Western Avenue Baptist Church
299 Western Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
In March 1916, a group of recent African American migrants from the rural U.S. South organized a new church in Cambridge, MA. Like many other African Americans during the time, they were participants in the “Great Migration” to Northern cities. Their priority was to immediately establish a place where they could fulfill the two summary commandments of Jesus Christ - to love God and to love their neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). Pooling their resources together, the migrants purchased an old livery stable on Western Avenue and converted it into a house of worship. The new church was named Western Avenue Tabernacle Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Thomas S. Harten as its first pastor.
Over the next decade, Western Avenue Baptist Church, as it became known, developed into a vibrant community church as other Black migrants from the South as well as the British West Indies and Nova Scotia, Canada, joined it. In 1929, the congregation and its minister, Rev. H. C. Daniels, participated in the founding of the Cambridge Community Center, an educational and recreational organization for Black youth. Between 1938 and 1943, under the dynamic leadership of Rev. Jacob Posey, the church reorganized itself to meet the needs of its members during the Great Depression and World War II. The edifice was rebuilt so that the congregation’s faith could be turned into an instrument of social and economic action. From 1960 to 1970, the Rev. Dr. H. Benton Harris, a nationally recognized teacher and preacher, led the congregation in its participation in the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.
A “teaching” church in the American Baptist tradition, Western Avenue Baptist Church has always been a learning community. Young seminarians, particularly from Andover Newton Theological School and Harvard’s Divinity School received their first practical experiences as preachers, ministers, and pastors at the church. Some have developed into preachers of the social gospel; others have become pastors of large urban congregations in Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Maryland. Rev. Dr. Roy Allen became president of Bluefield State College in West Virginia and, later, Cheney State College in Pennsylvania. Rev. Dr. Roscoe Cooper served as General Secretary of the National Baptist Convention. Rev. Dr. Everette W. Frye was a leading preacher in the historic African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
In August of 2011, Rev. Dr. Jeremy D. Battle began his service at Western Avenue Baptist Church. He led the church through a complete restoration; it has a new look inside and out that ushers the church into the modern era. During Pastor Battle’s service, Western Avenue Baptist Church has experienced a surge in membership because of his commitment to a spirit-filled and biblically informed worship experience. From traditional gospel to contemporary Christian music, Pastor Battle leads a growing intergenerational and diverse worship community committed to worship and spreading the gospel.
Sources:
- Courtesy Western Avenue Baptist Church, 2025.
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