The congregation was established in 1918 by fifteen African Americans who met in a church located at 18 South Fourth Street. In 1923 the congregation moved into a building at 95 Border Avenue North. The congregation’s first pastor was Reverend Cheers who served until 1927. Early records of the congregation were destroyed in a fire in 1928.
The congregation was invited to merge with Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, in 1956, causing, according to the latter congregation’s church history, “quite a stir nationally.” Border’s baptismal font is now in Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church’s chapel.
Sources
- Works Progress Administration. Works Progress Administration Field Reports. Ellen Nelson, May 1936 “About Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church,” http://hennepinchurch.org/about/
Category: Church Neighborhood: North Side