School at 8:20 am, Kingdom Kidz and Youth Church at 10:00 am, and the Worship Service at the same hour, with Communion on the first Sunday. Tuesdays bring Open Table Tuesday at 6:00 pm. Wednesdays hold the Community Prayer Meeting at 6:00 pm and Bible Study at 7:00 pm, both on Zoom. The first Thursday of the month is the Fulfill Mobile Pantry from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Saturdays have two distinct offerings: Saturday Night Church at 6:00 pm every week, with the Women's Fellowship on the fourth Saturday morning and the Men's Ministry on the second Saturday morning. The calendar on the church's site lists every gathering, and announcements are posted weekly for the congregation.
Joining In
Anyone walking in on a Sunday morning will find the sanctuary at 172 Shrewsbury Avenue, with parking on site and greeters ready to direct newcomers. For those at home, Sunday worship is livestreamed on YouTube, midweek prayer and Bible study are accessible by phone and Zoom, and sermons are archived on the church's YouTube channel. Online giving is available through the church's EasyTithe page, and a "Become a Virtual Member" form is open for friends of the church who want to be formally connected. Pilgrim's prayer wall accepts requests online, and the photo gallery captures the church's life across more than a century of Sundays - from revivals and sunrise services to Vacation Bible School, Women's Day, Men's Day, Veterans Day, and youth choir Sundays - all rooted in the same Red Bank address.