Reclaiming our Past: The History of Kayne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church 1886-1992

• Read biographies of all the Kayne Avenue Pastors
• Peruse information about the church’s auxiliaries, departments, and their leaders
• Discover the role of Kayne’s Reverend Williams, who was also affiliated with the seminary at that time

Excerpt — Introduction

In medieval times, events were repeated by word of mouth. As this was done, much information was lost in translations, or added to as the memory often failed. This is also true to the earliest history of the Kayne Avenue Baptist Church.

Over the years, attempts have been made to codify the history of Kayne Avenue Baptist Church. This volume will present two publications, The Nashville Colored Directory (1925) and Kayne Avenue’s Seventy-Fifth Year Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Program (1946). It will also present the researched and documented work of the History Committee.

The span of time covered in these three versions is one hundred six years. The problem of selection and emphasis was a difficult task. It was doubly difficult due to the amount of years that passed without having a documented history and properly recorded church events. A variety of memorable photographs made the photograph choices especially complex.

The information in this volume is divided by pastors and their administrative periods.

it is with pride that we publish “Reclaiming Our Past”, a history that establishes the recorded past events of Kayne Avenue Baptist Church, now located at 1025 Twelfth Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee. Many of the recollections of members and the oral history of Kayne Avenue have now been documented. We hope you will read each entry with a love for the past.

Objectives

• To explore all available sources (oral, written, and pictorial) for authentic information
• To provide the membership with a written history of the church
• To encourage future generations to continue the written history

 Affiliations

• Stones River District Association
• Middle Region of the Tennessee Missionary and Education Convention
• Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Education Convention
• National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

About the Authors

Edited by Josephine L. Ridley and Carrie A. Harrison