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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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

3 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.