On a corner of Germantown and Hunting Park Avenues in northwest Philadelphia, the red-brick edifice of The Triumph Baptist Church of Philadelphia rises as a landmark of a neighborhood that has watched the congregation grow from sixty-three charter members to more than five thousand four hundred souls. Founded on November 11, 1969 by the Reverend Doctor James S. Hall Jr., the church carries the greeting "Victory" at every gathering, the theme song "Victory in Jesus," and the scripture of 1 Corinthians 15:57 written across its bulletins. Across the same five-plus decades, the people of Triumph have built a daycare, a Christian school, a federal credit union, a supermarket, and an off-street chapel, while remaining a worshiping church at heart.
From a Basement on Lehigh Avenue to Germantown and Hunting Park
The story of Triumph Baptist begins on November 11, 1969, when Pastor Hall and sixty-three committed Christians met in the basement of Mt. Sinai Tabernacle Church at 28th and Lehigh Avenue. Six other ministers came to support the work of organization: Reverends William Anderson, E.A. Walker, J. I. Philips, John White, B.J. Small and Lester C. Smith, with Rev. William Anderson presiding. The charter members arrived carrying letters from their former churches and a shared hunger for a community that would not follow the "traditional path" of most established congregations. Three names were put forward for the new work - Beacon, Triune, and Triumph - and Triumph was unanimously accepted, because, as the founding record puts it, "it rang clear that it gave hope for the struggles through which we were passing." The members adopted "Victory" as their greeting, "Victory in Jesus" as their theme song, and Pastor Hall was elected pastor for life.
The church worshipped for four Sundays at Mt. Sinai Tabernacle jointly, then on the first Sunday night in December 1969 moved to 16th and Wingohocking Street to occupy the Mt. Herman Church of God building, which had been vacated by a white congregation. They were led to that facility by Rev. Joseph Gilmore. At the very first meeting the members pledged just over $5,000, and an offering of $1,100 collected that night was banked in the name of the newly organized church by Brother Willie Walker and Brother Robert Middleton, the chairmen of the Trustee Board.
The work was not without setback. On February 18, 1978, fire destroyed the church building. For three years the congregation worshipped at the Boys and Girls Club on Wayne Avenue, and the church school was held in fifteen members' homes. In March 1981 the building was rebuilt and the church returned home. As the congregation expanded, two houses on 16th Street were demolished to make room for an educational wing that eventually housed the daycare, the Christian school, a senior citizen ministry, a food distribution ministry, and an off-street chapel for small weddings, meetings and worship overflow. The church also purchased property at Broad and Wingohocking Streets, which became the Shop and Bag Supermarket, and a building at 18th and Courtland, originally slated for a new sanctuary.
The present edifice at Germantown and Hunting Park Avenue came together through an unusual partnership. The St. Paul's Baptist Church of Brooklyn, New York, and Triumph Baptist together purchased a hotel site in Mannheim, Pennsylvania (Lancaster County) intended for a hotel and resort. That property was later sold, and the proceeds were used to acquire the Germantown and Hunting Park location. The new sanctuary has been in use since October 2007. The School District of Philadelphia has deeded the property adjacent to the parking lot to Triumph for what will eventually become the Family Life Center, with senior housing also in the planning stages.
The Long Pastoral Pilgrimage of Rev. Dr. James S. Hall Jr.
The shepherd of Triumph since the night of organization has been James S. Hall Jr., a son of preachers and homemakers from Marion, South Carolina. The youngest of four children, he recognized by age nine that he was anointed to preach, and by age eighteen publicly surrendered to the Lord. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Divinity at Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina, where in high school he had served as President of the New Farmers of America and of the Marion County High School Council. Honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees followed from Morris College, Fuller Normal School in Greenville, South Carolina, and A.M.E. Seminary in Monrovia, West Africa, along with special training at Temple University in group dynamics and psychology.
Across sixty-six years of ministry, Pastor Hall has served Mount Rona Baptist Church in Florence, South Carolina (1953-1957); Rafting Creek Baptist Church in Sumter, South Carolina (1953-1957); Springfield Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina (1957-1963); and Morris Chapel Baptist Church in Philadelphia (1963-1969), before organizing Triumph Baptist in November 1969. He has led the congregation from sixty-three charter members to more than five thousand four hundred today, and under his preaching more than five thousand souls have been saved.
Pastor Hall's civic life runs in parallel with his pulpit. In South Carolina he served as President of Local PUSH, Vice President of the South Carolina State Education and Missionary Convention, Vice President of the South Carolina State NAACP, and local President of CORE in Greenville. After moving to Philadelphia he served as President of Little Neighborhood Schools, Treasurer of Wade Cable Company, President of the Baptist Minister's Conference of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Moderator of the Eastern Keystone Baptist Association, and Vice President and then President of the Pennsylvania Baptist Convention. He currently serves as CEO of Triumph Development Community Corporation and President of Victory Village. Recent recognitions include the Unity Global Award and the Legend of Civil Rights Award. The church's statement of his testimony is plain and direct: to serve the Lord with all his strength and all his might.
Pastor Hall is the father of four - two daughters, Cathy and Wanda, and two sons, James Anthony and Phillip - and the grandfather of three grandsons, four granddaughters, and one great-granddaughter. His oldest daughter, the Reverend Cathy M. Mitchell (Johnson), serves as Assistant Pastor at Triumph, and his youngest son, the Reverend Philip Hall, serves as Pastor of Love Missionary Baptist Church of Philadelphia.
Rev. Cathy M. Mitchell, Assistant Pastor
A native of Sumter, South Carolina, and a graduate of the Philadelphia public schools, Rev. Cathy Mitchell (Johnson) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Christian Education from Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, and a Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York. She has also completed special studies at Harvard Divinity School, and at the time of her ministry profile was preparing to enter a Doctor of Ministry program. Ordained to the gospel ministry in April 1981, she is the fourth generation of preachers in her family, the oldest of four children of the Reverend and Mrs. James and Elizabeth Hall.
Before joining the staff at Triumph she served as Assistant Pastor of Trinity Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York, as Minister of Christian Education at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, and as Principal of Triumph Christian School in Philadelphia. Among her peers she is regarded as one of the most creative preachers of her generation, an expositor whose teaching helps hearers discover spiritual meaning that makes sense of everyday life.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School, Praise and Worship, and the Word
The week at Triumph begins and ends with Sunday morning. Sunday School opens the day at 8:30 am, followed by Praise and Worship at 9:45 am and the Worship Service at 10:00 am. Sunday services are live-streamed, so that those at home can join in real time, and a recorded archive of recent services is available through the church's media page. Recordings on CD and DVD can also be ordered through the church office for members without internet access.
Visitors arriving for the first time are welcomed at the door, where the church's Hospitality Ministry is on duty. Seating is open, and dress at Triumph follows the traditional Black Baptist pattern: Sunday best, with suits, dresses, hats, and gloves common across generations. The music, led by the Minister of Music Charles Lundy, carries the gospel tradition of the congregation, with choir, ensemble, and congregational singing all part of the flow of the morning.
Wednesday: A Full Day of Teaching, Worship, and Joining
The midweek rhythm at Triumph is a full day. Morning Bible Study gathers from 10:30 am to 11:45 am, followed at noon by a brief Mid-Week Worship service. Registration is required for the morning Bible Study, and masks have been required in the sanctuary during seasonal protocols. In the evening the doors open again for a 6:30 pm Bible Study, alongside a 6:00 pm New Members Class for those pursuing church membership under the guidance of Rev. Walter Barnes, Minister of New Members.
The New Members Class is one entry into the congregation. Those who have already decided to join may print a new member form from the church's Join page, complete it, and mail it to Rev. Edwin Dawkins at the church address, or fill out the same form online. Joining paths listed in the form include Candidate for Baptism, Christian Experience, Restoration, and Letter.
What the Church Believes
The church's statement of faith is a careful confession shaped by the historic Baptist tradition. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are received as the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of saving knowledge, faith and obedience. There is one God, Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, infinite in every perfection, revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct in personal attributes yet undivided in nature, essence and being. God from eternity decrees or permits all things that come to pass, perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events, yet without being the author or approver of sin. Election is God's eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life, not because of foreseen merit but of His mere mercy in Christ, in consequence of which the chosen are called, justified and glorified.
Man was originally created in God's image, free from sin, but through the temptation of Satan transgressed the command of God and fell from original holiness and righteousness, with the result that his posterity inherit a nature wholly opposed to God and His law. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man, who, having taken upon Himself human nature yet without sin, perfectly fulfilled the law, suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He forever lives to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, Prophet, Priest and King of the Church and Sovereign of the universe, and will come again in glory.
Regeneration is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit, enlightening the mind savingly to understand the Word of God and renewing the whole nature so that the believer loves and practices holiness. Repentance is an evangelical grace wherein a person is made sensible of the manifold evil of sin, humbles himself with godly sorrow, and purposes to walk with God. Saving faith is belief on God's authority of whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ, accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification, sanctification and eternal life. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe in Christ from all sin, through the satisfaction Christ has made. Sanctification is progressive through the supply of divine strength, as believers press after a heavenly life in cordial obedience to all Christ's commands. Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved and sanctified by His Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end.
The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches, and to each of these churches the Lord has given needful authority for administering that order, discipline and worship which He has appointed. The scriptural officers of a church are Bishops or Elders, Pastors and Deacons.
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church fellowship and to participation in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, administered with the elements of bread and wine, observed by His churches until the second coming of Christ. The Lord's Day is a Christian institution for regular observance, employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. God alone is Lord of the conscience. The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God, the righteous to rest with Him. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when everyone shall receive according to his deeds, the wicked going away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into everlasting life.
The Ministries That Carry the Vision
Pastor Hall has summed up the work of Triumph in four words: evangelism, education, economic empowerment, and execution. The ministries are organized to fit those four headings.
Deacon's Ministry
The mission of the Deacon ministry is to serve, help, and assist in the house and kingdom of God by assuming responsibility for diverse labors and functions. Following the direction of the Holy Spirit and the biblical example set forth in Acts 6:1-6, the deacons' objective is to free the Pastor from duties that might interfere with the ministry of prayer and the word, so that the church may glorify God by winning souls for Christ. They serve as armor bearers for the Pastor, models of intercession, teachers of the Word, assistants in the ordinances of communion and baptism, visitors of the sick, evangelists, and reliefs of distress.
Men of Valor and Victory
The men's ministry seeks to form a deeper intimacy with God, genuine accountability with other brothers in Christ, purity of heart, servant leadership, honoring women, mentoring the next generation, and commitment to the church and its mission. The Bible verse is Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Membership is open to men of the church who are at least eighteen years of age. Rev. Walter Barnes serves as the ministry's contact.
Health and Social Services
The Health and Social Services Ministry was created to address the health and social service needs of the congregation of Triumph and of the surrounding community. The ministry works to praise God and proclaim Christ and the Kingdom of God through educational programs, health seminars, and direct service to the church family and the community at large. The ministry is anchored in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," and is led by Deacon Robert H. White.
Audio and Video Ministry
The Audio and Video Ministry, under the leadership of Marlon Lewis, carries the sound, livestream, and broadcast work of the church. Services are streamed through SermonCloud, and an archived library of replays is hosted for those who want to revisit recent Sundays. The same team supports the recorded CD and DVD ministry for seniors and others who watch from home.
Hospitality Ministry
The Hospitality Ministry welcomes first-time visitors and regular attenders at the door and serves as a visible face of the church to the neighborhood.
Ministry of Comfort
The Ministry of Comfort walks with families through bereavement and other seasons of grief, coordinating the church's response at homegoing services and beyond.
Reaching Beyond the Walls: Outreach and Community Partnerships
Triumph has long opened its parking lot and its building to community efforts that have nothing to do with Sunday morning. The Health and Social Services Ministry has hosted health fairs, vaccine clinics, and COVID-19 testing days in partnership with the Family Practice and Counseling Network. The church has hosted drive-up giveaways of food, household goods, and warm clothing, and has been the site of community giveback events organized with neighborhood partners. Senior citizens have been able to call in to listen to worship services on Sundays through a dedicated dial-in line, with the access code published in the weekly announcements.
The church supports a number of external ministries in addition to its own work. It supports the Foreign Mission Bureau of the Progressive Baptist Convention and the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention. It is a monthly supporter of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention, and supports and feeds approximately five hundred people annually in Haiti. The church provides regular support to missions, ministries, and churches pastored by what it calls "sons of our Church," contributes annually to several Black colleges, and is a life member of the NAACP.
In its own city the church has partnered with Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia on KidPacks, head-to-toe essentials for children: clothing, shoes, lightweight jackets, books, and a backpack full of school supplies. Caregivers complete a Kid Pack application, return it to the church office, and are notified when packs are ready for pickup.
From time to time the church has also functioned as a hub for employment information, posting job openings with Episcopal Community Services, the Pan American Academy Charter School, the Philadelphia Police Department's Communication Dispatcher trainee program, and the city's Workforce Development Programs through PHS Online. Free tax preparation and filing has been offered on days when the church building has been open.
Triumph Christian School and the Economic Empowerment Vision
From its earliest days Triumph has coupled evangelism with economic empowerment. Two of the first ministries the church ever organized were the Daycare Center and the Triumph Baptist Federal Credit Union. The Daycare Center eventually gave rise to Triumph Christian School, of which Rev. Cathy Johnson served as principal. The credit union has continued to operate as a community financial institution anchored in the church's neighborhood footprint.
Beyond the church's own properties, the Triumph Development Community Corporation, of which Pastor Hall is CEO, has carried residential housing and the Shop and Bag Supermarket at Broad and Wingohocking Streets. Plans are in place for senior housing and a Family Life Center on the parcel deeded by the School District of Philadelphia. The stated aim throughout is to bring tangible economic strength alongside the spiritual work of the church.
Joining Triumph: The Path from Visitor to Member
Visitors who decide to make Triumph their church home can join through one of four paths listed on the New Member Registration Form: as a Candidate for Baptism, by Christian Experience, by Restoration, or by Letter from another church. Those who want to take the baptismal path are invited into the Wednesday evening New Members Class, which meets at 6:00 pm under Rev. Walter Barnes. The form collects contact information, family connections in the church, previous church affiliation, ministry of interest, gifts and skills, and current occupation. A printable PDF of the form is available for those who prefer to mail it in to Rev. Edwin Dawkins at the church address.
Live Stream, Media, and Staying Connected
Sunday services are live-streamed through the church's media partner at 9:45 am, and the livestream is also accessible through an embedded player in the Media section of the church's home page. An archive of recent services is maintained for catch-up viewing. The same media ministry produces CDs and DVDs for seniors and others without internet access, and maintains the church's presence on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) under the Triumph Baptist Church handles.
Giving is offered through Tithe and Offering, with online giving available through EasyTithe and text-to-give instructions published in the weekly announcements. Members who prefer to give in person can drop their offering during services, and the church office accepts mailed gifts during posted weekday hours.
Getting to Triumph
The Triumph Baptist Church of Philadelphia sits at 1648 West Hunting Park Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140. Driving directions to the building are available through the Plan A Visit link. The church telephone line is 215-228-8000, with a fax line at 215-228-8880, and the general inbox is info@triumphbc.org. The KidPacks program can be reached at sas@triumphbc.org.
Across more than fifty years of ministry, the congregation has lived into its motto in the most practical ways imaginable: a school, a credit union, a supermarket, a sanctuary, a credit-union-backed community development corporation, and a sanctuary-wide greeting of "Victory." From its basement beginnings on Lehigh Avenue to its present home at Germantown and Hunting Park, Triumph Baptist Church has insisted that the work of Christ is never merely inward. The Lord is still moving the church, in the words of its pastor, "from Victory to Victory."
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:57