Mount Sinai Baptist Church is steeped in History and tradition. Our history dates back to the 1899 when the Church began as a little mission started by several faithful followers including Joseph Thornton.

Sometime during that year, Rev. Twisby of Virginia came and conducted a series of evangelistic services at the mission. The little group at the Mission grew into a sizable congregation. The vision of a new church began to take form. Letters were sent to several area churches asking that their respective pastors meet to form a council with the purpose of changing the mission into a church.

The council determined the recorded activities of the mission met the established criteria, and it became a Missionary Baptist Church. The first act of the church was to name six deacons and a church clerk. Once the organization was completed, the next act of the church was to select a name. The little church chose to call itself Mount Sinai, and thus was born the Mount Sinai Baptist Church in the month of November, 1899. Realizing that the church could not survive long without a leader, they agreed unanimously to extend a call to Rev. Twisby.

The first services were held on Headen Place over a horse stable in Newark.

Over the next forty years following Rev. Twisby, twelve ministers of Christ served as pastor. They include: Rev. Tyler Fumer, Rev. Theodore Hawkins, Rev. Garrison, Rev. Eddie Murphy, Rev. Bolden, Rev. S.R. Fitzgerald, Rev. Colston, Rev. Jenkins, Rev. Osborne, and Rev. W.P. Mitchell.

Rev. Theodore Hawkins succeeded in lifting the members to a higher plane and inspired them to seek a better location for the church. “He led them out of Headen Place and moved the church to South 14th Street.

Following a brief stay by Rev. Garrison, Rev. Eddie Murphy accepted the call to pastor the church. It was during his stay that the church was led back to Headen Place, and the Missionary Society was organized with Sister Josephine Clark as its first President.

Rev. J. D. Bolden was called next to the pastorate. Although he served briefly, he succeeded in leading the church out of Headen Place and back to South 14th Street. The congregation was unsettled and soon decided to move again. This time, they moved to Warren Street in Newark. It was now 1914, and the church was still wavering and unsettled. A call was extended to Rev. S. R. Fitzgerald . He accepted the call and, being a man of vision, he inspired the church to look beyond its humble surroundings. Up to this point, the church had never owned its place of worship and had been paying rent. With faith, patience and fortitude, Rev. Fitzgerald set himself to the task of arousing in the membership a desire to own its own edifice. With the support of his wife, he succeeded in moving the church back to South 14th Street. Not long after the return to South 14th Street, the opportunity came, and the church began to negotiate buying the property.

During the period of 1913-1914, jobs were scarce and the members had difficulty meeting the financial obligations the new location posed. In addition to the obligation of keeping up the mortgage, the building had to be remodeled and converted into a place suitable for worship. The members accepted the challenge and did the majority of remodeling. Members of the congregation donated all of the light fixtures, the first furnace, and the baptismal pool.

Rev. H. W. B. Colston accepted the call to pastor, and took over the leadership of the church on the first Sunday in June, 1926. He set out to make some tangible improvements while the spirit was running high. The church had a mortgage debt of a little over $1,300 and it was also in need of some repairs and certain facilities, which had not been installed. He led the church to accept a loan which paid off the old mortgage, paid for the installation of new windows, a new furnace and lavatories. It was during this time that the choir was formed. The choir, under the leadership of Brother Robert Gory, became one of the best in the city, and the church came to be regarded as one of the strong churches in the area. During this period, a split occurred in the church, and Rev. Colston resigned. A faithful few kept the doors open until another pastor could be called to take over the leadership of the church.

Rev. Thomas Jenkins was the choice of the church. He accepted the call and began an active pastorate of the church on the first Sunday in June, 1928. The Church was in a bad way, both spiritually and financially. Rev. Jenkins was a dynamic preacher, and soon the pews were filled again, the finances increased, and ways and means were found for reducing the debt. Rev. Jenkins’s tenure was the longest up to that date in the history of the church. During his pastorate, the church paid off the mortgage. It was the first time since the purchase of the site on South 14th Street that the Church had been free of debt. A special service was held to commemorate the event. Sister Ella Johnson conceived the idea of starting a building fund.

Rev. J. T. Osborne was next to take the helm of Mount Sinai. The waters became turbulent and, before the storm subsided, things had gotten beyond control. As a result, Pastor Osborne left and was followed by a few members who formed another church. A committee was formed to take over the task of supplying the pulpit. With this arrangement, the church moved along for quite some time. Realizing that the church could not do its best without a pastor, Rev. William Watson was called, but changed his mind and decided not to come. He designated Rev. C. L. Harris as a supply pastor. The church endorsed this designation and, for more than a year, Rev. Harris served in this capacity. Under Rev. Harris, many congregants were added and finances increased.

Still needing a full-fledged leadership, the church extended the call to Rev. William P. Mitchell in April, 1946. He accepted the call and became pastor on the 4th Sunday in August, 1946. The first official act of Pastor Mitchell was to inaugurate a new system of financing the church and centralize its funds. In the meantime, the officers had been trying to locate a suitable house for a parsonage. Soon after the pastor arrived, a 12-room house at 12th Street and Gould Avenue went up for sale. Thanks to the former ambition to build, there were sufficient funds on hand to close the deal. Rev. Mitchell moved in the parsonage in early October.

The new financial system called for official reorganization. Brother Roosevelt Johnson was made Budget Director, and Brother Moses Sample was made Financial Secretary. Sister Barbara Bolding was elected full-time secretary. Her duties included handling the duplex envelope system and publishing a weekly church bulletin. The Missionary Society was reorganized into the Circle Plan. Immediately, the Missionary Society took on new life.

The Church School, with Sister Nancy Smith as Superintendent, was making a fair showing, but participation by the adults was weak; a class of adult women was added. The men of the church were led to see the wisdom of a distinct organization of men, and a brotherhood was organized with Brother William Anderson as its first president. The Usher Board, under the leadership of Brother Theodore Gatling, completed its organization. The choirs were presided over by Brother Lawrence Coleman and directed by Sister M. B. Mitchell. The Baptist Training Union (BTU) was resurrected. After a week of training, administration of the organization was perfected with Sister Louise Washington as General Directress; Brother John Williams, Associate Director; Sister Ollie Grayson, President of the B.A.U.; and Brother Matthew T. Waters, President of the Young People’s Union.

In the year 1953, Mount Sinai extended the call to Rev. J.D. Renfro. He took charge as pastor on the 4th Sunday in November, 1953. Under his leadership, Mount Sinai built an addition and renovated the church edifice at 25 South 14th Street.

The construction of a new highway lead to that building being torn down. Services were held at the Roseville Avenue Baptist Church, then at the Tivoli Theatre in Newark. In 1969, our new and present edifice was built at 55-61 South 13th Street. During Rev. Renfro’s pastorate, he ordained four deacons, organized the Evangelical Gospel Chorus, JDR Choir, Floral Club, and the Women’s League. His ministry extended beyond the walls of the church. During the riots, which tore Newark apart, he was instrumental in forming the organization of Churchmen of All Faiths, which worked hard to restore peace to the city, and dealing with the problem which surfaced as a result of the riots. The membership of the church increased and the church grew both spiritually and financially. Rev. Renfro was guided by the spirit and his continual statement of encouragement to Mount Sinai was “Let Jesus lead you”. He served Mount Sinai for 29 years until 1982, and departed this life on January 5, 1986.

Rev. Grant Lewis, Jr. was called as pastor in 1983. During his 13 years of leadership, membership increased and the church continued to grow financially. On February 18, 1996, Rev. Lewis resigned. The church family found itself downhearted by this event, but continued to look to God for strength.

On November 23, 1996, Rev. Arthur L. Brown, Sr. accepted the call to pastor the historic Mount Sinai Baptist Church. As pastor, Rev. Brown proved himself to be a visionary leader and an effective communicator dedicated to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Under his leadership, the church established various ministries: Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Men of Praise Choir, and the Praise Dance Ministry. Rev. Brown instituted Fall and Spring seminars. Several outreach ministries were formed: Walking in the Light Ministry (for addicts in recovery), After School Safe Haven Program (which provides daily homework assistance to children in the church and community), and Bread Ministry (feeding nearly 1,000 individuals and families weekly). Rev. Brown was instrumental in establishing the Isaiah Perry Scholarship (offering financial assistance to students entering college). He led Mount Sinai to purchase property for future church expansion. The church also purchased a new sound system in the sanctuary with the capacity for tape/CD reproduction. In 2004, Rev. Brown led the church in the creation of the New Sinai Community Development Corporation which planned to expand the church’s outreach ministry. Furthermore, Rev. Brown ordained eight deacons and appointed eight trustees. During his tenure, three deacons and three deaconesses were honored in an emeritus service. Rev. Brown implemented leadership seminars and monthly meetings allowing for the continued growth and nurturing of our leaders. Rev. Brown resigned the pastorate of Mount Sinai in December, 2005.

Following Rev. Brown’s resignation, a Pulpit Search Committee was formed to seek the next man of God - Rev. Marion Phillips, III , who is leading Mount Sinai to greater heights. Rev. Phillips answered the call to pastor Mount Sinai Baptist Church December 2007.