A pillar of Houston’s Black heritage, the Community of Faith Church (COF) recently commemorated its 150th anniversary with a magnificent presentation called The Vision Continues: Still Changing the World by Faith.
The Wortham Center hosted the production, which honored the church’s illustrious history and the lasting influence of its founder, Reverend Jack Yates.
Yates, a former slave who rose to prominence in Black history, served as its inspiration and inspiration.
Yates was a hero known as the Father of Black Houston, but many people who hear his name frequently refer to the high schools that bear his honor.
Despite being born into slavery in Virginia in the early 1800s, Yates endured tremendous hardship to become a leader of the Revolution. Yates’s ministry and activism were founded on the reading, writing, and math skills that his mother, Rachel, who was caring for their enslaver’s child, covertly taught him. He learned about commerce from his slave master as well. Yates would help him when he traveled for work, see how he worked, learn how to interact with others, and learn how to conserve money. He was able to purchase his release with that knowledge.
But after a nearby slave owner moved Yates’ wife, Harriet, and their three kids to Matagorda County, Texas, he made the decision to return to slavery. Yates and his wife, Harriet, moved to Houston following their freedom in 1865. In order to convince Texans that all enslaved people were free, Union soldiers traveled to Galveston to recite General Order No. 3.Many slaves had nowhere to go, despite the fact that many were released. Yates viewed Freedmen’s Town in Houston as a place where he could start over.
Serving as the founding pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Houston’s first Black Baptist church, he urged his congregation to act decisively for the benefit of the community. The newly freed people were able to learn about God and prosper socially, economically, and educationally thanks to Antioch.
Yates founded Mount Pillow Missionary Baptist Church, which would eventually become the COF, in 1873 with the help of a small number of Christians. The church, which is committed to social justice, education, and spiritual development, has grown over the years from a small gathering to one of Houston’s most significant organizations. Additionally, he made it his mission to impart all of the knowledge and abilities he had acquired to emancipated slaves so they might launch their own enterprises.
Carrying the torch
For more than 40 years, Bishop James Dixon II has served as the pastor of The Community of Faith Church. Since taking over the position at the tender age of 18, he has guided the church to notable expansion and influence in the Houston region. The church, which The COF refers itself as Kingdom Visioneers, has expanded from 150 to over 5,000 members under the visionary leadership of Bishop James Dixon. Dixon considered the significance of Yates’ legacy.
Jack Yates is credited with founding all of these businesses, churches, and institutions. How was his discipline on a daily basis? He stated throughout the performance on stage. Who would say that Jack Yates done too much in retrospect? Aren’t you happy that he completed what he accomplished at Bishop College, Texas Southern University, Emancipation Park, and Freedman’s Town?
Danny Johnson is a member of COF and the grandson of one of its former pastors, the late Rev. Charlie Daniel James Dixon. He claimed that the COF has given community members access to resources and opened doors, and he is pleased that his cousin has successfully continued the mission of helping those in need.
“We’re here to celebrate the founders who continue to [maintain] the Community of Faith and to honor a Black slave who founded this church,” he stated. As a young Black guy, this church helped shape me to know how to serve God, show respect for others, and be able to claim that I am a part of the foundation that we are currently standing on.
Dixon has led the charge in defending Black people and marginalized communities. In a number of towns and states, including Texas, where he joined Texas lawmakers in their 2021 walkout, he has spearheaded opposition to voter suppression bills. Hundreds of pastors from all around the state came to Austin, Texas, to participate in a Prayer March organized by Bishop Dixon and Dr. Frederick Haynes on the Capitol. With the help of pastors all throughout the country, they also organized a strong March and rally in Washington, D.C.
Under the direction of Jacquelyn Aluotto, Bishop Dixon co-founded No Trafficking Zone in 2019 to fight human trafficking in a variety of contexts across the globe. The program’s goal is to establish “No Trafficking Zones” at places of worship, schools, and organizations. NRG Park was the first sporting arena to be designated as a No Trafficking Zone in 2020. Texas enacted the NTZ Law in 2021, safeguarding all schools.
Dixon’s NTZ Faith seeks to inform, recruit, and involve churches and pastors in the fight against contemporary slavery. In 1995, Dixon established Good Gang USA, a youth empowerment group that emphasizes the development of moral, educational, cultural, social, and artistic skills.
[My dad] needs to live up to his legacy. In light of the history we just watched about Jack Yates’ life and his mission to empower Black people, it is our generation’s responsibility to carry on his legacy, James W.E. Dixon III. I’ve always been aware of the connection between my family and the legacy that he [Yates] left behind.
Wheeler Baptist Church member Matthew Cosby was astounded by the theater presentation honoring the anniversary of COF and its founder, but he was unaware of Dixon’s familial connections to Yates.
According to him, the play honored other visionary leaders who continued Yates’s work, particularly Bishop Dixon, who has guided the church into the twenty-first century with programs tackling social justice, education, and community development. The fact that the father of one of my closest friends was involved in the Jack Yates story is incredible.
