By Gloria Stravelli
RED BANK – As the Rev. Terrence K. Porter prepares to celebrate two decades as pastor at Pilgrim Baptist Church, he is mindful of the legacy of those who served the congregation before him.
He is the 14th pastor to serve the congregation established by the Rev. Ebenezer Bird in 1896.
“When I arrived at Pilgrim Baptist Church it was an opportunity to build on the legacy of my predecessors, each one of them,” Porter said.
There’s an old African proverb that says, ‘You have to sit on an old mat in order to weave a new one,’ ” he said.
One of the first “Negro” Baptist churches in Red Bank, the church was called Pilgrim Baptist because services moved from home to home until the congregation constructed its first church building on a small lot at 17 Pearl St. in 1910.
The church has occupied its present church building on Shrewsbury Avenue since 1955.
A West Virginia native, Porter is a graduate of Montclair State University and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Before becoming pastor of Pilgrim Baptist, Porter served as assistant to the pastor of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit.
His service at Pilgrim Baptist is “what I believe the Lord led me to do,” he said.
His goal was not to “come in and change everything that was done prior to my arrival, but to build on things that were already in place while making the church more ‘missional-focused,’ ” Porter said.
Today, the thriving church has more than 40 ministries focused on Christ-centered worship and praise as well as Christian Witness within the community.
Central to the congregation’s mission is “doing good for those who are not part of the church community and cannot do for themselves – the less fortunate, whether it be locally, statewide, nationally or internationally,” Porter said.
Under his guidance, church members ministered to Hurricane Katrina survivors in New Orleans in 2005, made a medical mission to Jamaica and helped to build a school and clinic in Haiti.
The partnerships that grew out of the congregation’s Christian outreach made Pilgrim Baptist a leader in coordinating with other groups to bring aid to people in need.
“We saw during the (Super Storm) Sandy recovery right here in our area that there were so many groups that wanted to help, but there was no direction, no coordination,” Porter said.
“Pilgrim became that central point for FEMA, American Red Cross and pastors and clergy in our area to come to the table and strategize about what we were going to do,” he said. “And then we began to open our facilities to work with teams from around the country.”
Pilgrim Baptist also took the lead in the effort to secure affordable housing for area families. Porter has served as president of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation since 2007, which helped coordinate the construction of Cedar Crossing, an $8 million affordable townhouse development “right in our neighborhood,” Porter said.
Today, Pilgrim Baptist remains engaged in serving the local community, providing resources and support far beyond the doors of its now-mortgage-free church.
He credits the example set by his former pastor, Rev. J. Michael Sanders from Baptist-Southern Church in Summit, with showing him how to empower church members.
“He was the model that led me to understand the importance of mission and outreach,” Porter said.
“I didn’t know that much about Pilgrim, but when I began as pastor, I saw the heart and the love of the people. It was extraordinary, extraordinary human beings. That’s Pilgrim.
“I am where I am and who I am because of the grace of God and he has planted me in a place with extraordinary people, and those are the people of Pilgrim Baptist Church.”
On Sunday, May 7, with joyful worship, song and praise, the congregation will give thanks for Porter’s 20-year tenure at the historic church.
The celebration will begin with a worship service at 9 a.m. led by Porter’s mentor, guest preacher Rev. Dr. J. Michael Sanders. Later in the day, a gala celebration will take place at the Eatontown Sheraton, 6 Industrial Way, beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets are $145 for adults and $50 for youths 4-13 and can be purchased at pilgrim-baptist.org or by calling the church office.
The article originally appeared in the May 4 – 10, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
