by Bill Batson
Only four pastors have stood in the pulpit of Pilgrim Baptist Church since the congregation found a safe harbor at the corner of High Avenue and North Franklin in 1961. On Sunday, October 3, 2021, Reverend Carl L. Washington III was installed as the newest shepherd of this storied flock.
An eighth generation preacher with a newly minted degree from the Yale School of Divinity, Rev. Washington is an ideal fit for a church family that once included Rockland County’s first African American elected official Hezekiah Easter and hosts the community’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. multifaith service.
Along with his First Lady Mrs. Keisha Washington and their three children, Rev. Washington assumed the role of Pastor in July 12, 2020, a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last year, Rev. Washington has introduced a HVAC system, to enable safe worship amid this global pandemic, and installed new musical and videography equipment to both enhance worship and to share the gospel with the community through multiple digital platforms. Rev. Washington has been active on committees that include clergy, community and civic leaders to provide solace during times of loss and build programs to meet the needs of the community.
Pilgrim Baptist Church’s first home on Burd St in Nyack.
A Short History of Pilgrim Baptist Church
The pulpit of Pilgrim Baptist Church is on the north side of the nave facing south, under a series of massive wooden beams that shelter the pews as the hull does the precious cargo of a sturdy ship. But the pulpit didn’t always face south and Pilgrim Baptist Church did not always anchored to this spot. The spiritual voyage of this flock began in 1875 above a carriage shop on Burd Street.
Reverend Charles Mayo, Mr. & Mrs. Travis Armstead and Mrs. Kassie Whines were the souls that launched the first Pilgrim Baptist Church. When the Armstead’s daughter Katie became the congregation’s first pianist, the sounds of wagon wheels being repaired and horses being re-shoed accompanied her musical selections.
Rev. Carl L. Washington III
By the time the spirit and size of the faithful outgrew their humble dwelling, the second floor above Spector’s Dry goods store on Main Street and Bridge was secured. Twenty-Eight years of patience and perseverance at this equally modest location was rewarded when a building at 187 Main Street was purchased in 1903 for $1,600 under the leadership of Rev. John Robinson.
Having their own building must have created a fertile environment for the growth of the church. In 1938, a mortgage-burning banquet was presided over by Rev. W.C Taylor. By 1955, before the parishioners could get comfortable, the Pilgrim family required a larger house of worship and the search began again.
First German Evangelical Presbyterian Church, N. Franklin St
On May 1, 1961 the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of New York laid a cornerstone for the congregation at a new church on North Franklin Street. The dwindling attendance of a German Presbyterian parish provided Pilgrim this new sanctuary. The chapel on Main Street was sold to Hollingswood Memorial Temple for $5,000.
After decades of temporary accommodations and transitions, Pilgrim had found a permanent home. A program of reconstruction and renovation was undertaken to make sure that spatial limitations would not necessitate another move. Some of those changes included changing the orientation of the pulpit from east to south and moving the entrance from Franklin Street to High Avenue. In 1994 the church observed another mortgage burning celebration. The sojourn was finally over: Pilgrim had its home.
Rev. Willie L. Hairston
A period of tranquility was further cemented by the arrival of a new pastor in 1990. Rev. Dr. Willie L. Hairston first stepped into the pulpit at Pilgrim as a guest preacher from Mount Nebo Baptist Church in the Bronx, New York. When the pulpit was later declared vacant, the membership of Pilgrim voted to make Rev. Hairston their leader. Rev. Hairston’s tenure has brought both dynamic programming and institutional stability to Pilgrim.
In a transcript of an oral history project at Nyack Library the late Hezekiah Easter, a prominent Pilgrim member, and Rockland County’s first African American elected official, described his childhood memories at Pilgrim. Easter recalled activities for young people that ran from early in the morning until night. Today, Pilgrim continues to focus on the needs of its youngest members. Children are supported in their spiritual education through Sunday school and choir, their academic development with scholarships and their professional aspirations with special services that encourage entrepreneurship.
Dr. Frances Pratt with the Dais Guests at Rev. Washington’s Installation Banquet
The Next Chapter at Pilgram
Each January Pilgrim hosted its annual program celebrating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In January, 2022, Rev. Washington will continue that tradition. As a Summa Cum Laude graduate of The College of New Rochelle with a B.A. Degree in Sociology and recent graduate Yale University’s Divinity School, Pilgrim’s Pastor will bring scholarly tradition to the proceedings.
African American churches have served as anchors for a community that has been buffeted by unpredictable and unforgiving political and economic forces. Even when this congregation lacked a formal tabernacle, they continued to serve as an additional safe haven for generations of African American families in Nyack. This church building is a monument to the dedication and sacrifice of a small group of Baptists who gathered in prayer 146 years ago in a wooden clapboard walk up. They selected the perfect name for their congregation that would sojourn for almost 100 years before finding a spiritual home: Pilgrim.
Photos courtesy of the Nyack Library
An artist, writer and activist, Bill Batson is a candidate for the 97th Assembly District. Nyack Sketch Log: “Pilgrim Baptist Church Installs Rev. Carl L. Washington III” © 2021 Bill Batson. Visit billbatsonarts.com to see more.
