Having parishioners who serve with consistent love and faith has been the fuel to sustain and maintain one of Gainesville’s oldest Black churches.
Mount Moriah Baptist Church in southeast Gainesville celebrated its 160 anniversary on July 13, and the steady faith and warm spirit of Deaconess Ethel Alford-Marshall, 86, epitomizes the congregation’s dedication and commitment to the church and community.
“I loved the service so much,” Alford-Marshall said.
The service recognized Alford-Marshall and others as pillars of the church who embody the anniversary’s theme of “Faith, trust and prayer brought us then. Faith, trust and prayer keeps us now.”
Mount Moriah was founded in 1865 in a brush harbor — a makeshift structure made of wood — with a dirt floor and log sleepers for seating and has evolved into a beacon of spiritual guidance and community strength, church officials say.
In 2024, the church celebrated another milestone as it paid off the mortgage on the church.
The Rev. Dr. F.N. Gallmon, who has served as pastor of the church for 42 years, spoke briefly about legacy and the importance of preparing the next generation for leadership.
“I’m here today because of Minister [Cleo Johnson] Holloway,” Gallmon said when describing who introduced him to Mount Moriah when he came to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida. Holloway served as the guest speaker during the service.
“My desire is to send the church to the future because of the hard work we’ve done,” Gallmon said. “We’ve built it because we want them [the people after us] to receive it.”
Holloway delivered a stirring message about the power of prayer and unwavering faith.
“There’s a spiritual drought and prayer is the water,” Holloway said. “It helps shift our fears. It transforms problems into promises, anxiety into peace. We have to mature in our prayer life and trust in God.
“Active faith does not waver in the face of difficulty. Fear is false evidence appearing real. Faith is our greatest weapon. The devil knows it, and he attacks it through doubt by using fear as the strategy and discouragement as the aim.”
The service also featured praise and tributes to the many families who laid the foundation and have carried the church through generations.
Deaconess Synester Rollins, who led devotion with her husband, Angelo Rollins, honored past members while calling on the present members to take action.
“Thank the families before us who are the pillars of this church,” she said. “We would not be here if it weren’t for them. We need to do what we need to do for the people who are coming after us.”
This story and others like it are included in the Gainesville Guardian newsletter. This free newsletter arrives by email at 5 a.m. every Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter today at https://profile.gainesville.com/newsletters/manage/. If you have any questions, please email Guardian Editor Cleveland Tinker at ctinker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Founded in 1865, Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Gainesville celebrates 160th anniversary
Reporting by Voleer Thomas / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
