LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 162nd Anniversary of the
Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
162nd Anniversary of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn,
New York; and
WHEREAS, On May 18, 1847, four members of the Manhattan-based Abyssi-
nian Baptist Church, Mrs. Sara Dudley, Mrs. Maria Hampton, Mrs. Hagar
Washington and Mr. John J. Washington, who had grown weary of crossing
the river to Manhattan to worship gathered with the Rev. Sampson White
to establish the Concord Baptist Church of Christ; and
WHEREAS, A well-known abolitionist, the Rev. Sampson White became the
first pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ and led the congre-
gation in taking an active role in the anti-slavery movement, using
their homes and church as a sanctuary for runaway slaves; and
WHEREAS, After the Rev. Sampson White resigned as pastor in 1851, he
was succeeded by the Rev. Leonard Black, a runaway slave who was forced
to leave the pulpit due to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 that required
Free States to return runaway slaves to their previous owners; and
WHEREAS, The Rev. Simon Bundick assumed the pastorate of the Concord
Baptist Church of Christ from 1852 to 1856; he was followed by the Rev.
Sampson White, who returned as pastor from 1856 until 1858, the Rev.
John Carey, who took over and served from 1858 through 1862, and the
Rev. William Barnett, who served in 1862 and 1863; and
WHEREAS, In 1863, the Concord Baptist Church of Christ called the Rev.
Dr. William T. Dixon to become its sixth pastor; only 22-years-old at
the time, he helped Black Brooklynites to seize the spirit of hope for
their future; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. William T. Dixon, the
Concord Baptist Church of Christ experienced an influx in membership and
by 1872, the congregation was too large for its Concord Street edifice
and made the first of many relocations; and
WHEREAS, Affectionately called "Father Dixon," the Rev. Dr. William T.
Dixon was widely viewed as the "Pastor of all of Brooklyn"; over the
span of his 46-year pastorate, from 1863 to 1909, the Concord Baptist
Church of Christ grew and prospered and its name and influence greatly
increased throughout America; and
WHEREAS, Upon the death of the Rev. Dr. William T. Dixon in 1909, the
Rev. Dr. William M. Moss was called to lead the Concord Baptist Church
of Christ; a gifted pastor, he was instrumental in the founding of the
National Urban League and called attention to issues that were still
oppressing the congregation: unemployment, substandard housing, and
substandard education; and
WHEREAS, In 1917, the Concord Baptist Church of Christ moved from
Duffield to Adelphi Street in order to better accommodate a growing
congregation and expanded services; later, when the congregation again
moved to accommodate its growing membership, it left behind a stained
glass representation created in homage of the esteemed Rev. Dr. William
T. Dixon at the Adelphi Street location; and

WHEREAS, The Rev. Dr. James B. Adams, a young Army chaplain who had
served as an Assistant Pastor to the Rev. Dr. William M. Moss, assumed
the pulpit of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ; and
WHEREAS, Young, energetic and envisioned, the Rev. Dr. James B. Adams
led the congregation into areas of community outreach never before seen
and it became a national model for the training of lay people in
enlightened Christian discipleship; he also secured the Marcy Avenue
edifice for the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in 1939, a major feat
for an African American congregation at that time; and
WHEREAS, As the Concord Baptist Church of Christ was preparing to
celebrate its 100th Anniversary, the Concord Baptist Church of Christ
said goodbye to the Rev. Dr. James B. Adams, who passed away after 26
years of leadership; and
WHEREAS, For the centennial celebration, 29-year-old Rev. Dr. Gardner
Calvin Taylor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana was brought to the pulpit; in
March 1948, the congregation of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ
called him to be their pastor; and
WHEREAS, After the Concord Baptist Church of Christ edifice on Marcy
Avenue was destroyed by fire on October 2, 1952, the congregation
returned to the Adelphi Street church to worship and labor; and
WHEREAS, On Friday, April 5, 1955, the congregation marched from St.
Augustine Episcopal Church into lower Concord, its new Memorial Hall;
almost one year later on June 1, 1956, the members of the Concord
Baptist Church of Christ entered the completed Concord Sanctuary, seat-
ing 2,250 people; and
WHEREAS, During this time, the members of the Concord Baptist Church
of Christ expanded their commitment to the community and the Rev. Dr.
Gardner Calvin Taylor led the congregation deeper into the national
struggle for civil rights in the United States; and
WHEREAS, When the National Baptist Convention gave lukewarm support to
the civil rights agenda advanced by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
other civil rights activists and people of faith, the Rev. Dr. Gardner
Calvin Taylor was instrumental in helping to found a national fellowship
for Black Baptists, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and
marshalling resources for people of faith to fight for American justice;
and
WHEREAS, At home, the Concord Baptist Church of Christ reached deeper
into Bedford Stuyvesant with a succession of community-based, care-cen-
tered outreach ministries, including: establishing the Concord Federal
Credit Union in 1950; opening the Concord Baptist Elementary School in
1960, under the guidance of Mrs. Laura Scott Taylor, the first chartered
in New York State solely by a single congregation; building and opening
the Concord Nursing Home in 1975; establishing the Concord Home Services
for the Elderly and the Telephone Reassurance Program in 1977; opening
the Concord Clothing Exchange in 1978; opening the Concord Senior Resi-
dence in 1983 and establishing the Concord Christfund in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Named the "Dean of Black Preachers" by TIME in 1980, the Rev.
Dr. Gardner Calvin Taylor retired in 1990, after 42 years as pastor of
the Concord Baptist Church of Christ and was honored by the congregation
with the title of "Senior Pastor Emeritus"; in addition, he was the
recipient of the 2000 Congressional Medal of Freedom; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, the Concord Baptist Church of Christ called the
27-year-old Gary V. Simpson to be its 10th Pastor; the chair of the Fund
for Theological Education, a national organization dedicated to funding
theological education, his passion for leadership development has been
met by the congregation's passion for the training of young ministers;
and

WHEREAS, The Concord Baptist Church of Christ is recognized as a
teaching congregation that provides a vibrant home for young ministers
to learn what it means to become a pastor; in 2002, the Lilly Endowment,
Inc. awarded the church a major grant to establish the Concord Pastoral
Residency Program, a Transition into Ministry program for recent semi-
nary graduates; and
WHEREAS, Building on a legacy of faith and commitment to justice,
Concord Baptist Church of Christ is now immersing itself in a new
mission for a changed world; it has become a Tithing Congregation with
10% of its gathered resources given out to missions, including Habitat
for Humanity which has helped provide affordable housing for Brooklyn
families in need; and
WHEREAS, The Concord Baptist Church of Christ stands on the threshold
of tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while
retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 162nd Anniversary of the Concord Baptist Church of
Christ in Brooklyn, New York, fully confident that this commemoration
reflects the belief in those values which enhance the dignity and
purpose of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, Brooklyn, New York.