Mount Olivet Baptist Church

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- 451 W. Central Avenue -

Mount Olivet Baptist Church, 451 W. Central Av., was founded in March 1922. It was first named Saint Paul Independent Baptist Church. It was later changed to Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Its first services were in the home of Reverend T.J. Carr at 499 Saint Anthony Ave. and then in a tent in his yard. The congregation worshipped in a basement church starting in 1922. It took until 1951 to get the rest of the church built and dedicated. The current church had its groundbreaking in 1973.

Central Avenue in front of the church is named for Rev. Dr. James W. Battle, Sr. Battle served the church from 1972 to 1998. He was a remarkable religious and civil rights leader in the city, state and region. One of his many accomplishments was organizing the Dr. Martin Luther King March on the state capitol in 1979.