Melvin Charles Smith, Senior Pastor — Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church. Photograph by Brandon Dill.
As a boy growing up in South Memphis, I looked forward to Sundays. It was, by far, my favorite day of the week.
I would lead my blind grandmother down the street to our church. Back then, church represented family, security, and structure. Skip forward to the present day and the role of the church has evolved into much more to me. My religion and the church have become a reality of everyday life, for not only me, but many Memphians. I believe the church is a life center, a cornerstone where the entire person receives holistic development.
March 28, 1968, in Memphis was the last time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would march for freedom. There were hundreds of us there that day: sanitation workers, supporters, and clergy of various denominations, traditions, and faiths. Religion, a system of belief through the church, was the epicenter for the movement. Some of us were tired and frustrated; others, ready for anything and angry. All of us were hopeful that our togetherness would incite change, and during many marches, hundreds of us proudly wore our “I AM A MAN” signs as we stood in unity. But that day the march turned violent and I recall jumping out of a window at Clayborn Temple running to safety. Dr. King was killed a few days later and the church was not only where we grieved, it was where we gathered and regrouped to face the future.
Communities changed from tearing down homes to constructing apartments, back to building homes again. Residents moved from the inner city to the suburbs only to return to the inner city again. Through these changes there was always the sameness of the church community despite denominationalism. The church remained the place where religious beliefs were taught, exercised, and respected. The life center helped to build a greater self-image, to change negative records, and moved people to anticipate better things in life. Countless speakers, entertainers, educators, and even entrepreneurs found their niche and learned how to survive in the church.
Raised in South Memphis and serving as a local pastor for the last 50-plus years, I have had a wealth of experiences with diverse groups of people in this city. Through my life, I’ve observed that Memphians culturally respect religion and the local church. I believe this respect is a derivative of religion and the church’s impact in developing, sustaining, and progressing our city. During the perilous times of segregation, the church was not only a refuge for African Americans, it was the only place where we were treated with dignity. We may have been called “boy,” but come Sunday, we were “Mister.”
Drive by any church in Memphis today — black, white, or multi-ethnic — and you will likely be met with generosity.
For the last several years, Memphis has been named one of America’s most giving cities by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, climbing its way up to No. 1 in 2017. Religion and the influence of the local church have long been the catalysts for generosity in economic development, civic improvement, and even educational advancement. For this reason, specific churches and denominations have been woven within the fabric of life, leading to generations of families committing as members of one church body. For many Memphians, the church they “belong” to and the religion they affiliate with is inseparable to their identity. This is true whatever the religious persuasion.
In 2016, scores of people stopped traffic on the Hernando De Soto Bridge in protest of recent injustice. In response to the outcry of our hurting city, several pastors gathered to discuss how the faith community could heal our home. The Memphis Christian Pastors Network was formed to unite pastors of all races and religious persuasions to strategically stand for justice, equality, and fairness as the right of every Memphian. It is not denominational influences that unite the clergy of our city, it is the common bond of decency born of a religious influence from a divine power touching the heart of each good-news messenger.
I am aware of racial tensions, economic disparity, conditions of poverty, the needs of education, and the status of the political arena in our beloved city. I see the inequity in communities, widespread unemployment, the lack of conveniences and leadership not always sensitive to problems that plague us and prevent us from being the greatest city in the nation. Yet there is the religious community that believes in Memphis, prays for our city, and proclaims a word of hope for every life.
I am convinced with all other entities working to make Memphis a greater place, it will be the religious community and people of faith at the head of the march leading us to victory.
To me the same excitement of the church I felt at 7 years of age has remained with me after more than six decades of ministering and pastoral leadership. I have yet to meet perfect people because of their religious conviction, but I have met thousands whose lives were governed by their faith. While we differ in doctrine, administration, and procedure, it is the inner religious convictions of the residents of Memphis that allow our beautiful city to remain on the bluff and not disappear into Old Man River.
The Rev. Melvin Charles Smith is senior pastor at Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church where he’s led the congregation since 1967. He is a graduate of Leadership Memphis, is on the board of trustees for the Memphis Theological Seminary, and founded the Mt. Moriah-East Development Corporation.
