Didn’t Reverend Ivy Braithwaite feel the calling of the Lord. She certainly did. In the Roaring Twenties she opened her Harlem living room. It became Morning Star Pentecostal Chapel. This was among the first neighborhood churches in the Pentecostal movement. It may have been the city’s largest.
Welcome to Morning Star Baptist Church. The church’s story is one of faith resilience and rebirth. It echos through the streets of Harlem.
Braithwaite was an immigrant who settled in Harlem. She started her own house of worship. The church was incorporated with the state of New York in 1951. Morning Star took its first step into a traditional home. It eventually moved to the ground floor of a four-story Harlem building. It had room for about 100 worshippers.
In 1956 the church relocated from the living room to a building at 308 W 133rd St. Braithwaite remained pastor until her death. She was a beacon of life for the congregation.
In the 1950s many women started small holiness churches. They could not pastor on their own at existing churches. So they started their own churches.
Deaconess Mary Mitchell arrived in 1977. She followed Pastor Wallace Edward Smith from Mount Vernon. Under his leadership the congregation rebounded. Numbers increased. Services were held five days a week. Other Pentecostal congregations visited for revival meetings. She remained even after Smith’s death. She felt peace within. That kept her going back.
With Smith came his wife. She was known as Mother Mary. She worked with her husband for 28 years. They rebuilt the church property and its spirit. Pastor Smith passed away in 2005. Hard times came again.
Dwindling attendance and financial problems threatened the church’s home. By 2013 Morning Star faced possible demise. The leadership was gone. The property was deteriorating.
Enter Pastor Beverly Frazier in January 2014. She became the church’s sixth pastor. She immediately went to work. Only six parishioners greeted her. Two were Morning Star loyalists. They remained to ensure their church would survive. The new pastor credits their tenacity.
With the building in disrepair Frazier held a July 2014 Sunday service in St. Nicholas Park. Then they relocated to a YMCA. Then they shared space with another church on Edgecomb Ave for two years.
Pastor Frazier said closing the doors was never an option. She recruited a leadership team to assist in the resurrection of Morning Star. Dr. Joann Sutherland was convinced of Frazier’s mission.
Pastor Neil Joseph Ferguson came aboard in 2014. He admits signing up without much knowledge of Morning Star’s woes. There were no financial records. There wasn’t enough insurance on the building.
The church was first issued an order to vacate the premises in 2012. A rear wall on the building was in danger of collapse. The church sold the property last year. A permanent home was secured in January 2017. The church is now based at 435 W 141st St.
The church leaders share the same vision for Morning Star. It includes an expanded role in the community life. They hope for a church with its door open daily. They want interaction with students. They envision an after-school program and Bible study classes.
Church Administrator Miranda Walker contacted Ferguson. She applied for the opening position. This is a perfect example of how Morning Star practices what they preach. They know how to exemplify the love that Christ lived.
Morning Star is a growing body of believers. It has been equipping empowering and encouraging the local community for over 60 years.
Morning Star’s story is a testament to faith and community. It is a beacon of hope in Harlem. The church continues to thrive. It fulfills its mission. It encourages the community. It empowers the next generation. It equips disciples. Remember the words of Jeremiah 29:11. “’For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future’”.