Tabernacle Baptist Church

Tabernacle Baptist Church was formed in January 1885 by Dr. Edward M. Brawley, president of the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School, now Selma University, as an integral part of students' Christian formation and education. Its congregation and leadership developed significant ties to statewide and national African American Baptist life, especially the National Baptist Convention, USA, which united three organizations in 1895. Rev. W.H. Alpine and Rev. Brawley led organizations that became the convention, and after the merger Rev. D.V. Jemison and Rev. T.J. Jemison served as presidents of the convention. Tabernacle member Professor Richard Bryan Hudson was general secretary of the convention from 1908 to 1931. During Dr. David Vivian Jemison's long pastorate, from 1902 to 1929 and again from 1936 to 1954, the church played a central role in Selma's Negro community, grounding its ministry in Christian stewardship and social justice and beginning outreach programs for economic, cultural, and educational needs. Dr. D.V. Jemison was committed to equality for Negroes and believed pastors should lead their communities in that cause; during his convention presidency, which coincided with Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, historians compared Tabernacle's renown to that of FDR's Little White House at Warm Springs, Georgia. The church also provided leadership in music education for Selma's Negro community, supported by member Dr. William H. Dinkins, president of Selma University from 1932 to 1950, and his wife Almedia Burwell, while their daughter Pauline D. Anderson strongly supported her husband, Rev. L.L. Anderson, in his efforts for equality. Tabernacle's members continued fighting for civil rights and social justice, and in 1964 Rev. John D. Hunter and Marie Foster were among the Courageous Eight who invited Dr. Martin Luther King to Selma despite Judge James Hare's injunction against public meetings to discuss breaking the law; Tabernacle member Dr. Sullivan Jackson and his wife Richie Jean hosted King in their home on Lapsley Street.

Selma, Alabama · United States