Faith, migration, resilience, and community were at the center of a presentation exploring the history of Black churches in Bakersfield from the 1800s to today.

Hosted by the Kern County Genealogical Society at the Beale Library Auditorium, the event “DNA of the Black Churches in Bakersfield” was led by local educator and historian Katherine Sutton Jordan-Morris, also known in the community as Grandma Whoople.

Jordan-Morris presented more than a century of local church history, and she shared personal touches and stories about how the churches impacted the community.

Churches as community centers

Jordan-Morris also shared that Black churches were more than houses of worship.

“This was our only line of communication that we had,” she said. “The church was a place where we could stand up. The pastor could share what was happening.”

During segregation and the civil rights era, churches were safe spaces to talk about injustice and improvement.

“You’ve got to find a way to make this better for our people,” Jordan-Morris recalled hearing in church meetings as a child. “Let’s fight for the right things.”

She remembered sitting in the back during meetings while adults discussed community issues.

However, she said that laws today limit how churches can engage politically.

“We had to keep our faith away from politics,” she said. “Not anymore like before.”

Jordan-Morris also explained that beyond civic engagement, churches helped build strong families and leaders. 

“It helped them to be productive. It helped them to be wonderful,” she said about her own children growing up in church. “My children are out in the community doing many great things.”

She said churches also offered Bible study, youth programs, choirs, missionary societies, and scholarships. 

“We learn how to love. We learn how to work together. We learn how to make peace,” Jordan-Morris said.

The first Black church in Bakersfield

Jordan-Morris said the first Black church in Bakersfield, Cain Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, was established in 1880. 

According to her research, a small group of African American migrants from South Carolina came to Bakersfield in the late 1800s to work for a large landowner. Once here, they organized a church. 

“The only requirement of this group was to be a Christian,” Jordan-Morris said. “As long as you were a Christian and wanted a place to worship God, this is where they would gather.”

In the early years, members traveled 10 to 15 miles on foot or horse and buggy to attend services.

The original building stood at California Avenue and Q Street. In 1899, the church became Cain Memorial, named after Bishop Richard Harvey Cain.

“He was always willing and ready to minister to all the needs of the community,” Jordan-Morris said. 

Other early congregations

Jordan-Morris said another early church was White Temple Baptist Church, established in 1885 at California Avenue and P Street. 

She said she discovered information about the church in an old Black newspaper called The Colored Citizen, which documented community news in the 1800s.

In 1886, Mount Zion began as Second Baptist Church. Today, it is known as Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

According to Jordan-Morris, records showed the church first met near California Avenue and M Street before moving to 13th and Beale streets. In 1912, the church moved again to California Avenue and T Street.

Members helped build the structure themselves.

“Men and women carried sand and helped make water for the construction,” Jordan-Morris shared.

The church later became incorporated and renamed New Mount Zion Baptist Church. The current building has stood since 1948.

Mid-20th century growth

Jordan-Morris also discussed several churches established in the 1900s.

St. John Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1943 under Rev. John W. Robins. The church expanded multiple times and added classrooms and community spaces. It later moved to East Brundage Lane and grew to more than 2,000 members.

St. Peter Restoration Community Christian Ministries was founded in 1951 after its pastor said he felt called by God to start a new church. The congregation first met at 326 Madison Avenue. Jordan-Morris shared that baptisms were once held in a canal following the 1952 earthquake. The church later expanded to a larger building on East Brundage Lane.

St. Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1947. Services were first held in a home before a building was donated and moved to Cottonwood Road. Later, a new church was built on what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The church has had several pastors over the decades and continues to serve the community.

Union Baptist Church, established in 1962, and Pleasant View Missionary Baptist Church were also mentioned. 

Jordan-Morris said she is still researching some congregations to confirm historical details before publishing them.

“I want nothing but facts in this work that I’m putting together to help us know about each other,” she said.

Jordan-Morris also mentioned newer churches, including Greater Harvest Christian Center, which began in 2000 in a living room with fewer than seven people and later grew into a large campus with hundreds of members.

She also mentioned the Church of God in Christ congregations and other local ministries. 

Jordan-Morris explained that her research is ongoing, and she hopes to add more documented history next year.