Ebenezer Missionary Baptist celebrated 100th anniversary

Published 10:08 am Monday, August 29, 2022

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Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church held its 100th year Centennial Celebration last weekend.

The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.  chapter in Dallas County led a Voter  Registration drive.

EMBC member Collins Pettaway III said the two-event went great.  Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. is currently EMBC Pastor.

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“We had an amazing celebration,” Pettaway said. “Mrs. Althestein Johnson, Mrs. Angernette Carter and the committee did an awesome job! Kudos to their leadership! The festival on Saturday was awesome and we’re eternally grateful to the local vendors who came out the several local businesses who donated items for door prizes.

“Sunday morning was the icing on the cake. Dr. Anthony Darrington, who is also a Selma native, brought a well-needed word for all of us. Additionally, it was so great to so many former members who came home. Ebenezer has been a staple, not just in the community, but in our lives! In the words of our pastor, all we can say is “To God Be the Glory!”

EMBC, which opened in 1922, is connected to the events that led to Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Rev. Frederick D. Reese, EMBC pastor from 1965 to 2015,  Reese was President of the Dallas County Voters League when the DCVL invited the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. to Selma to amplify the city’s local voting rights campaign.

Reese’s successor,  Perkins became he first African-American Mayor in Selma.