Our Heritage
The History of New Christian Memorial Church
From a humble gathering in 1954 to a thriving congregation — rooted in faith, built by sacrifice, and carried forward by grace.
1954
The Beginning
It all started Friday, July 23, 1954, at 8 p.m. at 1312 Edmondson Avenue. Pastor Thomas Godwin sounded the call to worship. He had in attendance with him his wife, Sister Grace, Mrs. M.L. Pierce, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Goodman, Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Godwin, Brother and Sister Stanley Hughston, Sister Ona Hutchinson, Mrs. Dorothy Fordbey, Little Miss Ernestine Hunter, and Miss Joyce Veasey. Brothers Stanley Hughston and Wilbur Godwin served as his Deacons.
1955
Growth & New Ground
Under the leadership of Pastor Godwin, the church grew in membership from the original eleven to a capacity crowd, which forced him to move the following year to 1044 West Franklin Street. It was here that Reverends Paul Edwards and Stanley Hughston were ordained. The meetings that were held there left a lasting impression on all who were recipients.
1955–1961
Sacrifice & Vision
Through the entire years of his ministry, Pastor Godwin served faithfully and well. Even in the darkest hours, he and a few of the faithful believed that God would provide and a better day would surely come. He made many personal sacrifices, including refusing to accept a salary or offering as long as there was a need for extra finances in any area of the church and purchasing the lot on which the new church was erected.
Because Pastor Godwin's main interest was to build a church where his members could worship God proudly, many hours of hard labor were put into the clearing of the area at 3525 Caton Avenue of trees and stumps to prepare for construction of our present church building. Serving on the board to assist the pastor in this project was: Chairman, Deacon Yustus Laney, Assistant Chairman, Deacon Clarence Winslow; and members of the Deacon Board.
1961
A New Home
Our new church building was completed for occupancy in 1961. With a rapidly growing congregation of Christian worshippers, the opportunity to move forward in this another milestone was indeed challenging. Therefore, in the founder's spirit, we had resolved that New Christian Memorial would remain a moving force. Ministers ordained who served as our associate ministers were: Reverend James Reynolds and Elder Harmon Murphy.
1967–1969
A Legacy Carried On
Pastor Thomas Godwin was called from labor to reward on September 4, 1967. His work was completed but not forgotten. He was a wonderful leader, full of love and thought, although he is gone, we will remember what he taught. The sacrifices made that year, and the next two years can never be measured.
Sister Grace Godwin, wife of our former pastor, continued to do the work of the ministry. Her challenges were major but were met with much success through the direction of the Holy Spirit. During these two years, preaching was done by Elder Cornelius Jones and Elder Walter Bronson, Jr. They fed the congregation for those two years with the word of God with power and clarity.
1970–2018
Pastor Walter Bronson, Jr.
Pastor Walter Bronson joined the church in September of 1959 and served as a Sunday School teacher and superintendent, deacon, and choir member. On April 26, 1968, he preached his initial sermon and was ordained in September of 1969. In December of 1969, Pastor Walter Bronson, Jr. was elected as pastor, and on January 25, 1970, Pastor Bronson became the second Shepherd of our flock. Rev. Dr. Walter Bronson, Jr. died on Monday, October 8, 2018, at the age of 83.
2022–Present
A New Chapter
On February 13, 2022, Elliott Jerome Rice became the Pastor-Elect and preached his first pastoral sermon on April 23, 2022. Rev. Elliott J. Rice was installed as the third Senior Pastor at New Christian Memorial Church on June 12, 2022.
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
— Ephesians 2:10