DECATUR - Folks would march down to the Sangamon River, just below the dam, to be baptized, Pearlene Thompson said, recalling her childhood days in Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

Goldie Kennedy remembered that as a young child her parents would let her sleep on a bench in the church until the end of services.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church has come along way from its beginnings as one of the first African-American churches in Decatur in the 1800s.

The church is thriving some 150 years later and will have a special sesquicentennial anniversary service Sunday, Oct. 28, but church members have been celebrating all year.

The founding matriarch, Maria "Grandma" Carr, was said to have come to Illinois by way of the Underground Railroad. She settled in Decatur in 1854 and joined other residents in their homes for prayer meetings.

After some land on Spring Avenue (now Greenwood Avenue) was deeded to the members, the first small wood-frame church was built in 1858.

Thompson, 88, said her parents, James and Claudell Johnson, arrived in Decatur from Batesville, Miss., in 1918. Her father joined Antioch and became one of the trustees of the church.

As a little girl, Thompson said, she didn't fully understand about what it meant to join church. She and some of the other children sat on what the elders called the "mourners bench" for those who were unsaved.

In 1932 at age 13, Thompson finally walked up to the front of the church with some friends to join and be baptized.

Kennedy, 87, vividly remembers that day as well. She was with Thompson.

"There were six of us girls (including Pearlene) sitting on that mourners bench. One of them said, 'I'm tired of sitting here,' and walked down to the front of the church, so the rest of us just followed," she said.

Kennedy was 18 months old when her parents came to Decatur from Brownsville, Tenn.

Her father served as chairman of the Deacons Board at Antioch for nearly 15 years.

She said the youths would spend the majority of their time going to church, hanging out in front of the small grocery store across the street or at St. Peter's AME Church down the street.

Over the years, Kennedy and Thompson became more active in the church.

Thompson worked with the Mothers Ministry and Historical Ministry.

Kennedy taught first-, second- and third-graders in Sunday School for a number of years. She was involved in the Cafeteria Committee, now called the Culinary Ministry, preparing meals for events and funerals.

"I even drove the church's station wagon to pick up the kids for choir rehearsal," she remembered and smiled.

But among the good memories are the sorrowful ones as well.

Both women vividly remember losing the Rev. O.C. Turner, who had been pastor at Antioch for almost 30 years.

"When Rev. Turner died, it was a tough time for the church," Kennedy said. "He told me one time, 'I promised the Lord that I would be a pastor until I die.' "

Thompson, however, couldn't have been more excited about meeting the Rev. C.D. Stuart for the first time.

Stuart was in Decatur attending his aunt's funeral at St. Peter's.

"I knew his aunt, who had died," she said. "But I usually don't meet with the families after a funeral. And for some reason, I stayed. Rev. Coates came up to me and said he knew our church needed a pastor and said this young man, Rev. Stuart, would be a good minister. So I turned to his mother and asked if he was a Baptist or Methodist. She told me, 'He's Baptist, but you're not taking my son.' "

Stuart, who came from Arkansas, accepted the call to be pastor at Antioch in September 1995. He led Antioch into a new building on Mound Road. He also was instrumental in starting Antioch Christian Academy in 2003.

"One of my visions is to fulfill the commission of the church according to Matthew 28: 19-20," he said. "And we always have building needs as we continue growing and still fulfill the educational and evangelistic needs of our members."

During his tenure as pastor, Stuart said, one of the greatest accomplishments is leading people to the Lord.

"Antioch has great history, and there is so much more work that needs to be done, and what we're still doing as a church," Stuart added. "We already established a credit union, the Safe Haven homeless shelter and the academy."

He beams with pride when talking about Antioch coming full circle in educating children - something that started with the church during the late 1850s through the 1860s.

With Antioch's membership topping off at 1,200, Stuart was elected in September to the position of vice president of moderators for the National Baptist Convention USA, with nearly 8 million members. His wife, Gladys, also is a teacher at the academy and active on the state level of the National Baptist Convention.

Thompson and Kennedy still sit in the pews every Sunday and say they feel spirit-filled after hearing the word. There will always be a great deal of love for the church that has been part of all their lives, they said.

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.

History of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

- The church played a crucial role in the community, not only as a place of worship, but also as the first school for African-Americans before the Civil War.

- Construction began on a second church building in 1907. The mortgage was paid off in March 1930.

- Antioch was overflowing with members and eventually moved into a bigger building at 525 N. Church St. in October 1957.

- Antioch moved into a new building at 530 W. Mound Road in 1999, the former home of First Church of the Nazarene.

If you go

WHAT: Sesquicentennial Anniversary Program

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 28

SCHEDULE: 10:30 a.m.: The Rev. Alvin Love of Chicago, president of the Illinois State Baptist Convention USA will speak.

4 p.m.: The Rev. George Smith of Arkansas, president of the Arkansas State Baptist Convention, will speak. A reception will follow.