About Devoe Street

Our Vision
We seek to be a unifying force inviting all people to serve God and our neighbors.

Our Mission
We are a loving community of faith committed to sharing the gospel. We invite all people to experience God, nurturing people into discipleship, and preparing them for service in the world.

discern God is calling us to engage.

Our Core Beliefs

We believe God has redeemed us from the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In gratitude, we serve our Risen Savior in humility and mercy and we acknowledge that we are utterly dependent upon God’s grace to be whom we are called to be.
We believe we are a forgiven people whose lives have been forever changed by the love and gift of salvation given through the sacrifice of the Crucified Christ.
We understand ourselves to be people of the Resurrection fully empowered to do good works and serve the Lord through the same power that raised Jesus on the third day.
We believe we guided by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word so that we may become whole, faithful, relevant, and effective in our service to God.
We believe that love and forgiveness are the gateways to healing and transformation; we recognize that discernment and reflection are necessary to our spiritual walk for the growth and development of our faith.
We are committed to being an authentic and loving congregation that forgives those who mistreat us. We value the truth and will be honest with each other to build trust, respect, and intimacy and walk with integrity in the world.
We align ourselves with the associational principles of the American Baptists Churches USA and to the global ministries, we discern God is calling us to engage.

Our History

“Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” – Psalm 100:3

The history is of the Devoe Street Baptist Church is rich and unique, based on the love of God and the love of God’s people.

The Devoe Street Baptist Church was born out of the Brooklyn City Mission Society after Italian immigrants met and persuaded a converted missionary to come to their homes and hold religious meetings. Initial meetings were held in the homes of Italian families and later a factory before moving services to an unoccupied Baptist church on Union Avenue.

The church was established in 1904 under the Home Mission Society. At that time, Rev. Antonio Mangano, a graduate of Brown University, was assigned to the Pastorate (and he would go on to pastor on three separate occasions).

In 1911, the church was dedicated as the Marie Louise Dietz Memorial/Italian Baptist Church. The initial building was erected at 18 Jackson Street, the church building remained at this location until 1938 when the building was destroyed to make room for the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. In 1941, the church moved to its present location at 140 Devoe Street.

Beginning in the late 1950s the all-Italian congregation reached out to African-American families moving into the new and nearby Cooper Park Houses and invited them to worship. This forward-thinking missionary effort, combined with the congregation’s love and commitment to Christ was a tremendous success.

In 1977 the church name was changed from the First Italian Baptist Church to the Devoe Street Baptist Church, to better reflect the diversity of the congregation and the community. Over the years the church has opened its doors to various community organizations, including the Central Brooklyn Churches, Narcotics Anonymous, and Mother’s Love.

Rev. Antonio Mangano

Rev. Walter Parrish, III

Rev. Dr. Campbell B. Singleton, III

Rev. Dr. Mariah Britton

The Devoe Street Baptist Church has been blessed with outstanding multi-ethnic servant leaders called to the role of pastor or interim pastor:

1904 – Rev. Antonio Mangano (Pictured)
1920’s – Rev. Peter E. Saltarelli and Rev. Bincent Coletta
1931 – 1941 Dr. Antonio Mangano
1942 – 1945 Rev. Anthony Vasquez
1945 – Dr. Antonio Mangano
1945 – Rev. Guy T. Stella
1950’s – Rev. Arthur Daniel, Rev. Bruno Miltano, and Rev. L.H.R. Hass (Interim)
1960 – 1985 Rev. Rollin Williams
1985 –1990 Rev. Walter Parrish, III (First Black Pastor) (Pictured)
1991 – 2005 Rev. Frederick C. Ennette
2008 – Rev. Dr. Campbell B. Singleton, III (Interim) (Pictured)
2014 – 2017 Rev. Dr. Mariah Britton (Interim, First Female Pastor) (Pictured)

It is by faith, love, and the commitment to serve God and all people that after more than 115 years the Devoe Street Baptist Church remains an essential and supportive element of the North Brooklyn community and beyond.