As the abolitionist movement gained momentum, so did the Black Church's role in the fight for freedom. Churches became hubs of organizing activism, with preachers like Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth using the pulpit as a platform to denounce slavery and champion the cause of justice. The Black Church even served as a safe haven for escaped enslaved people on the Underground Railroad.

The post-emancipation era brought new challenges and opportunities for the Black Church. With the rise of Jim Crow laws and systemic racism, churches became not only places of worship but also centers of community life. They provided educational opportunities, social services, and leadership development.

It was no different for Ouachita Parish's oldest Black Church, Trenton Baptist Church. Trenton Baptist Church was established in the Town of Trenton, now known as West Monroe, in 1866 after the American Civil War. While the nation was fighting against itself, a group of believers gathered to eventually organize the first black Baptist church.

Pastor of Trenton Baptist Church, Rev. Lamar Anderson, said, "it shows our ancestors' faith in God."

"To just make it through what they did, they had to have a strong faith in the God that they served," Rev. Anderson said.

Across the Ouachita River not many years later, Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Monroe was established 151 years ago.

"The Black Church is pivotal in our community," said Rev. Ike Byrd, III, Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Monroe since 1998. "It has been the literal backbone of our community, the heart."

"Everything done in the community was done through the church," Rev. Byrd said. "Even things like the Boy Scout troop and summer trips were all led by the church."

The pivotal role of the Black Church reached its peak during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Led by leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., churches became the epicenter of nonviolent resistance to segregation and racial injustice. Through prayer, protest, and perseverance, Black congregations helped dismantle segregation. Today, the legacy of the Black Church endures as a testament to the power of faith during adversity.

In comparing old and present times, Rev. Anderson said, "people today don't utilize the church enough."

"It's so many people that are in need and don't know the church can help," Rev. Anderson said. "The church has been helping our people for generations and through some of the worst times in American history. It can still help us through whatever we go through today and tomorrow."

Rev. Byrd added: "I believe God has positioned us to be a blessed and prosperous community. Though it tarry, it shall still come to pass."