On September 17, 1953, a small group of people consisting of seven adults and eight children, with Reverend James Perry as their leader, came together and decided to organize. Thus, the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church was born and Reverend Perry became the first Pastor. In 1954, the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church became a corporation of the state of New Jersey.
At the time of organizing, the church membership did not have a place of worship and the first two Sunday services were held in a borrowed church. Under the divine guidance of the Holy Ghost, the first home for Mount Vernon was located at 14 Belmont Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, where the membership remained for three years. Mount Vernon’s second home was located at 167 Prince Street, Newark, New Jersey for a two year period. In 1957, Reverend Perry, yearned for a better church home for his flock and purchased a building at 56 Rutgers Street, Newark, New Jersey, which became the first home of permanence bearing the name Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. The church remained there for nine years and then moved to another location on Belmont Avenue in Newark, New Jersey for three years. In need of a larger sanctuary, Reverend Perry, his wife, Sister Ineza Perry, and the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church congregation, purchased the 709 Clinton Avenue, Newark, New Jersey property in July 1969. This house of worship has been our permanent home for forty years.
This vision would not have become a reality without the willingness of Reverend and Sister Perry, as well as the church family, working together to face the struggles and meeting the challenges that would come during the first fifteen years. God rewarded the church with increased membership and the church has survived by the power of God and the determination of the Mount Vernon church family. Mount Vernon has been a member of the National Baptist Convention of America and the New Hope Missionary Baptist Association for over fifty years.
We pay special tribute to the Reverend James Perry who was both founder and pastor of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church for almost forty years until his passing on July 15, 1992. Following Reverend Perry, Reverend Dr. Milton Biggham became the second pastor of the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church on April 22, 1993. Under Pastor Biggham’s anointed leadership, the church continues to grow both spiritually and physically. Many new ministries and community outreach programs have been established and hundreds have been blessed and led to Christ, as Pastor Biggham continues to lead by the Holy Spirit through his teaching and preaching of God’s Word.
