MISSION AND HISTORY

King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church is a church whose mission is to reach out to the community armed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We seek to make a change in our community by showing the love of Christ to our community.

 

THE KING SOLOMON HISTORY

On the first Sunday in September 1965, our Pastor, the Reverend Morgan Babb preached his first sermon at the First Street Baptist Church on Montgomery Street in East Nashville, of which the Reverend James Armstrong is Pastor.  The sermon, recorded and released on an album entitled “Holy Boldness”, brought letters from all parts of the country for preaching engagements as Reverend Babb was already well known as a result of his gospel singing throughout the United States.  His third sermon was delivered at First Baptist Church, Vine and Grove Streets, Decatur, Alabama, one of the largest churches in that city.  At the time of this sermon, a soul was added and Revered Babb was extended the honor of doing a revival, which he was unable to accept due to his position at the WVOL Radio Station where he served as Program Director.  Shortly thereafter he resigned from that position to devote full time and concentration to his studies of God’s work.  The week following his first sermon he received his first call to pastor in the rural area.  Within the next week, he received two calls.  He did not understand why but turned all calls down.  One Saturday for some reason he drove to the residence of the Reverend Scott Howard.  Upon arriving there, he changed his mind and did not stop, drove past one block, and for some reason of which he was to later learn, he turned and went back. This time he stopped and in conversation with Reverend Howard, out of the clear blue sky Reverend Howard stated that he knew of an old vacant church building and wanted to know if he was interested. As was mentioned, some weeks before that, Reverend Babb wanted to organize a church and start from the ground for God had given him a program and he knew that if he accepted an established congregation, he would be hindered in bringing this program into reality; he had no time for this sort of thing.

 

Reverend Howard put him into his car and drove to 1419 Tenth Avenue North. He was able to obtain information regarding the owner of the building located at the address. He never rested a moment until he contacted the owner, Mr. P.V. Fort.  They had never met before, but upon asking about the building, Mr. Fort immediately handed him the key.  Reverend Babb drove back to the church house and entered the building to find only a rostrum and no furniture. Prior to answering his divine calling, he had put into a shaving bag a portion of his earnings.  He never counted nor knew how much was in the bag.  He wondered as he sat in an old chair in the center of the church house if he would be able to purchase enough mismatched furniture to furnish the building and where he would find it.  This was on a Saturday.  He meditated throughout the weekend and drove back to the church house on a Monday after work and for some reason, he had the urge to drive to the home of his brother on 16th Avenue North.  Leaving the church, in the third block, he glanced to the right and there was an old condemned Nazarene Church building.  He did not stop, nor did it strike him to investigate.  He proceeded to the home of his brother; he was no sooner there than he was back in the car on the same route, this time he had the urge to stop. As it was dark, he opened the trunk of his car and found a trouble light and began to look in the building through a broken window and saw the old pews.  Now, he had found the pews but wondered who he should contact to get them.  He prayed a prayer silently and went to inquire next door.  The first lady of which he inquired did not have any information; the second lady, sent there by God (?), watched his every move.  When approached, she supplied him with the necessary information: the man lived within the next block, and he proceeded to the address.  Upon approaching the gentleman, he instructed Reverend Babb without a long discussion to get all the pews he wanted and then come back and tell him how many he had gotten.  The price quoted by the gentleman was $5.00 per pew.  Reverend Babb again silently thanked God and proceeded to rent a truck, and with his elder son, they moved the pews to the building after which he returned to the gentleman and reported the number of pews he had gotten.  The man looked at Reverend Babb and stated, “You need those pews, I believe you are sincere, I am going to cut the price in half. “Again, Reverend Babb silently thanked God.  He went into his little bag and paid for the pews.  Now he had the building, he had the old pews but again wondered about the necessity of lights and heat.  Did he have enough money to cover the cost incident to obtaining these utilities?  He returned to the bag to have the lights turned on.  Now, what about the heat?  He drove to the gas company and made the deposit for gas service from the little bag.  The gas man called and said he could not turn the gas on because the furnace was not in working condition.  Reverend Babb was instructed to call a heating company.  Again, he silently thanked God.  Now the lights were on, the gas was on, but the one furnace was insufficient for proper heating.  He proceeded to Sears, Roebuck & Company and purchased a gas heater for $139, taken from the little bag.  Now he was ready to open the mission.  Then he decided a piano was needed.  After prayer, he proceeded to Claude P. Street Piano Company and purchased an old piano, for which the down payment was made from the little bag with the hopes of being able to pay the balance of $50.  Every cent spent was taken from this bag, and after everything was purchased, he thanked God and decided to count the balance of money in the bag.  He had $129 left and when we think of this true story of how this little bag became a treasure chest how it was that the necessary furniture was within two blocks of this building how everything fell into place and Reverend Babb’s turning down of the pastorate of three established churches proved that like the Apostle Paul, God had work for him to do in this old building.  It began December 31, 1965, at 11:00 p.m.  The only members were Mrs. Babb, Lannie, and Gary Babb.  Reverend Babb was the choir, the organist, the deacons, the ushers, and the treasurer.  His daughter Lannie was the clerk.  He would open the service with congregation songs, then sit at his organ to take the position the position of the choir, after which he would deliver the message, extend the invitation from the organ, receive members, and ask visitors to lift the offering.  His first church offering was $84.  Well, he thought, I have one month’s rent.  With the divine guidance of God, many souls were brought into the church now known as King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church.