METROFACS “Onward Christian Soldiers”

Rev. Robert Johnson, 1870 - 1903, Part II

Did you know that?

• Robert Johnson established a night school at the church in which colored men and women learned to read and write and in the year 1880 he established a day school with the capacity to serve 40 colored children who were denied the right to attend public schools here in the District of Columbia.

• In the year 1882 the fourth Baptist Church, with the original frame church building beingtoo small to accommodate the greatly increasing congregation, and the existing structurenot considered to be safe, decided to tear down the existing structure and to build a substantial brick edifice to accommodate the church’s needs. The church purchased two additional lots and laid the corner stone of the new building on August 28, 1882.

• The Fourth Baptist Church began worshipping in the basement of the new church in the year 1883 and continued to worship in the basement through 1892 because the main auditorium was not yet finished.

• The Fourth Baptist Church name was changed to the Metropolitan Baptist Church “Colored” on June 18,1892. At that time the church had approximately 1,500 members.

• Rev. Robert Johnson served as the second pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church from 1870 until his departing of this life on Friday, December 18, 1903 at 10:45 pm.

• In spite of the many challenges that confronted these inspired men and women of God , they persevered, having a vision of providing a house where yet unborn generations of God’s people could worship Him in spirit and in truth.
  
  Visit the historical exhibit to find out more!