Bethany Baptist Church (Newark, New Jersey)

{{short description|Historic church in New Jersey, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| nrhp_type =

| image =

| caption =

| location = 275 W. Market Street, Newark, New Jersey

| coordinates = {{coord|40|44|25|N|74|11|1|W|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = USA New Jersey Essex County#New Jersey#USA

| built = 1866

| architecture = Romanesque

| added = May 10, 1989

| area = {{convert|0.2|acre}}

| refnum = 88000466{{NRISref|2009a}}

| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP

| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_date =

| designated_other1_number = {{cite web | title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County | url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/essex.pdf | publisher=New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office | page=5 | date=April 1, 2010 | accessdate=August 21, 2010 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327025729/http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/essex.pdf | archivedate=March 27, 2009 }}

| designated_other1_num_position = bottom

| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b

}}

File:Cornel West at Bethany Baptist Church.webm at the puplit of Bethany Baptist]]

Bethany Baptist Church is a historic church at 117 W. Market Street in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States.

The church traces its origins to 1870, when a group of African Americans established the church on Broad Street in Newark in the building of the Peddie Memorial Baptist Church. Under the leadership of the Reverend Ebenezer Bird, who had come from Virginia to lead the congregation of about 26 members, the group was officially sanctioned as a church by the Council of Baptist Churches in June 1871. Thus, the church prides itself on being the "first Baptist congregation founded by people of African descent."{{cite web | title = Our History . . . . . | publisher = Bethany Baptist Church. | url = http://www.bethany-newark.org/history.html | access-date = June 1, 2012 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120211081543/http://www.bethany-newark.org/history.html | archivedate = February 11, 2012 }}

The Romanesque style church building was constructed in 1866. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The church was under the stewardship of M. William Howard, Jr., from 2000 to 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/01/newark_pastor_leaves_church_with_legacy_of_social.html|title=Newark pastor leaves church with legacy of social justice, community outreach|website=NJ.com|date=January 2016 |access-date=November 6, 2017}}

The old building appears to have been replaced by a housing complex,{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/117+W+Market+St,+Newark,+NJ+07103/@40.7402054,-74.1834791,3a,75y,27.08h,94.91t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sNMXX7izeBi_5jSkf1cRumQ!2e0!6s//geo1.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=NMXX7izeBi_5jSkf1cRumQ&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=306.74008&pitch=0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c2536337cd34fb:0xf68aaed2dece8903|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps|access-date=November 6, 2017}} which has been replaced by a new building at 275 W. Market Street. The new building was dedicated on May 2, 1976.{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.bethany-newark.org/history|publisher=Bethany Baptist Church|access-date=April 19, 2016}}

File:BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH, ESSEX COUNTY, NJ.jpg|New church