Carver Baptist Center

Carver Baptist Center. A place of worship, community, and resilience. It stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of New Orleans. Let’s step back in time to December 9, 1951. Picture a modest home at 3020 Metropolitan Street. Reverend R.S. Neal and his wife, Ollie, opened their doors to a small congregation. This marked the humble beginnings of Carver Baptist Church #2. Soon, the church purchased land at 3301 Montegut Street. This is where the Carver Baptist Center stands today. Under Reverend Neal’s guidance, the congregation grew. A building program commenced. Reverend Neal’s tenure ended in 1953. Samuel Thomas then stepped up to lead the congregation. Services moved to a house on Humanity Street, right behind the current location. In April 1953, Carver #2 joined the Southern District Baptist Association. Reverend James Wynn, the association’s president, helped the church find a new pastor. Reverend Hosea Rivers took the helm. Under his leadership, the church received its charter in 1953. The new church building on Montegut Street began to take shape. A significant shift occurred on May 21, 1958. Reverend Morris A. Edwards Jr. arrived with seventy-five members from the Desire Street Mission. They joined Carver Baptist Church #2. The church’s name changed to Carver-Desire Baptist Church. Reverend Edwards spearheaded transformative changes. A city dump across the street was removed. Streets were paved. New housing developments sprung up. The church acquired more property. Its membership swelled to nearly four hundred. Reverend Edwards served for nearly thirty-four years, until his passing in 1992. Reverend James R. Willis Jr. became the new pastor in October 1992. He initiated new ministries. These included programs for youth, seniors, men, and women. The focus was on spiritual, cultural, and social growth. Construction of a new church facility also began. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 devastated New Orleans. Carver Desire Baptist Church responded. It launched a community rebuilding program. This included repairing the church building, purchasing additional land, and constructing homes to encourage others to return and rebuild. Carver Desire Baptist Church continued its work. It envisioned programs for home building and ownership, daycare, after-school tutoring, adult education, job training, and senior independent living. Carver Baptist Center. A church that cares about people.