Community of Faith Church Honors Jack Yates in 150th Anniversary

By Laura Onyeneho

The Community of Faith Church (COF), a cornerstone of Houston’s Black history, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary with a spectacular production titled “The Vision Continues: Still Changing the World by Faith.”

The production, held at the Wortham Center, paid homage to the church’s rich legacy and the enduring impact of its founder, Reverend Jack Yates.

It was rooted in the vision and work of Yates, a former slave who became a towering figure in Black history.

Many who hear his name often refer to the high school names after him, but Yates was a hero recognized as the “Father of Black Houston.”

Yates was born into slavery in Virginia in the early 1800s, yet he overcame great adversity to become a revolutionary leader. His mother, Rachel, was a caregiver to their enslaver’s child, who secretly taught Yates reading, writing and arithmetic–skills that became a cornerstone of his ministry and advocacy. His slave master also taught him about business. Yates would assist him on his business trips, observe how he worked, how to relate with people and how to save money. With that knowledge, he was able to buy his freedom.

However, he decided to revert to slavery after Yates’ wife, Harriet, and their three children were relocated to Matagorda County, Texas, by a neighboring slave owner. After emancipation in 1865, Yates and his wife, Harriet, settled in Houston. Union soldiers visited Galveston to read the General Order No. 3, informing Texans that all enslaved persons were free. Although many slaves were freed, many had nowhere to go. Yates saw Houston’s Freedmen’s Town as a place to rebuild his life.

As the first pastor of Houston’s first Black Baptist church, Antioch Baptist Church, he encouraged his members to take decisive action for the city’s sake. Antioch helped the newly liberated people grow socially, economically, and educationally while also allowing them to learn about God.

In 1873, Yates led a small group of Christians to establish Mount Pillow Missionary Baptist Church, which would later become the COF. Over the decades, the church evolved from a modest gathering to one of Houston’s most influential institutions, dedicated to education, social justice, and spiritual growth. He also made it his duty to teach freed slaves all the knowledge and skills he’d learned to start their businesses.

Carrying the Torch

Bishop James Dixon II has been the pastor of The Community of Faith Church for over 40 years. He assumed the role at the young age of 18 and has since led the church to significant growth and impact within the Houston community. Under Bishop James Dixon’s visionary leadership, the church has grown from 150 to over 5,000 members, which The COF calls “Kingdom Visioneers.” Dixon reflected on the impact of Yates’ legacy.

“Jack Yates… he founded all these schools, and churches, and all of these enterprises. What was his daily discipline like?” he said on stage during the production. “Who would look back on Jack Yates and say he did too much? Emancipation Park, TSU (Texas Southern University), Bishop College, Freedman’s Town…aren’t you glad he did all he did?”

Danny Johnson is a COF member and grandson of the late Rev. Charlie Daniel James Dixon, one of its former pastors. He said the COF has opened doors and provided resources for people in the community, and he is proud that his cousin has done well carrying on the mission of service to those in need.

“We are here to honor a Black slave that founded this church and here we are celebrating the founders who still [keep] the Community of Faith going,” he said. “This church molded me as a young Black man knowing how to serve God, respect others, and be able to say that I’m a part of this foundation that we’re now standing on.”

Dixon has been at the forefront of fighting for Black people and disenfranchised communities. He has led against voter suppression laws in various cities and states, including Texas, where he stood with Texas legislators who walked out of session in 2021. Bishop Dixon and Dr. Frederick Haynes led a Prayer March on the Capitol in Austin, Texas, attracting hundreds of pastors from across the state. They also led a powerful March and rally in Washington, D.C., with support from pastors nationwide.

Bishop Dixon co-founded No Trafficking Zone in 2019, led by Jacquelyn Aluotto, to combat human trafficking in various settings worldwide. The initiative aims to create No Trafficking Zones in venues, schools, churches, and organizations. In 2020, NRG Park became the first No Trafficking Zone sports venue. In 2021, Texas passed the NTZ Law, protecting every school.

Dixon’s NTZ Faith aims to educate, enlist, and engage pastors and churches in combating modern slavery. Dixon founded Good Gang USA in 1995, a youth empowerment organization focusing on Moral, Educational, Cultural, Social, and Artistic development.

“[My dad] has a legacy to fulfill. Looking back at all the history that we watched just now about Jack Yates’s life and his goal to empower Black people, we have the task of continuing to do the same thing in our generation,” James W.E Dixon III.  “I’ve always learned about the legacy he [Yates] left here and how it connects to my family.”

Matthew Cosby, a member of the Wheeler Baptist Church, had no idea about Dixon’s family ties with Yates and was amazed at the theatre production in honor of COF’s anniversary and its founder.

The production paid tribute to other transformative leaders who carried Yates’s vision forward, especially Bishop Dixon, who has led the church into the 21st century with initiatives addressing education, social justice, and community development,” he said. “It’s amazing to see that one of my best friend’s father was a part of the story of Jack Yates [story].

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