CLEVELAND — Shiloh Baptist Church, located in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, is the city’s oldest African American Baptist congregation.
The church recently learned it will receive a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program.
“This grant was just a gift from God in our plan not only to sustain our congregation, but to serve the city of Cleveland,” said the Rev. Dr. Lisa Goods, the church’s current pastor and the first woman to lead the congregation.
Historic institution
Goods said that since its founding in 1849, Shiloh has been a source of faith, help and advocacy for both members and the greater Cleveland community.
“During the Great Migration, people were again moving north, and Shiloh was a place of asylum and advocacy for them as they came here during the Civil Rights Movement,” Goods said.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the church in 1967 and preached from the pulpit.
“It was his last time in Cleveland before his assassination,” Goods said. “He spoke here about the war in Vietnam … did a version of his ‘A Knock at Midnight’ speech and called on us to support Operation Breadbasket and to protest Sealtest for their treatment of African Americans.”
The church also played a significant role during the 1966 Hough riots in Cleveland, helping to rebuild homes that were burned to the ground.
Goods said actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge was also a member of Shiloh.
“During the Harlem Renaissance, Shiloh hosted the arts,” Goods said, “and she credits this place as her very first performance.”
Preservation efforts
The church, which has occupied several locations, has called its building at 5500 Scovill Ave. home since 1926. The building is a Cleveland and national historic landmark and formerly housed B’nai Jeshurun Temple.
Goods said preserving the values on which the church was founded and which it continues to embody is vital, but many places of worship are facing growing financial strain.
“We love this building. We love this community,” Goods said. “But we're a small congregation, and like many churches, we struggle to maintain these historic buildings.”
She said the news of the $750,000 grant brought joy and relief.
“We were so excited,” Goods said. “I could not wait to tell the congregation, because it's been a long struggle.”
Grant process, what it will fund
The Cleveland Restoration Society played a key role in the process, partnering with the church on its application.
“It's a lifeline for particularly urban congregations in Cleveland,” said Kathleen Crowther, president of the Cleveland Restoration Society. “And we've been involved with other churches in Cleveland to help stabilize them.”
Crowther said Cleveland has a rich history of diversity, including religious diversity. While people’s lives, cultures and religious practices have changed over time, she said it’s important to keep that history alive while continuing to build for the future.
The grant will help Shiloh restore its deteriorating portico, repair water-damaged plaster throughout the building, install air conditioning in the sanctuary and add an elevator to improve accessibility.
The Cleveland Restoration Society said the funding will also allow the church to update its National Register of Historic Places nomination, originally completed in 1982, to reflect Shiloh Baptist Church’s history and the congregation’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Margaret Lann, director of Preservation Services & Publications at the Cleveland Restoration Society, said the rehabilitation will expand the building’s use and the services Shiloh can offer the community.
Lann said securing grants takes a team approach and that the Cleveland Restoration Society has an “excellent grant writer” on staff.
“Ann Doten, our director of advancement, she and I partner together with the churches, collecting the scopes of work, detailing not only the history and the architecture of the building, but all of the current programming,” Lann said. “Why should this church be eligible for such a substantial grant? Well, they need to show that they're very active, maybe not necessarily a huge congregation, but an integral part of the community.”
Lann said Shiloh demonstrated that commitment by hosting a variety of programs focused on health services, food accessibility and youth outreach, among other initiatives.
“They mentioned they just received a grant to do a feasibility study for some of the vacant land that they own for affordable housing,” Lann said.
Goods said she is excited about the future, and those cheering it on are, too.
“Shiloh here is a gleaming example of what a congregation can be and become at the same time,” Crowther said.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
