OUR FAMILY

Church History

Our Pastors

Fifth Street Baptist Church was organized in 1880, when a group of members belonging to Richmond First African American Church, First African Baptist Church, asked for their letters of dismissal. With these letters they removed themselves from their congregation and organized our church in the historic Jackson Ward/Navy Hill section of Richmond.

It was a short time later that this group, working together, with the help of God purchased the first church building at the corner of Fifth and Jackson Street. The building was once the home of the German Lutheran Church.

In the early 1920’s, the growing congregation recognized the need for larger and more modern facilities. Under the direction of Pastor, Dr. T.J. King Sr., the Family erected a new facility at the same location at Fifth and Jackson Street. The new building was dedicated on July 4, 1926.

In 1975, as the Family continued to be blessed with growth the congregation voted to relocate to it’s current home. The move to the Highland Park area was not an easy move and was met with some resistance. However, with love, support and dedication of some our current Family members, we were able to relocate to our present location, 2800 Third Ave., in the Highland Park Area of Richmond.

Rev. Henry Mitchell

1880 – 1882
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Rev. A. P. Dunbar

1882 – 1892
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Rev. Wesley Faul Graham

1892 – 1905
1907 -1909
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Rev. Alexander E. Edwards

1905-1907
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Rev. Samuel C. Manuel

1911 – 1913
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Rev. Thomas J. King

1919 - 1926
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Rev. Dr. Charles Satchell Morris, Sr.

1926 - 1930
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Rev. Christopher Columbus Scott

1930 -1966
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Rev. Henry Clayton Gregory, III.

1967 - 1972
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Rev. Roscoe Davis Cooper, Jr.

1974 - 1992
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Rev. F. Todd Gray

1995 - Present
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Our current Pastor, Rev. F. Todd Gray, has been with us since 1995. God has always blessed Fifth Street with Pastors with vision and Pastor Gray continues in this tradition. Pastor Gray has proven not only to be a man after God’s own heart, but a man seeking to serve both God and all of his people. Through Pastor Gray’s leadership, Fifth Street is once again experiencing tremendous growth in all areas of our fellowship. In 2005, we dedicated our GRACE Center, (God’s Redemption and Community Empowerment Center). It is a state of the art Child Development Center and Catering facility.

This marked the beginning of BKC (Bringing the Kingdom to the Community) movement. We continue to provide holistic and innovative ministry in our urban context. It is our desire to continue to improve our facilities, provide healthcare for those who cannot afford it, and establish a Christian Academy for our children. Through these efforts, we believe our community will be enhanced, our people will be blessed and God’s Kingdom will be advanced.