Pioneering pastor earns historical honor

Jul. 22—RALEIGH, N.C. — The life of a pioneering figure among African American Baptists in North Carolina will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker, the upcoming event set to take place at a church in the Warsaw area. Born a slave, the man became an influential leader who made his mark in Duplin, Sampson and surrounding counties.

The marker commemorating the Rev. Thomas Parker will be unveiled during a ceremony July 29 at 11 a.m., near the First Missionary Baptist Church (336 West Hill St.) in Warsaw, N.C. Parker had ties to Sampson County, and was at the heart of the establishment of Black churches and schools, including those in Sampson, according to Marie B Dixon, co-chair of the marker planning committee.

Parker, who was born enslaved in Gates County on Oct. 14, 1830, was ordained in 1864 and served as the second minister of the Black congregation of the First Baptist Church in Wilmington. He later organized numerous churches, including First Baptist of Kenansville, Bear Swamp Baptist Church in Warsaw (later known as First Missionary Baptist Church), Mount Gilead in Mount Olive, Hills Chapel Baptist Church in Faison, Six Runs Baptist in Turkey and Easter Chapel in Goldsboro.

In 1870, delegates from First Baptist of Kenansville, Bear Swamp Baptist of Warsaw, Hills Chapel, and First Baptist of Clinton met and formed the Kenansville Eastern Missionary Baptist Association or KEMBA. Parker was elected as the organization's first moderator and served in that capacity for 34 years. During his tenure, the association helped establish three schools for African Americans.

Parker also was a key figure in the early history of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, founded in 1867 as the General Association of the Colored Baptists of North Carolina. Elected vice president of the convention in 1881, he also presided over its Foreign Mission Board.

Parker died on Nov. 21, 1924. He was buried with other members of his family at Friendly Hill Cemetery in Warsaw.

Dixon said the effort to see Parker's legacy immortalized dates back a couple years, when research began in earnest toward realizing the marker for the man. She conceded that the process was an arduous one as it is tough to dig up some information on those who were slaves a century and a half ago — but it was a worthwhile venture.

"We began to figure out what Tom Parker had done for humanity was worth the effort," Dixon said. "What was so great about him was that when he started this , there were no Black churches."

He said to it that the African American presence, through churches and schools, came to the forefront after slavery, and grew.

"He was a big part of Sampson County," said Dixon. "He started schools in Sampson, Duplin, Pender... he was just so important."

Seeing that Parker received deserved recognition was by no means a one-person effort, Dixon attested, sharing her gratitude for the many who assisted in bringing the marker to fruition. Many of those people will be at the unveiling.

Along with Dixon, the July 29 dedication ceremony will feature speakers including: Ansley Wegner, head of the N.C. Historical Research Office; Rev. Dr. Theodore B. Thomas III, pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, Warsaw; Rev. Dr. AJ Connors, mayor of Warsaw; Rev. James Faison III, pastor of Byrd's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Rose Hill; and N.C. Rep. Jimmy Dixon.