The congregation at Beulah Baptist raises their hands during worship. (Andrea Morales)
In the pews at Beulah Baptist. (Andrea Morales)
Jimmy Garner raises his hand during the Sunday service at Beulah Baptist. (Andrea Morales)
During a Sunday service right before Thanksgiving, Pastor Anthony Henderson looked up from his Holy Bible and out into the pews where the Beulah Baptist Church congregation sat in the cool glow of the sanctuary's stained glass.
Related: "Keeping the faith: A tour in photos of Orange Mound's century-old churches"
He read from Psalms 1:18 and its messages of gratitude and acknowledged the work of the church’s outreach ministry feeding members of the Orange Mound community this holiday season.
“Look over the week and see how good God has been,” he said.
The number of historic gathering places in Orange Mound is part of its strength as a community. This is most clearly seen through the longevity of churches and their roles in serving the neighborhoods through their highs and lows. Many of the congregations have been worshipping together for over 100 years.
Beulah Baptist Church, on the corner of Douglass Avenue and Grand Street, is one of those congregations. While the present building went up in 1927, Beulah was established in 1904 and is considered a community church because of its role hosting meetings, often led by longtime congregant Fred Davis, during the Civil Rights movement.
“If you can give God praise in the rain, that makes you praise harder in the sunshine.” Pastor Henderson said, open palms to the sky.
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Andrea Morales is a documentary photographer based in Memphis. Born in Lima, Peru, she grew up in Miami, earned a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida and an M.A. in photography from Ohio University. Working for different newspapers moved her to cities and newsrooms of all size, including the El Sentinel in South Florida, the Lima News in NW Ohio and The New York Times in NYC. Most recently, she was on staff as a photographer at the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, where she covered barn dances, ox pulls and presidential elections, all with equal joy.