OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Ocala has a long and storied history, dating back to 1867. However, it’s not just a house of worship, but also a place of remembrance and cultural heritage.
Mt. Moriah was established more than 158 years ago by 93 freed slaves who left the white First Baptist Church after the Emancipation Proclamation. Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church was the first Black Baptist church in Ocala. It was known as the “Mother Church.”
It was a vision of previous pastor the Rev. Dr. Lorenzo Edwards that the fellowship build a new facility, said the Rev. Jerry Alexander, who succeeded Edwards as pastor of the congregation in the fall of 2019…