THE HISTORY OF HARVEY AVENUE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. Rogers and eight families began to work out the beginnings of a new church. They were the Taylor Family, the Young Family, the Dedmon Family, the Davenport Family, the Hatten, Family, the Donelley Family, the Williams Family and the Rogers Family.
The third week in October, 1966, we had found a six-room house at 1257 E. Harvey Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas that had been constructed to be a church. We rented that old house that had holes in the floor, holes in the walls, holes in the roof, and holes in the porch. With time and much personal effort, we made it sufficient to worship in. We moved into the church on the 4th Sunday morning.
As time moved on, we were able to start buying our church. By 1972, we bought the refurbished house, the lot next door, and we were able to buy some used church furniture from another local church; also a new piano and organ.
For a long time people would pass by from all corners, going up and down the street to attend church. Harvey Avenue had formulated her first Junior Choir as time moved on to a higher ground, when the cars that used to pass by would now stop and the people that used to walk by would now walk in. They came from many directions to our church. The eight-family membership has moved to 200 members. The one-class Sunday school has moved to four classes with 60 attending. The choir has moved from Junior to Intermediate to Adult, and now we have three choirs.
Thanks to God, our first church was built in 1975 which now serves as a chapel. Our second building was constructed four years later which has a total of 6, 850 square feet and holds up to 700 people, with classrooms, a fellowship hall and other facilities. The membership has doubled since 1975.
The mission churches derived out of the ministry of the Harvey Avenue Missionary Baptist Church are World Missionary Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, and Living Word Fellowship Church, Hurst, Texas.
Our church services the community with several outreach ministries including providing Bible study to senior citizens’ home, food and clothing ministries, Vacation Bible School and Men’s Saturday Bible Study Ministry.
We appreciate all that God has done for us in this mission and we feel like everything has just now started. Our prayer is “Together we stand and divided we fall and God knows just how much we can bear.”
In 1964 a call made from God to a young man who was singing in the choir. This young man was very faithful and dedicated during his time at South Riverside. He made known his call to preach God’s Word and the church accepted his calling with Thanksgiving in their hearts. This young man became the Reverend R. L. Rogers. Rev. Rogers preached his first sermon on the 27th day of December, 1964. His text was taken from St. John 9, and his sermon subject was “I was blind, but now I see,” from which he spoke for twenty minutes.
After serving one year as an Associate Minister at South Riverside, Rev. Rogers was led by God to assist the Rev. J. T. Robertson and a few other people to organize the Salem Baptist Church. Rev. Rogers served faithfully with them for one year.
After about two years in the ministry, Rev. Rogers was told in a vision to start a new church. He went to his pastor and this vision was explained to him by his pastor with gratitude in his heart. He said to ask God to give it to him again. Rev. Rogers did and the same thing happened. Rev. Rogers, with his trust in the Lord, went and contacted those people that he saw in the vision and everyone said “Yes,” they were willing to follow him. All those people were persons that didn’t belong to church. Rev. Rogers and 8 families began to work out the beginnings of a new church.
In the same year, 1966, the second Sunday in October, Rev. R. L. Rogers was ordained to preach and Pastor by the Salem Baptist Church, along with other church friends. In the third week of October, a 6 room house at 1257 E. Harvey Avenue that had previously been converted to be a church was rented and fixed up to be decent enough to worship in. Rev. Rogers along with the 8 families moved in it on the 4th Sunday in October in 1966. The late Rev. M. L. Parson (South Riverside Baptist) and the late Rev. J. T. Robertson (Salem Baptist) came together to help organize THE HARVEY AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, with Rev. R. L. Rogers as pastor.
PASTOR R. L. ROGERS - FOUNDER
Pastor R. L. Rogers served as the one and only pastor of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church for the past 53 years. He was a great preacher and teacher of the Word of God. Pastor Rogers spent the last 53 years encouraging the community. The Lord graced Pastor Rogers the opportunity to celebrate his 80th birthday on March 6, 2019. He was very active in all services and conducted the Men’s Ministry Breakfast/Teaching on Saturday mornings.
Pastor R. L. Rogers will forever be named as the Founder of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church. On Saturday, July 20, 2019, Pastor Rogers was called home to be with the Lord. He leaves behind his great legacy to be carried on.
THE LORD HAS ALLOWED A NEW CHAPTER TO BEGIN IN THE MINISTRY
History has been made with the nomination and election of the first pastor to be elected at Harvey Avenue Baptist Church. On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, God allowed Reverend Dr. Jack M. Teeler to be voted in by the active members of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church to fill the vacancy left by the late Pastor R. L. Rogers. This moment in history was witnessed by Pastor Wendell Campbell of West Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX and one of his deacons.
Rev. Jack Teeler was God’s choice for the Pastor of Harvey Avenue. Rev. Teeler was recommended by his pastor, the Pastor Wendell Campbell of West Mount Moriah Baptist Church, a recommendation from Dr. Jerry Young, President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated, Pastor Lawrence Barrett of Greater Eleazar Baptist Church, Council Member Cary Moon of Fort Worth, TX, President of the Texas State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc. Rev. Dr. Bruce D. Datcher, and Judge Lisa Woodard of Fort Worth, TX.
Pastor Teeler was born on October 4, 1964 in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in a Christian home. He has been in the Gospel Ministry for eighteen years, having accepted his call to preach n 2001. He was licensed to preach this Glorious Gospel on July 7, 2001 at New Cliff Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas under Pastor T. L. Brown. Pastor R. L. Rogers, Pastor McKinley Jackson, Sr., and Pastor Kevin Powell all served on the Committee. In 2003, Pastor T. L. Brown ordained Rev. Jack Teeler in the Gospel Ministry. Rev. Teeler is happily married to Mrs. Brenda Teeler for the last 21 years.
Pastor Teeler is very passionate about God and God’s work. He is striving to lead and shepherd the Body of Christ effectively with great compassion for the people. He teaches and preaches the content of the Bible without compromise and with integrity. He is concerned about seeking the Lost and Evangelizing the Community to actively engage in the total edification of Mankind.
Pastor Teeler is not a stranger to the ministry of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church. He has been associated with Harvey Avenue for the past twenty-two years. He served as an Associate Minister under the leadership of Pastor R. L. Rogers from 2005 to 2009.
In just the short length of time that Pastor Teeler has been with Harvey Avenue, the work of the Lord is continuing. Souls are being added to the Kingdom of God. Pastor Teeler along with the faithful members of Harvey Avenue has put one of God’s plans in action by hosting its first “Hallelujah Day” on Saturday, October 19, 2019. The goal was to involve the community and that was met by over 200 people attending this fun-filled event. Pastor John F. Harrell and his wife from Chicago, IL came to help coordinate this great event.
Harvey Avenue celebrated its 53rd Homecoming Service on Sunday, October 20, 2019. The Lord allowed the Chapel area to be filled with home-comers, family and friends. The service was well attended with our Mission Church, World Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Dimitri Caver of Fort Worth, TX along with home-comers, family and friends. Pastor John F. Harrell of Proviso Missionary Baptist Church in Maywood, IL delivered the sermon. World Missionary rendered musical selections and remarks.
The Legacy Case was presented to the Church with Pastor R. L. Rogers’ robe encased and engraved name plate. It will remain as part of Harvey’s history and legacy. All other faithful pastors in the future that are called home to be with the Lord names will be added to this Legacy Case.
God is doing more exciting things at Harvey Avenue! On Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 7PM, Dr. Jerry Young the President of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. spoke at Harvey Avenue Baptist Church. This will be a great milestone in the history of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church.
On Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 3PM, Rev. Jack M. Teeler was installed as the first elected pastor of Harvey Avenue Baptist Church. You can share in historical event by taking part in the Historical Congratulatory Souvenir Book. We pray that God will allow us all to see history in the making.