Fiftieth Anniversary
in Brooklyn, New York

June 21-22, 2008

by Yvonne Crute

The Apostolic Faith Mission in Brooklyn, New York, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary the weekend of June 21-22. The celebration began with a time of prayer and thanking God for His graciousness and mercy in blessing Brooklyn to be a lighthouse in the community during the past fifty years.

Saturday was “A Stroll Down Memory Lane.” There were presentations of historical exhibits showcasing events that have taken place during the past fifty years, such as marriages, births and water baptisms. The presentations also included pictures, video and audio excerpts, and other memorabilia of various church activities. After a time of food and fellowship, everyone gathered in the church sanctuary to hear congratulatory emails and reports from some of the other branch churches. Several musicians performed favorite songs that have been sung during the past fifty years. The Holy Spirit put His seal of approval on the day’s events,and Pastor Robert Moore was unable to finish his words of encouragement as many of the saints had the desire to pray.

On Sunday, a worship service was held highlighting “The Golden Years.” Choir director Thomas Monsac served as Master of Ceremony as he directed the processional of “pillars in the Gospel,” which included pioneers of the Brooklyn work. The congregation was captivated as these early saints reflected on how this great work began and how prayer, faith, and hard work have sustained it. Pastor Moore presented Mary Dicks with a plaque honoring her for thirty-five years of faithful service as the church secretary.

The Brooklyn Apostolic Faith Mission started in 1958 when Reverend Leon Dicks began having cottage meetings. As the congregation grew, a minister whom Reverend Dicks did not know offered the use of a vacant storefront for a meeting place. After an accident wrecked the front of the building, the congregation rented a Baptist church, which vandals eventually set afire. A member of the congregation offered the use of his basement, and as revival permeated the hearts of the congregation, it was evident that the basement was not an appropriate meeting place for the growing church. In October of 1964, a suitable building was found on the corner of Washington and Lafayette Avenues, and the purchase was completed on January 10, 1965. Since the church building was purchased, other evangelistic efforts have been added: a weekly half-hour radio broadcast on Sunday evenings; a prison ministry with seven chaplain assistants; an outreach ministry to visit the shut-ins and hospital patients; and Bible classes which are an extension of the Berean Bible College offering a bachelor’s degree in arts. In addition, the youth department has sponsored the annual Brooklyn Youth Conference, attended by many from the branch churches.

After thirty-one years of pastoring the Brooklyn Apostolic Faith Mission, Reverend Dicks became ill and passed away on March 17, 1989.  He was succeeded by three pastors: Reverend Mary McClary, Reverend Glory Thomas, and the current pastor, Reverend Robert Moore.

Pastor Moore brought out that the Brooklyn Apostolic Faith Mission is going forward. The vision for this “lighthouse on the corner” remains the same: prayer, consecration, and earnest hearts who will stay at the altar until they hear from God. This is the springboard that will take the church forward for the next fifty years, if the Lord tarries.

Reverend Albert Golston, one of the pioneers of this work in Brooklyn, and who now resides in Mobile, Alabama, also preached an inspiring sermon about who Christians are as saints in the Kingdom of God.

All who attended are thankful for the many people who worked hard to make this special weekend a success. With joyful hearts, the congregation enjoyed taking a look back, as well as expectantly looking forward to even greater things that God has in store for the Brooklyn Apostolic Faith Mission. The prayer of the Brooklyn saints is that by God’s Grace, each one will continue to uphold the standard of the Gospel in this city, and be doers of the Word and not hearers only.