Bay Area

Local Pastors and Elected Officials Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church

The plea to save a 118-year-old historic church was answered when local pastors and the offices of elected officials joined together on Monday morning February 6, outside of the North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church. With donations from the pastors and interventions from elected officials the future of NOMBC is no longer in question.

Published

3 years ago

March 14, 2023

Oakland Post

As fellow pastors look on, Tim Hopkins of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church presents a $1,000 check to Pastor Sylvester Rutledge of North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) outside the church in Oakland, California. Photo By Carla Thomas

By Carla Thomas

With donations from the pastors and interventions from elected officials the future of NOMBC is no longer in question.

By Thursday, March 10 the crisis was abated with the back and current taxes being paid in full. The local West Oakland faith community, The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC), Central Hills East Oakland Congregations, Statewide Baptist Association, and community members had all answered the call for help.

Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb had rallied the group saying, “We cannot lose another church and we’re here today to support Pastor Rutledge and save a church that has been crucial to the community as a spiritual home, a feeder of the homeless, and supplier of 56 units of senior housing,” said Cobb. “I’ve also received calls from other churches in need of assistance.”

NOMBC Pastor Sylvester Rutledge who has pastored the church for 30 years, was grateful and more than happy to spend time with the group of supporters.

“Sometimes we’re humbled so we can learn and help each other,” said Rutledge whose church was scheduled to be auctioned on March 17 due to a $43,000 tax bill owed to Alameda County. “And, more importantly our calling is to serve each other, save the souls of men, practice the word of God, and protect the word of God.”

Rutledge also said the church hosted the first Colored Baptist Convention in the area.

“I thank God and am proud to announce that the faith community has established a Rainy Day Fund for the North Oakland Baptist Church,” said Pastor Ken Chambers of Westside Missionary Baptist Church and founding president of ICAC. “Dr. Sylvester Rutledge has helped the community all his life. Now, during his time of need, the community stepped up without hesitation to help an honorable man of God and save the house of the Lord.”

Pastors and leaders supporting Rutledge and NOMBC included Rev. Ray Williams, Morning Star Baptist Church; Pastor Vince Collins, King Solomon Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church; Thomson Mathews, Corinthian Baptist Church; Pastor Mary McConn Gilmore, Oakland Community Chaplaincy Program – Westside Baptist Church; Pastor Rutledge, Dr. Maritony Yamot, Maritony and Associates – Life Impact for Humanity; Pastor Ken Chambers, president of Interfaith Council of Alameda County — Westside Baptist Church; Bip Roberts, The Well Christian Community Church; and Brett Badelle, deputy district director, Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Additional supporters included, Tim Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church; Thomas Harris, Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church; Vince Steele, Office of Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson; Pastor Raymond Lankford, Oakland Community Church – Oakland Private Industry Council; Darryl Stewart, Office of Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley; Elder Jay D. Pimentel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Pastor Gerald Agee, Friendship Christian Center, and Pastor Donald Scurry, Joshua Christian Church.

“We have been working diligently to have the situation resolved and hope to have the church removed from the auction list this week,” said Steele.

“Pastor Rutledge is a God-sent man,” said Pastor Vince Collins. “He is a pastor that has helped many pastors.”

“Churches are such an important fabric of the community, so we stand in solidarity for this church and all churches,” said Elder Jay D. Pimentel.

For Pastor Raymond Lankford, NOMBC and Pastor Rutledge have been community staples for decades.

Rev. Ray Williams of Morning Star Baptist Church, just around the corner from NOMBC, said he got the first call from Pastor Rutledge. “Our churches are neighbors with history and me, Pastor Rutledge and Paul Cobb were a part of the Citizen Emergency Relief Team (CERT) after the Loma Prieta Earthquake.”

“We want to make sure places of worship are sustained,” said Bip Roberts of The Uncuffed Project and The Well Community Church.

Rep. Barbara Lee’s staff member Brett Badelle said “The Congresswoman is a big supporter of the church.”

Dr. Maritony Yamot plans to help coordinate the group’s efforts to help churches avoid crise crises in the future. ‘I will work with the interfaith leaders to develop a crisis prevention plan for churches,” she said.

“We’re all in this together as the body of Christ and we’re here to make a difference,” said Pastor Donald Scurry.

Pastor Mary McConn Gilmore said Pastor Rutledge conducted her father’s memorial service last year. Pastor Rutledge has been there for so many of us and the community, so we’re happy to support him,” said Gilmore.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.