Places of Worship in the Mississippi Delta

Christ Wesleyan Church - Greenville, Mississippi

Christ Wesleyan was a United Methodist Church built in 1970 in the northern suburbs of Greenville. Recently we noticed signs indicating that Covenant Presbyterian Church and Open Door Independent Baptist Church were in the same building. The "United" in the name appears to have been removed from the wall.

Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church - Mound Bayou, Mississippi

Benoit Christian Community Center - Benoit, Mississippi

Unknown church - Yazoo City, Mississippi

Lampton Street Church of Christ - Mound Bayou, Mississippi

First Baptist Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

The Southern Baptist Church comes close to being a "universal" church in the Delta for whites, as the Missionary Baptist did for blacks. It reaches into all segments of the white community, and tends to emphasize massiveness and unity. In that it is quite different from most black Baptist Churches that have tended to have small congregations led by charismatic lay preachers.

Lifeline Believers Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

The storefront church is found in many sects and offshoots of the established churches. Here we see the Lifeline Believers stuck in amongst a beauty supply store and a tire store. Though somewhat difficult to tell, it appears to be a predominately white church.

Haven United Methodist Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

This is a good example of an older black congregation's church. An imposing building, unlike the humble churches that dotted the countryside, it was a church of the black upper classes.

St. James Temple Church Of God In Christ - Clarksdale, Mississippi

The Church Of God In Christ is a formidible presence in the Delta. One of the fastest growing predominantly black churches, it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. This church on Martin Luther King Blvd. appears to occupy three buildings, including another old church.

St. George's Episcopal Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

The Episcopal Church in the Delta was the church of the planter aristocracy. St. George's was no exception. It was the church of the Clarks, Hancocks, Dorrs and Bobo's.It also is where the young Tennessee Williams lived while his father was priest.

Metropolitan Baptist Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

First United Methodist Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

First United Methodist is a large collection of structures. Running a city block long, it includes a day care and other services. The Methodist Church was traditionally segregated in the Delta, though some changes have happened in the last 30 years.

Al-Bayyinah Islamic Center - Clarksdale, Mississippi

Mosques are still rare in the Delta, though I have run across them in hamlets like Jonesville. This one, located in a once thriving black commercial street in Clarksdale, is up for sale. We saw black men selling Muhammed Speaks, the Black Muslim newspaper, just a few blocks away. So, there appears to still be an organized Muslim Community in Clarksdale.

Riverside Baptist Church - Clarksdale, Mississippi

There was a point in the 60s (I believe) when church architecture in the Delta changed radically. It was, to me, the equivalent of fins on Chryslers and Cadillacs. Rejecting the gothic stretch to the sky, a whole series of "modern" looking buildings with their low roof lines and toy spires were enthusiasitcally adopted by many of the main line churches. The Pentacostals and some other denominations continue this trend of the "modern".

former Synagogue - Clarksdale, Mississippi

This synagogue in the formerly upscale section of Clarksdale was sold a year or so ago. The once large Jewish presence in the Delta is fast dwindling as young people search outside the region, especially Dallas and Atlanta, for jobs and a viable Jewish community.

Word of Deliverance Community Outreach Center - Cleveland, Mississippi

First Baptist Church - Cleveland, Mississippi

The First Baptist church and the First United Methodist Church are entwined in a manner that is difficult or impossible to show in a photo. They literally have each other in a semi-circular grip. Look at the Methodist Church and you'll see this spire from the Baptists Church looming in the background.

First United Methodist Church - Cleveland, Mississippi

Unknown African American country church - Lamont, Mississippi

This church is either located on the massive Delta and Pine Land Company Plantation, or very nearby. It is not always easy to determine property lines on plantations. We looked for the name of the freshly painted and repaired church, but failed to locate any information.

New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church - Friars Point, Mississippi

The asymmetrical towers of the church drew my attention. Its a solid brick structure, with a visible history of changes and alterations. It is one of a number of churches serving the black residents of this declining Mississippi River town.

Catholic Church - Friars Point, Mississippi

I've long wondered about this beautiful,almost minaturized, church. I asked a passerby who said that it had originally been Catholic, but had become something else, maybe Methodist. He didn't know. There was no sign outside, but the roof seemed in good shape and it had a new coat of paint. Someone was keeping it up.

Friars Point Methodist Church - Friars Point, Mississippi

Each of the four sides of this church are splayed in a remarkable manner. I presume the church is quite old and reflects the tastesof its long deceased planters and townspeople.

Mount Calvary M.B. Church - Greenville,Mississippi

This church is located on Hwy 82 between Greenville and the Mississippi River Bridge. The original church, on the right, was built by black farmers who had bought up a failed plantation with the help of the Federal government during the Great Depression.

First Baptist Church - Indianola, Mississippi

The Indianola Baptist Church, traditionally white, is a larger structure than the nearby Sunflower County Courthouse. Beside catfish and cotton, Indianola is known for Craig Claiborn, the food writer, B.B. King, the blues musician, and for the founding of the (White) Citizens Councils in 1954.

Full Gospel Church - Indianola, Mississippi