Dr. Edward F. Barrow, Archbishop of
the Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of New York, Inc., has described the
historical development of the Spiritual Baptist religion in North America as
phenomenal.
As he addressed a large gathering at Erasmus H.S. in Brooklyn where
members of his religion celebrated the 4th Annual Spiritual Baptist
Recognition Day, Dr. Barrow revealed that the religion’s presence in the
United States emerged sometime during the early 1950s. This period, he
explained, was when nationals from the English-speaking Caribbean migrated
to the United States and Canada.
The Archbishop explained that upon arrival of these immigrants, they
discovered that there was nowhere for them to practice their religious
beliefs. As a result, many of them assimilated into other traditional
congregations.
Dr. Barrow also noted that it was members of a Pentecostal church who first
allowed the Spiritual Baptists to practice their form of worship in a
structured environment.
The church, ‘Sons and Daughters of Zion Pentecostal Church, Inc.’ was
headed by Bishop Linda Boyce. Its membership comprised of immigrants of the
English-speaking, as well as, Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
He also mentioned that by the time the then Shepherd Norris Ashton (who
today is respectfully called ‘The Patriarch’) arrived at 'Sons and
Daughters', Mother
Sheila Hettie Alleyne had already introduced a couple of the practices of
the Spiritual Baptist religion among these Pentecostals. Mother Sheila
Hettie Alleyne is known as one of the early pillars of the religion in the
United States.
Later on, he added, Bishop Boyce allowed Mother Sheila Hettie Alleyne, to perform
the Spiritual Baptist rite of ‘Pointing’ on her. This rite also called
‘mourning’ takes on a form of fasting which usually lasts several days.
Archbishop Dr. Barrow added that Bishop Boyce had already revealed to her
congregation that she felt that there was a spiritual connection between the
young Shepherd Ashton and herself. Sometime later on Bishop Boyce, together
with her congregation were baptized according to Spiritual Baptist rites by
the then Shepherd Ashton.
This baptism is believed to be the first of its kind performed in the
United States. It also proved not only to be the religion’s full and open
introduction to the United States but later on served as a new era for the
‘Sons and Daughters of Zion Pentecostal Church Inc.’
Archbishop Barrow said that the church later changed its method of
worship as well as its name. It was no longer called ‘Sons and Daughters of
Zion Pentecostal Church Inc.’, but ‘Sons and Daughters of Zion Spiritual
Church, Inc.,’ making it the first Spiritual Baptist Church in North
America. (Today, ‘Sons & Daughters of Zion Spiritual Church, Inc.’ still
stands at 762 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn). Archbishop Barrow explained that the
name ‘Spiritual Church’ was adopted because at that time there were legal
ramifications in the use of the word ‘Baptist.’ He said that another group
of Christians were already using that name.
However, another Spiritual church was soon to arrive on the scene. Dr.
Barrow explained that sometime later, Mother Violet Smith relocated to Brooklyn
from Boston and formed ‘St. John’s Spiritual Church, Inc.,’ the second
Spiritual Baptist Church in North America. This church was located first on
Fulton Street and then moved to Herkimer Street, Brooklyn.
Today, on almost every street in Brooklyn is a Spiritual Baptist Church.
