The church traces its roots
back to 1865 when Methodist missionaries organized the first black Methodist
church in Alexandria. St. James Methodist Episcopal Church, as it
was called then, was led by Rev. Samuel Small. The first wood-framed
church building was constructed on the corner of Seventh and Murray Streets.
In 1902, a new brick church
was built under the leadership of Rev. Peter W. Clark. The name was
changed at that time to Newman Memorial in honor of Bishop J.P. Newman.
The church grew, but was surrounded by other businesses so new space was
needed.
Rev. W.T. Handy led the drive
to relocate in the 1950s. The new $120,000 church was finished by
1955. The congregation had paid off the debt by 1963 under Rev. Samuel
W. Walker’s leadership.
With the construction of I-49, a move
needed to be made in 1989. While working on the new facilities, the
congregation met at the Chapel of the Winnfield Funeral Home. The
year 1992 saw the completion of the new religious complex.
Newman is proud to have produced
four ministers: James A. Williams, Patrick Perry, Abraham Davis, and Bertrand
Griffin. |
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