Houston, Harris County
The Reverend G. B. M. Turner and educator E. O. Smith organized Pilgrim Congregational Church, Houston's first African American Congregational church, in the Freedmen's Town community in 1904. Early services were held in Turner's home. Permanent structures were built on Matthews at Victor in 1907 and on Wilson at Cleveland in 1914. After a 1936 fire, the church met in temporary quarters for several years. Since most members then resided in the Third Ward, the congregation built a new church on Live Oak at Berry Street in 1942. The church's name was changed to Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in 1957 as a result of the denominational merger of the Congregational Christian churches and the Evangelical and Reformed church. The growing church purchased property at 3115 Blodgett Street in 1965; the first services were held at this site on March 23, 1974. Several early members left their impact in the fields of education, labor and civil rights by establishing organizations such as the Colored Carnegie Library (1909) and the local chapter of the NAACP (1918). Houston Independent School District (HISD) schools were named for E. O. Smith, G. B. M. Turner and T. R. Chatham; the HISD administration building is named for Hattie Mae White, the first African American HISD board member. John D. Moore served as pastor from 1936 until 1973. Pilgrim Church has impacted the community through outreach programs such as scouting, food for the hungry, a thrift shop and a community center. Today, the church continues to honor the courageous African captives of the 1839 "Amistad event" and their Congregationalist defenders. (2009)