I. A Church Born in Freedom (1805–1838)

 

The story of Twelfth Baptist Church begins not as a monument but as a movement of faith. Twelfth Baptist Church stands on the enduring foundation of a dual legacy—tracing its spiritual and congregational roots to 1805 with the founding of the First African Baptist Church. 

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Around the year 1800, a group of free African Americans began to move from the North End to the north slope of Beacon Hill, seeking space to live, worship, and build community. For several years, they gathered for racially separate worship services—first in the old Franklin Hall and later in Faneuil Hall. Though these early meetings were non-denominational, they were led by Rev. Thomas Paul, a Baptist preacher from New Hampshire whose vision and conviction would soon give rise to one of America’s most enduring Black congregations. 

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In July 1805, Rev. Thomas Paul, along with M.C. Scipio Dalton and Cato Gardner, addressed letters to their white parent churches, requesting support to establish an independent church for African Americans. On Sunday, August 8, 1805, in Master Vinal’s Schoolhouse, twenty-four members held their first assembly, marking the formal founding of the First African Baptist Church of Boston (Levesque, Black Boston, pp. 318–322). Their aim was clear—in the shadow of slavery and racial exclusion, they sought to worship without restraint, to educate their children, and to embody the conviction that “the Spirit of the Lord is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

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In need of a permanent home, the congregation began construction in 1806 on a site at Smith Court near Belknap Street (now Joy Street) on Beacon Hill. By December 4 of that year, Rev. Thomas Paul was officially installed as pastor, and two days later, on December 6, the congregation dedicated the African Meeting House built largely by the hands and offerings of Black Bostonians (Levesque, pp. 320–321). The red bricks of this structure, molded by free and formerly enslaved artisans, still stand as a monument to the courage and faith of those twenty-four founders. 

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The African Meeting House quickly became more than a sanctuary; it was the spiritual, educational, and political heart of Boston’s free Black community. Within its walls, the church opened one of the city’s first schools for African American children—the African School, which would later become the Abiel Smith School—and hosted gatherings of abolitionist leaders committed to the cause of freedom. 

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By 1812, the congregation had grown to seventy-four members, marking the rapid expansion of a vibrant and determined community. Two decades later, in January 1832, William Lloyd Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society within its walls. This moment confirmed that the First African Baptist Church (Boston’s first Black Baptist congregation) and, by extension, Twelfth Baptist Church, was not only a house of worship but also a citadel of freedom. Its story remains forever linked to the enduring struggle for justice in Boston and across the nation.

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II. The Schism and the Continuation of the First African Baptist Church of Boston (1838–1915)

(with reference to George A. Levesque, Black Boston: African American Life and Culture in Urban America, 1750–1860, pp. 353–357)

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The final years of the 1830s were defining for the African Baptist Church on Beacon Hill. Under Rev. George H. Black, ordained in November 1838, the congregation experienced remarkable growth — from 89 to 158 members in just three years — and renewed energy for social reform.

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Abolitionism had evolved from moral sentiment into a spiritual imperative. Rev. Black became the leading voice of this conviction, teaching that the Gospel demanded not only salvation but liberation — that faith and freedom were inseparable. To reflect this new vision, he led the church to adopt a new name: the First Independent Baptist Church of People of Color of Boston. In his 1838 letter to the Boston Baptist Association, he explained that the term African was “ill applied to a church composed of American citizens.” It was both a theological and civic declaration — affirming that Black believers were not merely descendants of a continent but rightful citizens shaping the conscience of a nation.

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By 1840, differences had hardened. Some members favored public abolitionist engagement; others feared its consequences. When reconciliation proved impossible, Rev. Black and approximately forty members — committed to the liberationist cause — withdrew and began worshiping in a loft beside the old Smith Court meetinghouse. Their departure was not an abandonment of the church; it was an affirmation of its spirit. They believed, rightly, that the church was the people, not the property, and that the soul of the African Baptist Church resided in those who carried its covenant forward.

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Both groups claimed authenticity, and the Boston Baptist Association, overwhelmed by rival appeals, declined to decide which body was the “true” church. Yet history has made that determination. The congregation that followed Rev. George Black — the people who preserved the covenant, membership, and mission of the original church — became the living continuation of Boston’s first Black Baptist congregation.

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In the years that followed, Boston’s streets pulsed with abolitionist energy. The George Latimer case of 1842, in which a fugitive was seized under the Fugitive Slave Law, galvanized the Black community and deepened the reformers’ resolve. In that crucible, the new congregation found its enduring identity. When Rev. Leonard A. Grimes became pastor in 1848, the Boston Baptist Association formally recognized the body as the Twelfth Baptist Church.

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III. The Grimes Era and the Fugitive Slave Church (1848–1874)

Rev. Leonard Andrew Grimes played a pivotal role as one of the principal agents of the Underground Railroad.  Born of free African-American parents in Leesburg, Virginia 1815, he worked as a Hackman.  He purchased several horses and carriages to provide transportation for hire and clandestinely used his business to transport fugitive slaves to the Washington, DC area. In 1839, Grimes was arrested, convicted, assessed a $100 fine, and served two years in prison for assisting a woman named Patty and her six children escape from slavery in Loudoun County, Virginia. (Loudoun Museum. (n.d.). The Leonard Grimes Trial (1840), Loudoun County, Virginia.pp. 36–37). Loudoun History / Loudoun County library).

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In November 1848, he was ordained as the first pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church, a position he held for 25 years until his death in 1873. Grimes was a prominent figure in the national church community, serving as president of the American Baptist Missionary Convention and the Consolidated Baptist Conventions for several years. He was instrumental in pushing these organizations to oppose slavery, advocating for no fellowship with slave-holding ministries.

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His commitment to the abolitionist cause extended beyond his pastoral duties. Grimes actively opposed the Fugitive Slave Act, a law that allowed slave owners, with the assistance of federal agents and the court, to arrest escaped slaves and return them to slavery in the South. Grimes was actively involved in significant fugitive slave cases, including those of Shadrach Minkins, Thomas Sims, and Anthony Burns. In the case of Anthony Burns, an escaped slave who became a member of Grimes's church in 1854, Grimes led efforts to secure his freedom after Burns was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act. Although the legal battle was lost, Grimes raised sufficient funds to purchase Burns's freedom, highlighting his unwavering dedication to justice.

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Rev. Grimes transformed the church into what became known as “The Fugitive Slave Church.” It was a station on the Underground Railroad, a moral force for abolition, and a beacon of faith that declared the Gospel’s power to make all people free. Under Rev. Leonard A. Grimes, Twelfth Baptist became the epicenter of abolitionist Christianity. Twelfth Baptist Church served as a rallying point for activists, scholars, and preachers who believed that faith without justice was empty.

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​​During the Civil War, Grimes was a key advocate for the enlistment of African Americans in the Union Army. Grimes also believed that blacks should be allowed to bear arms in the Civil War. Grimes appealed directly to the Governor of Massachusetts, and as a result of his efforts, blacks earned the right to bear arms and join the Civil War. He played a significant role in recruiting soldiers for the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African-American regiments in the Civil War, encouraging members of his congregation and the broader community to join the fight for freedom. Grimes was even invited to serve as the regiment’s chaplain, but he declined, because he was committed to his duties at Twelfth Baptist Church.

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Grimes's personal life was marked by his marriage to Octavia Grimes, who was a pillar of strength in his life and ministry. Together, they had four children: Emma, John, Leonard, and Julia. Octavia was deeply involved in church initiatives, supporting her husband's abolitionist work and contributing to the church’s efforts in aiding the oppressed.

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When he passed on March 14, 1873, Twelfth Baptist Church was the largest church in the Boston Baptist Association, with more than 700 members and an enduring reputation for faith in action.

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IV. Reconstruction and Renaissance (1874–1899)

 

Rev. George Washington Williams, a graduate of Newton Theological Seminary, succeeded Grimes in 1874. A pioneering historian and legislator, Williams became the leader of the flock on April 4, 1874, and was installed as the Second Ordained  Pastor on June 24, 1874. Williams served Twelfth Baptist Church from 1874 to 1876. 

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During his tenure as pastor at TBC, Williams researched and wrote the first detailed history of the church, The History of the Twelfth Baptist Church.  Boston, Mass. 1840-1874, an 80-page history of the church documenting its role as a sanctuary for escaped slaves and its contributions to the abolitionist movement. 

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Williams also authored The History of the Negro Race in America, the first major work of Black American historiography, and A History of Negro Troops in the War of Rebellion and The History of the Negro Race in America, 1619- 1880, the first major work of Black American historiography. His tenure reflected Twelfth Baptist’s intellectual and moral leadership in Reconstruction America (Levesque, pp. 377–379).

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From 1876 to 1899, several pastors continued the ministry — Revs. William C. Dennis, L.F. Walden, Robert N. Fairfax, H.H. Harris, J. Allen Kirk, A.W. Adams, and Dr. Johnson W. Hill — ensuring that the church’s legacy of faith and scholarship endured.

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V. Our Sister Descendant From Beacon Hill (1840 - 1915)

 

When Rev. George Black and a portion of the congregation withdrew in 1840 to continue the mission of the First African Baptist Church and became the Twelfth Baptist Church, another group remained connected to the Beacon Hill property. Both bodies initially claimed to be the legitimate continuation of the original church. The Beacon Hill group, which maintained the meetinghouse property, would later become known as St. Paul’s Baptist Church.

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In 1892, destiny prepared another chapter: 120 members withdrew from Twelfth Baptist Church to establish Calvary Baptist Church in the South End. 

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Then, on the first Sunday in March 1915, a powerful act of unity took place. The congregations of Calvary Baptist Church, Morning Star Baptist Church (not to be confused with the congregation founded in 1965, currently on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan), and St. Paul’s Baptist Church marched together as one body to St. Paul’s. In a moving ceremony of faith and fellowship, they merged to form Peoples Baptist Church of Boston — a new institution that reflected the continued growth and vitality of the Black Baptist witness in the city.

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People's Baptist Church, our sister congregation, represents an important part of the Black church story in Boston and likewise traces its spiritual ancestry to the church on Beacon Hill. Twelfth Baptist Church, however, continues the direct and unbroken line of people, mission, and mantle of the First African Baptist Church through the legacy of Rev. George Black — ensuring that the Gospel of freedom remains not only a memory, but a movement.

 

VI. The Shaw Era: Movement and Migration (1899–1924)

 

Rev. Dr. Matthew A.N. Shaw, M.D., accepted the call to lead Twelfth Baptist Church on November 12, 1899, as the 10th pastor. He entered his pastoral ministry during a time when the church faced a significant decline in church membership.

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Rev. Dr. Shaw was born in Bath, Jamaica, and was educated at Calabar College in Kingston. His scholarly aptitude led him to further studies in the United States: he attended Boston University School of Medicine and also studied at Tufts College (presumably for additional academic work) before opening a medical practice in Boston, even while serving as a pastor. The story is told that at one point, due to the racism at Boston City Hospital, he had his doctor's office in the basement of the church. Reverend Dr. Shaw was a firm advocate of the rights of his race. His masterly thought and convincing presentations won laurels for innumerable causes. Reverend Dr. Shaw was the National President of the Equal Rights League of America, a cause to which he had given generously of his time and means.

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In 1906, as Boston’s Black community shifted from Beacon Hill to Roxbury, Rev. Dr. Shaw led Twelfth Baptist Church to move to Lower Roxbury, and the Twelfth Baptist Church membership acquired the property, Boston Tabernacle at the corner of Shawmut Avenue and Madison Street (now Melnea Cass Blvd) in 1905 and dedicated the building on November 11, 1906. 

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Rev. Dr.  Shaw expressed his dedication and gratitude at the ceremony… “For all the success which has attended me, I thank God, and bless the people who in the rank and file have loved me, trusted me, and heroically followed me. May God give me grace, power, and opportunity to serve them in the future better than I have done in the past. During the whole severe struggle which ended in the glorious victory we are now about to celebrate, our members stood by us and gave us loyal support.” Not only did Reverend Shaw’s vision and leadership save the church, but its membership grew exponentially as a result of his powerful ability to be forward-thinking.

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Known as one of the best orators in the country, Rev. Dr. Shaw’s leadership allows the church to flourish as a center for faith and culture,  hosting artists like Marian Anderson, who gave her first Boston recital within its walls.

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 Rev. Dr. Shaw passed away on Wednesday night, September 19, 1923, at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Although his health had declined, Dr. Shaw had remained active in ministry until the end, having preached at the church the Sunday before his passing. At the end of his tenure, Twelfth Baptist Church was arguably the largest black congregation in the city of Boston. 

 

VII. The Hester Era: Education, Service, and Strength (1924–1964)

 

In 1924, Rev. Dr. William Hunter Hester accepted the call to lead the historic Twelfth Baptist Church in July of 1924. As the 11th pastor, he was a gentleman, scholar, advisor, and friend who won the admiration of a wide circle of followers.

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A native of Oxford, North Carolina, Reverend Dr. Hester was born on August 19, 188,8 to Lee and Emma Hester. He graduated from the Mary Potter School and the North Carolina College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central University). When he and his wife, Beulah H. Shepherd, relocated to Boston, Reverend Dr. Hester pursued graduate studies at Boston University School of Theology and the Andover Newton Theological School.

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As a true shepherd, Reverend Dr. Hester endeavored to comfort the bereaved, to encourage the sick, and to support the needy.   In New England, he was regarded as one of the most distinguished and princely leaders of the Christian faith. For his faithful service to so many, Reverend Dr. Hester was unofficially regarded as the “Dean of Boston’s Clergy”. He was a pivotal leader in the denomination services as the President of the Negro Baptist Ministries Conference of Boston and was an active member of the Ordination Council, the Trustee Board of Palmer Memorial Institute, the Executive Board of the New England Baptist Convention and the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention Incorporated.

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On May 28, 1945, Reverend Hester was granted an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. A year later, he published the second history book for Twelfth Baptist Church, One Hundred and Five Years by Faith: A History of Twelfth Baptist Church, Boston, MA.

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He and his wife, Beulah Shephard Hester, combined scholarship and service, with Beulah Hester’s work at the Robert Gould Shaw House, leaving an indelible mark on Boston’s social work landscape. Dr. Hester guided the congregation through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement.

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Dr. Hester, supported by his wife Beulah Shephard Hester, fostered Christian education, civic engagement, and youth leadership. It was under Dr. Hester’s ministry that Rev. Michael E. Haynes joined as Minister to Youth in 1951. Haynes’ leadership helped dozens of young African Americans pursue higher education and civic service.

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During this period, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while a doctoral student at Boston University, frequently served in ministry and preached at Twelfth Baptist Church. His friendship with Dr. and Mrs. Hester — and later with Rev. Haynes — deepened the church’s legacy as a spiritual home for justice and prophetic ministry. Dr. Hester’s death in 1964 ended the longest continuous pastorate in the church’s history to this point, serving 40 years as pastor.

 

VIII. The Haynes Era: Faith in Action (1965–2004)

 

Upon Dr. Hester’s passing in 1964, Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes — a state legislator and social reformer — was called to lead Twelfth Baptist Church. Installed in 1965, Rev. Haynes guided the church through the turbulence of the civil rights era with steady vision. Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes was installed as pastor in 1965 during the church’s 125th Anniversary. 

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A proud graduate of Boston English High School (Class of 1944), Rev. Haynes earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the New England School of Theology in 1949 and later completed graduate studies in Mission and Clinical Services at Shelton College in New York. He pursued further study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was later awarded multiple honorary doctorates, including the Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Divinity, and Doctor of Humanities.

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Rev. Haynes’ ministry began early at Twelfth Baptist Church, where he served as Youth Minister in 1951 before rising to Associate Minister. On October 24, 1964, he was installed as the Senior Pastor, a role he faithfully held for 40 years until his retirement in 2004. Under his leadership, Twelfth Baptist grew spiritually and institutionally: the church revised its constitution and bylaws, established a food bank, pre-school, and housing initiatives, and acquired properties such as the Martin Luther King Jr. House and the Second African Meeting House. He also founded the SAMH Corporation and oversaw the creation of SAMH Corporation Apartments, advancing the church’s mission in both ministry and community development, which still exist to this day.

 

A trailblazer, Rev. Haynes recorded a legacy of “firsts.” He was the first Black person invited to serve on the Berkshire Christian College Board, the first to address the Evangelistic Association and the New England Annual Conference, and the only Black American elected as a full delegate to the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization. He was also a featured keynote speaker before Congress in 1986 and was honored as the American Baptist Urban Pastor of the Year in 1987.

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His influence extended well beyond the pulpit. From 1965 to 1968, Rev. Haynes represented Roxbury in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he advocated for justice and equity. He later served on the Massachusetts State Parole Board by appointment of Governor Francis Sargent, and was a member of the Boston Mayor’s Committee on Violence and the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Drug Addiction. Deeply engaged in the Civil Rights Movement, he worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in planning the historic 1965 march from Roxbury to Boston Common, which called for school desegregation.

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Rev. Haynes was also a visionary thinker. In 2006, he proposed that Northeastern University create a project to preserve the history of Boston’s Black community, which led to the founding of the Lower Roxbury Black History Project. His lifelong commitment to education and young people was so profound that Roxbury’s Haynes Early Education Center was named in his honor.

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A statesman, pastor, and civic leader, he bridged pulpit and policy, serving as both State Representative and prophetic voice for justice. Under his leadership, the church became a center for urban ministry, education, housing advocacy, and social action. Rev. Haynes’ influence reached across Boston’s political and moral landscape, shaping generations of clergy and civic leaders. He remained pastor until 2004, leaving a legacy of faith, activism, and vision that continues to define Twelfth Baptist Church today. Rev. Dr. Haynes ended his tenure, following the tradition of his predecessor, with the longest continuous pastorate in the church’s history to date, serving 40 years as pastor.

 

IX. The Gerald Era: Community Engagement and Global Mission (2005–2020)

 

Following Rev. Haynes’ long and transformative tenure, Rev. Dr. Arthur T. Gerald, Jr. assumed the pastoral leadership of Twelfth Baptist Church. His era marked a renewed emphasis on community engagement, intergenerational outreach, and global mission.

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A product of the Boston Public Schools, Rev. Gerald attended Timilty Junior High School and graduated from The English High School. As a youth, he played basketball at the Norfolk House for the “Exquisites” with lifelong friends Al Holland and Lenny Cox. That program, led by Rev. Michael E. Haynes and Clarence “Jeep” Jones, not only gave young Black boys a sense of belonging but also broadened their horizons, introducing them to historically Black colleges through organized trips. These formative experiences, combined with the mentorship of men like Haynes and Jones, deeply shaped Rev. Gerald’s vision for ministry and education.

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On January 30, 1975, Rev. Gerald was licensed to preach the Gospel by the American Baptist Churches. Under the pastorate of Rev. Michael E. Haynes at Twelfth Baptist Church, he was ordained on November 11, 1976, alongside his close colleagues Rev. VaCountess Johnson and Rev. Bruce H. Wall.

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Within Twelfth Baptist Church, Rev. Gerald faithfully served in multiple capacities: Minister to College & Young Adults, Chair of the Budget, Pre-School Board, African American History, Personnel, and Nominating Committees. He also served as Treasurer of the Mission Ministry, Chair of the Christian Education Ministry, and as a member of the SAMH Corporation.

 

Beyond the church, Rev. Gerald built a distinguished career in academia. For 38 years, he served at Salem State College (now Salem State University), retiring as Associate Dean of Academic and Cultural Affairs. His expertise in finance and budgeting became invaluable to both the university and his ministry, particularly in his leadership of Twelfth Baptist’s Budget and Nominating Ministries. In recognition of his contributions, Salem State established an Endowment Scholarship in his name in 2004, and in 2012, the university awarded him an honorary Doctorate.

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As pastor, Rev. Dr. Gerald committed himself to leading Twelfth Baptist into a future of Purpose, Power, Praise, and Prayer. His vision has always been for a church intimately connected to its community, ministering beyond its walls, and instilling hope in a new generation of young people—just as mentors once instilled hope in him.

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After faithfully serving for more than 15 years of pastoral leadership, five years as interim pastor, and ten years as Senior Pastor. Rev. Dr. Gerald retired from the pulpit of Twelfth Baptist Church on December 31, 2020, leaving behind a legacy of faithful leadership and spiritual devotion.

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Rev. Gerald worked to strengthen the church’s neighborhood presence through mentorship programs, food and clothing ministries, youth development, and partnerships with local schools and nonprofits. He championed a theology of action — that the Gospel must not only be preached from the pulpit but embodied in the streets of Roxbury and beyond.

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Under his guidance, Twelfth Baptist deepened its ties with civic and interfaith partners, revitalized its worship and music ministry, and sustained the church’s identity as a “beacon of hope” amid the changing dynamics of urban Boston.

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The Gerald years continued the thread of social faith woven through Twelfth Baptist’s DNA — balancing historic preservation with practical compassion and preparing the congregation for a new era of spiritual and organizational renewal.

 

X. The Bodrick Era: Restoration and Renewal (2021–2025)

 

In 2020, amid a global pandemic and a national reckoning on race, Rev. Dr. Willie Bodrick II, J.D., M.Div. was elected Pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church. Rev. Bodrick took the reins as Senior Pastor on January 1, 2021. He brought new energy and vision to a historic mantle.

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Prior to being Senior Pastor, Rev. Bodrick served on the ministerial staff for the previous nine years as Youth and Young Adult Minister, Young Adult and College Minister, Assistant Pastor, and eventually the Associate Pastor. He also served as the Director of the Afterschool Program and Summer Enrichment Program, successfully managing both programs and maintaining student and family engagement.  Rev. Bodrick concurrently serves as the President of the SAMH Corporation, overseeing the church’s housing ministry, thrift shop, youth ministry, and after-school and summer enrichment programs.

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​As COVID-19 devastated communities across the nation, Pastor Bodrick was vested with the task of leading the congregation through the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which required various operational and fiscal implementations, and a manifold of executive decisions that enabled the church to fully function on various online platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, Tithe.ly, and PayPal.​With God on our side, we were able to continue our ministries and services, as well as increase their viewership and engagement to over a thousand weekly viewers from across the country and the world. 

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rev. Bodrick and TBC also led vaccine education efforts, donated more than $375,000 to community members and organizations. Rev. Bodrick led Twelfth Baptist in transforming challenge into ministry. In partnership with Boston Medical Center (BMC), the church established a community-based vaccination clinic in Shaw and Hesgter Hall. This initiative vaccinated over 2,500 people and provided critical access to vaccines for residents of Roxbury and surrounding neighborhoods — many of whom faced barriers to healthcare. The clinic became a model of faith-driven public health, reflecting Twelfth Baptist’s enduring mission: to serve both the body and the soul. Rev. Bodrick also brought in a $1 Million gift from King Boston (now Embrace Boston), the largest gift ever made to the Twelfth Baptist Church.

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Rev. Dr. Bodrick was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the eldest son (Brothers: Trustee Chair Winston “Skip” Bodrick and Weldon T. Bodrick) of Rev. Willie Bodrick and Anna Bodrick. Pastor Bodrick is a proud product of Atlanta Public Schools. 

Rev. Dr. Bodrick holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Georgetown University, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Harvard Divinity School, and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Northeastern University School of Law. In May 2022, Rev. Bodrick received an honorary Doctorate of Community Service from Northeastern University.

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Concurrently, Rev. Bodrick is the President and CEO of The American City Coalition (TACC). He brings extensive executive leadership and a personal and professional commitment to social and economic justice in the Roxbury community. Pastor Bodrick serves on many boards, including a member of the Board of Trustees of Boston Medical Center, the YMCA of Greater Boston, ABCD, UNCF New England Leadership Council, MA Advocates for Children, and the Governor’s Advisory Council for Black Empowerment. Rev. Bodrick has received numerous awards and honors, including 2025 Boston Business Journal Power 50, 2024 Martin L. King, Jr. International Chapel College of Ministers and Laity Board of Preachers Inductee, and 2023 Boston Magazine 150 Most Influential Bostonians.

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Rev. Bodrick’s leadership has reenergized the church’s engagement in affordable housing, social advocacy, digital ministry, and preserving our church history, while advancing a renewed vision for faith, freedom, and wholeness.

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In 2025, the church embarked on a major Restoration and Renewal Project, restoring its historic edifice in Roxbury while revitalizing its spiritual, cultural, and social mission. This restoration symbolizes not only the preservation of a building but the renewal of a calling,  ensuring that the church remains a beacon for future generations. On October 17, 2025, under the leadership of Pastor Bodrick, the church commemorated the 220th anniversary of the founding of the First African Baptist Church (1805) and the 185th anniversary of Twelfth Baptist Church. Marking its first gala in more than thirty years, the congregation gathered for a historic celebration themed “Built to Last.”

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Rev. Bodrick, along with his wife, First Lady Dr. Devin Cromartie Bodrick, and their son, Willie Bodrick, III, continue to lead Twelfth Baptist Church as we stand upon the promise of God.

 

XI. The Church That Freedom Built (Conclusion)

 

For 220 years, Twelfth Baptist Church has stood as a living witness that faith and freedom walk together. From Thomas Paul’s vision in 1805 to the restoration of 2025, it has been a sanctuary for the oppressed, a platform for the prophetic, and a community of believers who refuse to separate the Gospel from justice.

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For 220 years, from Beacon Hill to Roxbury, Twelfth Baptist Church has stood as a testament to the power of faith in freedom. Founded by the descendants of enslaved people, sustained by abolitionists, and carried forward by generations of believers, it remains a beacon of hope for Boston and the world.

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Today, as it celebrates 185 years as Twelfth Baptist Church, the congregation continues to live its founding creed — that the church of Jesus Christ must be a place where faith empowers freedom, where love fuels justice, and where history lives in the hearts of the faithful.

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We are heirs of a sacred legacy — a church born in struggle, sustained by faith, and still moving in the Spirit. As we celebrate 220 years of the First African Baptist Church and 185 years as Twelfth Baptist Church, we recommit ourselves to the Gospel that liberates and the work that endures. The same God who built this house will continue to guide us — until faith, freedom, and love are one.

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