Editor’s note:  In last week's issue, we shared how Ernest Carl Morris, a local mailman with a small storefront church, was able to purchase his first freestanding church building thanks to an article in the Chestnut Hill Local and the generosity of our readers. This week, we continue his remarkable story of growth and community service.

When Ernest Morris acquired Grace Baptist Church in 1968 with help from Chestnut Hill Local readers, few could have predicted the impact his ministry would have on Philadelphia over the next five decades. A congregation that began with 37 chairs in a tiny storefront would grow to become one of the city's largest faith communities and a powerful force for social change.

The church continued to grow steadily under Morris's leadership, prompting several moves to accommodate the expanding congregation. In 1977, Rev. Morris relocated the church to 7800 Ogontz Ave. in West Oak Lane. This larger facility allowed him to establish a mental health program, a men's shelter, and a Get Set daycare program for children. 

"We almost had to close Get Set because the kitchen failed inspection,” Morris said. “We needed $10,000 to bring it up to code. Then we got a check for $10,000 from a stranger I had never met before and was unable to even locate. But that helped us to save Get Set."

By 1998, the congregation had grown so substantially that Morris moved the church to its current location at 6401 Ogontz Ave., a 37,000-square-foot facility that can seat 3,000 people. Today, with approximately 4,000 members, it stands as the third-largest church congregation in Philadelphia. Only Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cedarbrook and Calvary Chapel in the Somerton section of Northeast Philadelphia are larger.

The Church of God in Christ is an international Pentecostal denomination with more than six million members in the U.S., many of whom are Black. In 1999, Morris was elevated to the position of bishop, giving him oversight of 30 churches throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. 

Morris, known for his dynamic and passionate oratory, continued as senior pastor of Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ until 2010, when he turned over the leadership to Bishop J. Louis Felton. However, Morris still preaches regularly and remains active in overseeing issues across all 30 churches in his jurisdiction.

"It keeps me busy," said Morris, who recently celebrated his 92nd birthday. "I've gone all over the country to help start churches."

A legacy of service

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Morris's ministry has been his commitment to community service and social programs. Over the decades, he has started numerous ministries and built a staff of more than 150 full- and part-time employees, many of whom were earlier recipients of the church's programs.

The church operates Bethesda Manor, a full-service shelter for about 200 homeless men and ex-offenders that provides medical treatment, drug rehabilitation and vocational training. 

It also runs Stenton Family Manor, a comprehensive family shelter that houses and provides counseling and skills training for more than 250 abused and displaced women and children. They have also provided service to hundreds of women through their Welfare-to-Work program, and have maintained a scholarship program for 56 years.

These programs reflect Morris's original vision – inspired by seeing untended children in the streets – of creating not just a church but a community resource that addresses the full spectrum of human needs.

Morris, who served as president of The Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity, has received numerous awards, citations and honorary degrees throughout his career, including a Doctor of Divinity from Geneva University.

In 2019, his contributions to the community were recognized when a portion of Ogontz Avenue was renamed in his honor. At the renaming ceremony, 8th District Councilperson Cindy Bass honored his impact: "Bishop Morris is a living, breathing example of Black history. The work he's done for our communities over the last 50 years and that he continues to do is astounding... I believe that it's so important to recognize our community leaders while they're still here, and Bishop Morris is still working every day to make our neighborhoods a better place."

Family life and personal loss

Behind the public ministry has been a family equally committed to service. Morris's first wife, Sylvia, was deeply involved in the church until she died in 1975 at age 45. "We never took a vacation," Morris said. They had two children, Carla Greene, of Horsham, and Tanya Bardliving, of Wyndmoor. 

Carla served as choir director for the church for 40 years and ran the drama department, which staged plays at Merriam Theater and Keswick Theatre. She also worked as a principal at two schools in Abington. Tanya was a church organist for 20 years, executive director for three schools in Mt. Airy, and director of a school at Christ Lutheran Church in Chestnut Hill.

Morris's second wife, Winifred, brought impressive credentials to the ministry. With a Ph.D. in political science and fluency in three languages, she taught at Overbrook High School and founded the church’s Christian Day School. She died on January 5 of this year at age 82. The couple had two children, Ernest Jr., a caseworker at Stenton Farm Manor, and Jennifer Rose, a child advocacy lawyer in Washington, D.C. Morris has seven grandchildren.

The power of community journalism

As he reflects on his remarkable journey, Morris remains grateful for the role the Chestnut Hill Local played in launching his ministry.

“We have always been an outreach church dedicated to helping people. We do more than sing songs and preach sermons,” Morris said. But "I've never felt pressure in my ministry. I always had good people working for me who could always be counted on. Having a man like Deacon Walter Kimble, for example, makes a big difference. It has made my job so much easier."

"I can't complain about anything," he added. "I've had a good life with two wonderful wives, good children who all worked hard for the ministries and with the community, and seven grandchildren. And I am so appreciative of the Chestnut Hill Local. Without the Local, I could have never gotten the information out, and maybe all of our programs may not have existed.”

Back in 1967, when Marie Jones wrote that first article about a mailman who needed $4,000 to buy a church, she could hardly have imagined the cascading effect it would have. From those humble beginnings has grown a ministry that has touched tens of thousands of lives through spiritual guidance, education, housing, rehabilitation, and community support.

As the Chestnut Hill Local celebrates 70 years of community journalism, Morris's story stands as perhaps its most powerful testament to the impact a local newspaper can have — not just in reporting the news, but in helping to create it.

*For more information, visit mtairycogic.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com*