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Alpha and Omega First Baptist Church marking 100th year
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Willie Mae Hairston recalled how the Stamp Club at Alpha and Omega Baptist Church contributed to the East Side house of worship.
“I remember the club getting together to lick stamps and put them in the books,” said the 99-year-old, who was among members who collected the S&H Green Stamps. (The trading stamps, popular in the United States from the 1930s to the late 1980s, were a rewards program by Sperry & Hutchinson company.) Hairston, who joined the church in 1945, said the church redeemed the books for cash and bought pews for its new church at 3120 Winton Ave. Construction began in the late 1950s; dedication was in 1961.
Hairston and Bernice Denny, another church member, remain from the Stamp Club. They, along with other church members, will celebrate Alpha and Omega’s 100th anniversary next weekend.
Recently, Pastor Raymond Mason; his wife, Joyce, part of the music ministry; Gloria Drake, president of Missionary Board; Kathy Perkins, church secretary and 35-year member; Brian Heard, deacon board chairman; Jesse Hardin, trustee board chairman; and Rona Curtis, church treasurer, discussed the church and ministries.
The church began as First Baptist Church but Alpha and Omega was added to distinguish it from other First Baptist congregations, Curtis said.
Pastor Mason characterized the congregation as “loving, caring and involved.” He noted members donated land to the church along with financial bequests. “The congregation took pride in the church and its expansion,” the pastor said.
Another source of accomplishment was the album, “Amazing,” that the church choir recorded in the mid-1970s. Hairston and Drake were members. “We paid cash to have the album done,” Hairston said of the little over $1,000 it took. About 500 albums were sold.
The church has a tradition of ministry. Drake said a free community lunch, grocery and clothing distribution is conducted the fourth Tuesday of the month. “That’s been going on about 15 years,” she said. “There was a need in the community.”
She added that through its foreign mission service, the church has adopted an orphanage in Haiti, and sends a monetary contribution monthly.
It also has financially aided a young man in Mozambique, Africa, a recent high-school graduate.
Pastor Mason was called to Alpha and Omega as interim pastor in 2010 and became full time in 2011. He had pastored other churches in Ohio but had grown up in Youngstown and graduated from East High School and Howard University. He and his wife have ties to Alpha and Omega in that this is her home church and her father, Major Dismuke, is named on the cornerstone. He was president of the deacons when the church was built.
While Pastor Mason is the religious leader of the church of about 30 families, deacons and trustees handle other responsibilities. Five church trustees, Hardin said, oversee the church needs in relation to its building and grounds. The church, which early on had in other locations, found its home on Winton, where it owns 120 lots in neighborhood. “We handle the church finances,” Hardin said.
Heard explained the deacons’ duty focuses watching over widows in the church and heading the ministry to sick and shut-in members. “It’s benevolence for those in need,” Heard said. Hairston is among older members who benefit from the attention of the church family. “What needed done before, I did it,” said Hairston, who will be 100 years old Dec. 5. “Now I sit, and they do and bring me here. I thank God for the church.”
Deacons also lead devotions and may substitute in the pastor’s absence.
Pastor Mason said the youth group with members from 5 years and older participate in the youth choir and helped in the community garden.
Joyce Mason is president of Total Praise Choir, which sings traditional Gospel selections the first and third Sundays. She also directs Miracle Men of God, a male chorus that sings the fourth Sundays. Pastor Mason explained the name arose because the 15 members had overcome health issues. “This group is about re-energizing the church,” the pastor said. The adult and youth choirs are directed by organist Michael Forney Sr. Youth sing the second Sundays.
There also is a deaconess group and a nurses ministry. Duties of senior, adult and youth ushers are greeting, seating and acting as gatekeepers, Curtis said.
A Sunday school for children and adults is conducted at 9:30 a.m. prior to the 11 a.m. service. Bible study is at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesdays.
“This is my home,” Drake said of the church, which she described as “loving.” “It’s an uplifting experience,” Drake said of services.
Curtis said the church is a “lifeline.” “It’s a home ... this is who we are,” she said, adding, “This is a staple in our lives and something I want to pass on.”
“My faith strengthens me,” Perkins said. “The church family is there for you.”