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About
Macedonia
Macedonia Baptist
Church of Lakewood, New Jersey has enjoyed a progress that has grown through
faith, prayer, dedication and determination since 1905.
In 1905 a group
of Christian believers set out to establish a church home in this community,
which was the Macedonia Baptist Church under the leadership of the late
Reverend M. F. Matthews, who was the first pastor. This group of courageous
and dedicated people, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, organized
the church for the purpose of worshiping God and uniting the Body of
Christ. Macedonia still stands, in spite of storms external and internal,
proving the word of Jesus, in Matthew 16:18 “Upon this rock I will build my
church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Rev. Marshall
served for ten years and his successor was the late Rev. J. W. Griffin, who
served until 1921. His successor was Rev. Luck, who was then followed by
the late Rev. Albert Turner, who served until 1923. In the spring of 1923,
the Rev. Calvin S. Marshall was called to pastor Macedonia. Under his
leadership, the membership increased greatly. Major projects took place
during his reign, such as an oil burner being installed; the church was
carpeted; new pulpit furniture was purchased with a sacrament table;
officers’ chairs were added; and a new organ was installed. Rev. Griffin
remained a patient and gentle leader until his death in 1958. After his
demise, several ministers served. Such as Reverend Troy Mills, Reverend
John Goodrum, Jr. and in May 1966, the late Rev. Dr. Albert C. Clayton was
called to Macedonia Baptist Church.
 Under Rev.
Clayton’s leadership Macedonia prospered greatly. A building program was
instituted and the edifice was expanded immensely. The membership grew;
many auxiliaries were established; an Education building was added; a Day
Care Center was instituted and continues to function today. The Ocean
County Debutante Cotillion was started; the Lizzie Dunn Scholarship, in
memory of one of our dearest deceased Sunday school teachers; the Feeding
Program run by the missionaries under the direction of Sister Doris Rozier
prepares hot meals for the needy community members. During Thanksgiving and
Christmas, more than 3000 dinners are prepared and taken out to community
members, feeding the hungry, in homes, the streets, and in motels. Another
great undertaking, under the leadership of Pastor Clayton, was the Macedonia
Housing and Development Corporation. This corporation was formed to develop
the area around Macedonia Baptist Church. The first project was the 50-unit
senior citizen building across the street, called the Rev. D. Albert C.
Clayton Senior Residence.
After Rev.
Clayton’s untimely death, Macedonia called Rev. Dr. Edward D. Harper, who
was installed as our pastor and leader on March 1st, 2000. Under
Pastor Harper’s leadership Macedonia is growing in leaps and bounds. The
Bible Study program has tripled and membership is increasing. A Liturgical
Dance group and a Rites of Passage group for young men has been formed. The
Yoke ministry, wherein new members are teamed up with current members and an
Evangelism ministry are some of the newer outreach ministries that Dr.
Harper has introduced into Macedonia.
Dr. Harper is the
founder of the Macedonia Family Life Community Complex, Inc. This is a 501
C-3 non-profit corporation that has been organized in the Fall of the year
2001 and designed to provide life enrichment skills for individuals and
families. The core activities provide life enrichment skills such as the
following
- youth
programs designed to promote the holistic development of youth;
- technical
training for the development of individuals and families;
- means,
opportunities and training for individuals that will enable them to develop
marketable skills; and
- the development of good family life
skills that will enable families to remain together and grow holistically.
We at Macedonia
are truly blessed for all of you who worship with us any given day or
evening, for you two, have made some of these accomplishments possible. We
salute you and welcome you in our doors anytime.
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