Church History

          The St. John Divine Baptist Church is said to have had its beginning in the home of early day Christians about 1873, eight years after the end of the Civil War during the Reconstruction Period. This brave band of believers who came together to establish our church, established it in the same year that the bloodiest race riot of the Reconstruction Period took place in Colfax, LA where over 100 hundred blacks were killed. They were known as the Samuel Israelite Baptist Church with Rev. Charley Williams, a missionary minister from Amozion Baptist Church, as pastor. With a view to establishing a stronghold in this community, Rev. Williams prepared Rev. Louis Cass for the pastorate.

 

          As the congregation grew, it became necessary to purchase a permanent place for worship services. Thus, Rev. Louis Cass purchased the first structure in which to meet on November 20, 1880, the same month and year the Foreign Mission Convention of the United States was organized in Montgomery, AL and fifteen years before the National Baptist Convention was formed in Atlanta, GA. With the new building came a new name, St. John Divine Baptist Church and also new problems, both spiritual and financial. However, God protected and guided the “old fortress” that neither fire nor storm could hinder its progress.

 

          Many and varied are the ministers who served the congregation, among whom we find, Revs. Charley Williams, Louis Cass, Dave Norman, Adolph Smith, Paul Jackson, C. C. Taylor, A. J. Bebelle, E. L. Beauregard, Louis Icard, Willie J. Newman and Louis W. Smith.

 

          Under the pastorate of Rev. Paul Jackson, the church was enlarged and renovated in 1932 and 1938. This dynamic leader was both pastor and father to the congregation. Upon his death, Rev. C. C. Taylor officiated and prepared Rev. A. J. Bebelle to pastor the congregation. Rev. Bebelle came teaching tithing and self-reliance. The church continued to grow and participate in local, state and national religious conventions. The Building Fund program was initiated with the goal of constructing a new edifice. Upon the death of Rev. Bebelle, Rev. Beauregard took the helm and the Building Fund program continued to increase and was completed under the tenure of Rev. Louis Icard.

 

          These were difficult days for St. John but nothing or no one could stop God’s plan for his people and on Sunday, September 10, 1961, final services were held in the old edifice and on November, 1961, ground breaking ceremonies were held. With the new structure, our church name legally became St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church and we proudly, on November 25, 1962 eighty-two years after the purchase of the first structure, entered our new facility and rededicated ourselves and our church structure to God. Our procession was led by our newly elected pastor, Rev. Willie J. Newman, who was an excellent bible scholar and teacher. He believed in and instituted our outreach ministries such as the Hospital and Prison Ministries and the Street and Child Evangelism.

 

          On April 11, 1973, Rev. Louis W. Smith was installed as pastor and his concern for spiritual and secular education led to the formation of a Tutorial Program that better equipped the youth for the future and the purchase of property for an educational building.

 

          God works in mysterious ways and in May of 1999, Rev. Kenneth B. Speaks was sent to serve as interim pastor to assist St. John Divine through a difficult and trying transitional period. As the Spirit of God revealed to the congregation, it became quite clear that Rev. Speaks was the man that God had chosen to be our next pastor. Rev. Speaks was installed as pastor on October 15, 1999. Under his leadership, the church grew spiritually, in unity, love and knowledge. Our membership increased and the goals we set for ourselves were met. In 2001, our church edifice was renovated and 2002 the educational facility was constructed and dedicated for service.

 

          Then on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and severely damaged our sanctuary. We were scattered all over the country and it seemed like we would never worship together again. But a hand full of members was still in the New Orleans area and while St. John Divine was being renovated, Rev. Ike Mayfield and the New St. Mark Baptist Church family allowed Pastor Speaks and that remnant to use their church starting in January 2006. God, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to bring us back together as a congregation and in November 2006, we rededicated ourselves and our restored edifice to the service of God. We, the St. John Divine Family, give God all the praise, glory and honor.