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The Parker Memorial Baptist Church was birthed out of the concerns of a small group of African-American residents of Takoma Park, MD. In November of 1920, they began a community movement aimed at providing religious training for approximately one hundred and twenty-five local children. A Sunday School Union and Mission were organized in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dorsey, located on Ridge Avenue.
Led by Reverend William A. Parker, there were a total of forty-two members, including the teachers and officers. Much like the Early Church, services were held in various homes for a period of time. During the summer months, a tent was erected in which Services took place. The program of Services was as follows: Sunday School 10:15 AM; Morning Worship 11:15 AM; Evening Service 8:00 PM. The public was always welcome to attend these Services.
Now known as the Community Mission Enterprise, additional residents and friends were urged to join and support these efforts in Christian service. Reverend Parker served as the Pastor, founder and organizer of the Mission. Officers were as follows: Trustees: Mr. T. Stewart, Mr. William Beaman and Mr. P.E. Hawkins; Secretary: Mrs. E. Dorsey; Treasurer: Mr. William Beaman. It was the consensus of the majority of the members of the Mission that it should become a Baptist Church. Therefore, a summons was sent to the sister churches in the area, requesting their presence at a meeting to prayerfully consider the organization of a Baptist Church. Those churches answering the call were: First Baptist Church of Bladensburg, Maryland, Reverend H.T. Gaskins, Pastor; St. Luke Baptist Church, Brightwood, D.C., Reverend Shelton Miller, Pastor; Sitka Baptist Church, Reverend E.M. Burrell, Pastor. This council proceeded to organize the church, which became known as the First Baptist Church of Takoma Park, Maryland. Membership at that time was thirty-seven persons. Reverend Parker continued as the Pastor. A parcel of land was purchased and a temporary building was constructed. In 1926, the cornerstone for the new church was laid. Mr. Lawrence Boyd was the architect and builder. Reverend Parker served as Pastor for a total of eight years, until November 5, 1929 when he was called home to the Lord.
In 1930, the church extended a call to Reverend Frank Dixon. He continued the work that Reverend Parker had begun. Through faithful work and trust in God, Reverend Dixon worked diligently for the church. On October 23, 1931, the church was able to pay-off the $336.00 mortgage and a mortgage-burning ceremony was held. After seven years of faithful service, God called Reverend Dixon home.
On June 16, 1938, the First Baptist Church of Takoma Park elected Reverend Virgil Thomas Taylor as its third Pastor. Reverend Taylor was a native of Harrods Creek, Kentucky, and before coming to Washington has pastured the Harrods Creek Baptist Church for four years. He came to the Washington area in 1929 and was serving as Pastor of the Paramount Baptist Church in Washington, DC when the call was extended. The First Baptist Church of Takoma Park steadily moved forward during the twenty-eight years of Reverend Taylor’s competent leadership. Many souls were added to the Church, many organizations were founded and numerous improvements were made inside and outside of the Church. In 1956, the congregation voted to change the name of the Church to “Parker Memorial Baptist Church” in honor of its founder, Reverend William A. Parker. In 1967, Reverend Taylor retired after twenty-eight years of devoted service to the ministry.
In February of 1968, after serving one year as Interim Pastor, Reverend James Daniel Ross, Jr. was asked to serve as the fourth Pastor of Parker Memorial Baptist Church. A son of the church who had been baptized, reared, licensed and ordained at PMBC, he was uniquely suited to continue the work of the pastors who had preceded him. Known as a man of virtue and a servant of God, Reverend Ross worked endlessly and energetically in service to God. Under his leadership, many people accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Reverend Ross inspired all who worked with him to use their talents for the building of God’s Kingdom. He taught that whatever talents one may have, they ought to be used to the glorification of the One, the only One, who can make it all possible, Jesus Christ. Tragically, on December 24, 1975, a fire totally destroyed the church building. Nevertheless, Reverend Ross continued to be led with God’s anointing: he encouraged and moved the membership forward. Services were held in Takoma Park Intermediate School while a new building was under construction. By the grace of God, on March 13, 1977, the approximately one-hundred church members entered their new building at 111 Geneva Avenue. Many projects were developed to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation. Over the next ten years, the church acquired three additional pieces of property on the block. Parker Memorial knew that God had made it all possible, and had worked through Reverend Ross to make it happen. The congregation, both young and old alike, willingly accepted the responsibility of working cooperatively to foster the Christian philosophies and disciplines of the church. On December 4, 1987, after nineteen years of labor, Reverend Ross went home to be with the Lord.
In January 1988, Reverend Edward K. Foster was called to serve as Interim Pastor. A member of Parker Memorial, Reverend Foster was to serve until God sent the man who would lead the church in the direction He would have her to go. Reverend Foster kept the church together, and she continued to grow. He and the congregation prayed continually for God to send a faithful servant. The Lord answered those prayers, and before God called him home on December 25, 1989, Reverend Foster had met the servant chosen to lead Parker Memorial.
On December 4, 1989, Reverend Guy Anthony Williams, Sr., was elected as the fifth pastor of Parker Memorial Baptist Church. A man led by God and a servant of Jesus Christ, Reverend Williams has been given a unique vision and a special anointing to minister to a hurting and hungry generation seeking to know God in a real and practical way. His aim is to provide inspiration, encouragement and instruction to God’s people, enabling them to “experience the power of the Word” in an innovative and revolutionary manner. Under Reverend Williams’ leadership, the church extended its ministries and provided various staff positions to meet the needs of the congregants and the community alike.
In the following years, the congregation grew considerably, with several hundred persons joining the church and over five-hundred persons receiving Christ through the ministry. With both the 8AM and the 11AM services filled to capacity, Parker Memorial was forced to seek a larger venue for worship. Sunday services were relocated to various local High Schools, while the weekly ministry meetings continued to be held at the church on Geneva Avenue.
During this period, Pastor Williams was instrumental in the formation of VOICES, an ecumenical political action organization. VOICES brought together religious leaders from all over Montgomery County and other parts of the country who were concerned about the anti-church-growth legislation that was becoming popular in American politics. Pastor Williams served as the Chairman of VOICES, as Parker became engaged in its most significant battle for expansion yet: attempting to purchase a large portion of Montgomery County real estate, just as restrictive building codes were being proposed and hotly debated.. The mission of VOICES was successful: in 1996, after five years of striving and struggling, prayer and perseverance, Parker Memorial Baptist Church became the blessed owners of 12.58 acres of land at 2700 Fairland Road in Silver Spring, MD.
Needing an immediate place of worship, Parker was able to locate and acquire an additional property in the area. In December, 2001, PMBC moved into its new church home at 3811 Blackburn Lane in Burtonsville, MD, the former Burn Brae Dinner Theatre. The financial weight of maintaining these two properties proved to be too costly, and the Fairland Road parcel of land was sold in August, 2004. A few months earlier, the owners of the Burn Brae property had terminated their lease-purchase agreement with the church and had increased the purchase price well beyond the church’s budget. This period of time following the loss of both “homes” was devastatingly painful and was deemed a ‘period of Divine deportation” by Pastor Williams. Nevertheless, the work of the ministry continued and efforts began anew to locate a permanent church home.
Again, Parker was led to an available tract of land in Silver Spring. On October 17, 2005, PMBC went to settlement on eight and 1/2 acres of land at 1601 Norbeck Road.
Currently involved in a building campaign in order to “possess our promised land”, Parker Memorial Baptist Church is seeking to enhance, expand and elevate its ministry to a broader community in the twenty-first century. Reverend Doctor Williams strives to reach greater heights in wisdom, knowledge of Christian principles, and commitment to God concerning those principles by teaching the Awesome Authority of God’s Word, and that the Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ, the Lord.
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