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Historical Reflections of First Baptist
Church, Berkley
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 In
1865, thirty members of Bank Street Baptist Church who lived on the south side
of the Elizabeth River began meeting for prayer in a tent left by Union Soldiers
after the Civil War. These meetings were later moved to the homes of various
members. On April 15, 1868, these thirty members secured letters of dismissal
from Bank Street Baptist Church and left in peace to form a new church. The Rev.
Samuel S. Jones was elected as their pastor.
This newly organized church, taking its name from a group of cedar trees that
lined the road leading to the church, was called Cedar Grove Baptist. The church
building was an old plantation house and services were held in a large upper
room. They soon outgrew their place of worship and secured a one-story hall on
the corners of Pine and Walnut Streets. Although its location had changed, and
Rev. Richard Wright was chosen as the new pastor, the church continued to be
called Cedar Grove Baptist. Rev. Wright began fund-raising for construction of a
new church built at the corner of Montaland and Chestnut Streets. He died in
1875 before the church was completed. Rev. Madison Lewis who ministered from
1875 to 1884, was the pastor when the church was completed. The name of the
church was changed to First Baptist Church, Montaland; however, the cornerstone
read "Cedar Grove" and dated 1883.
While the church was at Montaland, a total of seven pastors served the
congregation: Rev. Richard Wright, Rev. Madison Lewis, Rev. H.L. Barco, Rev.
Sutton Griggs, Rev. J.H. Randolph, Rev. W. R. Slade, and Rev. Lafayette Sharpe.
In 1908, the church at Montaland was destroyed by fire and the task of building
and furnishing a new church was at hand. A building began at the corner of
Berkley Avenue and Culpepper Street two years later, in 1910, it was completed.
Meanwhile, services were held at the Masonic Hall. The new edifice was called
First Baptist Church, Berkley. After two years in the new church, Rev. Sharpe's
failing health caused him to resign as pastor. The church was without leadership
from 1912 until 1914.
In 1914 Rev. A.O. Bello of Lynchburg, Virginia was the ninth pastor. Under his
careful leadership various promissory notes, some now in the hands of loan
sharks, were wiped out. His influence was felt throughout the community and all
were shocked and saddened when he announced his resignation to accept the call
to another church. He left in 1919.
Rev. John Carter Diamond became the next pastor in 1920. Rev. Diamond's wife,
Theresa, infused new life into the congregation. She was especially sensitive to
the needs of the young people and worked hard to provide them with opportunities
for self-empowerment. In the spring of 1921, the church family was saddened by
the death of Mrs. Diamond. Two years later, Rev. Diamond was united in matrimony
with Miss Mary B. Hill of Boston Massachusetts in a ceremony held at First
Baptist Church, Berkley. The new Mrs. Diamond continued and strengthened
programs that were already in progress.
During Rev. Diamond's pastorate, the country experienced the "Great Depression"
and the church came to the aid of the countless people in the community who were
unemployed, and the church set up a soup kitchen and bread line; the first in
the area. Since many mothers were compelled to work to supplement family income,
the church began a nursery school to care for the many children who were left
unattended. The nursery school provided food and rest, and periods of
instruction. In time, the nursery was replaced with a church kindergarten. Rev.
Diamond remained at First Baptist Church, Berkley for thirty-six years
fulfilling the spiritual and pastoral needs of the people. After his retirement,
he spent much of his time at the church in the position of Pastor Emeritus.
Rev. Noel C. Taylor of Clifton Forge, Virginia was called as pastor of First
Baptist in 1957. Under his leadership, the congregation was led to acknowledge
its Christian duty to the church through tithing. He also increased
participation of the young people in the morning worship services. Rev. Taylor
remained at First Baptist until 1961 when he was called to pastorate in Roanoke,
Virginia.
Rev. William D. Tyree, Jr. came from Ahoskie, North Carolina to minister
to the congregation at First Baptist Church, Berkley in 1963. Under his
leadership, the church adopted a philosophy that can be called "kingdom
building". Under the philosophy, the church was led to understand that
each member is a working part of the body of Christ. Rev. Tyree Jr.
worked to strengthen the educational programs at First Baptist. He
instituted a class for new members and for those seeking restoration to
the church. He also established other classes in Bible Study, church
doctrine, and evangelism. His belief that the church must address all
the needs of its members resulted in the formation of the Tri-Committee,
which served as a "think tank" to generate ideas for outreach ministry
in evangelism, social, and civic services.
 Recognizing
the need for a new facility, the congregation began the task of building
a new structure in the mid 1970's. The first phase of this task was the
erection of an educational building, which was completed in February
1977. Completion of the second phase sanctuary was completed nine years
later. On June 22, 1986, services were held in the new sanctuary for the
first time. After 30 years of dedicated and faithful service to God, the
congregation of First Baptist Church, and the community, illness forced
Rev. Tyree, Jr. to limit his duties as pastor. During that time, Rev.
William D. Tyree, III, Pastor's Assistant, traveled from Maryland to
Norfolk each week to conduct worship services and serve the congregation
when needed. Rev. Tyree, III's powerful preaching style and spirit
filled messages led more than 30 people to accept the call to Christ and
membership in First Baptist Church. Our constant prayers for the
recovery of our pastor were not in God's plan. On December 23, 1994, God
called our beloved pastor home. This ended more than 32 years of service
in this mountain.
Though saddened by the death of our pastor, we continued to trust that God would
be with us and direct us as we awaited his guidance in the choice of a new
pastor. Our prayers were answered on July 21, 1996 when Rev. William D. Tyree,
III was installed as our thirteenth pastor. Rev. Tyree, III was accompanied by
his lovely and stylish wife Shirley Hunter Tyree. At the time of his
installation, Rev. Tyree challenged us to embrace the vision to impact the world
for Christ: Reaching Lost Humanity and Challenging (Nurturing) Spiritual Growth.
Since assuming the position as pastor, Rev. Tyree, III has many programs to
further his dream to influence the community for Christ, which includes:
Children's Worship (ages 12 & under), Tuesday night Bible study, Early Morning
Worship services (8 a.m.), helping the homeless by providing seven days of
housing through the N.E.S.T. program (Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team), and
expansion of the church picnic to a community-wide activity.
In 1997, a monthly newsletter edited by Mrs. Shirley Tyree, "FBCB Viewer" was
created to keep the membership informed of birthdays, anniversaries, and special
events, and included a word from the pastor. The tape ministry was revamped and
designated as the official continuous source of funds for the William D. Tyree,
Jr. Scholarship Fund. During 1998, our 130th year, the pastor chose a theme of
"Celebrating 130 Years Developing Disciples and Sharing Christ in the
Community". The highlight of that observance was April 26th which was designated
as "Pack Out Sunday". So many people attended, and every available space was
utilized, including the sanctuary, fellowship hall, Northex, choir stand. Since
then, we have been diligently working to fulfill God's purpose for His ministry,
and we are extremely grateful for His many blessings upon this church and
families through past years. We look forward to a great and mighty ministry in
the years to come. |
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