Keas Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has needed a fresh coat of paint for more than two decades. The walls, much like its members, have been pillars of the local African-American community, supporting themselves, standing tall and enduring storms, floods and the most powerful force in nature — change.
Many members saw the arson fire that consumed Dubois School in 1964 amid efforts to integrate Montgomery County’s public schools. One 94-year-old member has her grandparents’ slave papers. In a county where African-Americans make up 2.93 percent of the population, resolve and resistance to change have helped keep the community strong.
But some change is inevitable.
On a cool October day, the church’s weathered walls were finally painted — bright red. The Rev. Gregory Bonner had waited for that day since the CME Church’s bishop appointed him pastor there in July 2016.
When he came to the church, which was founded in 1878, membership was dwindling. New faces didn’t appear in the pews, and the same ones grew older. Seven in the congregation of 40 are older than 90.
“To get a church that’s historic and important like Keas in my final years before retirement, that’s been a dream,” says Gregory, 69. “But it’s not been easy. People are set in their ways, and the old don’t want to change. You’ve got to change with the times. You can’t do what you did. And I tell them, I can’t pastor like their favorite pastor in 1940. I’ve got to pastor in 2018. You get involved in the community, and you get involved in church. We’ve got to get beyond the church door.”
The pastor’s cherry red Oldsmobile matches the freshly painted walls of the church, but it is rare to see it parked out front. He is active in community leadership, often as the only black face in the room. He is on the board of a new food pantry, works at Back’s Auto Auction and visits people in need.
Karen Owen was one of those people. After deciding to leave the church when disagreements between members became too much for her, flash floodwaters from a storm in September reached her family’s door.
“We was yellin’ for help,” Karen says. “We was yellin’ to a man, and he just looked at us and walked away. But then a miracle came: We got out and the church helped us get back on our feet. The pastor kept visiting and praying with us and that brought us back. We were blessed.”
In addition to former members returning, a few new ones have entered the sanctuary doors. The man who repainted the church has started attending bible study, and he may soon become the only white face in the pews.
“In every church you got people that don’t like going along with change, but change can be good and it can be bad, but we’re getting a lot done through pastorship,” says member Robert Hudson. “I’ve been here a long time and given my life to this place. Seeing the church look this good made me cry like a baby.”
