Only one church in America can make the claim that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached and taught there when he was in seminary school. You’d think that church would be a national landmark. You’d think it would be a tourist attraction with a visitor center.

You’d think it would be a hub where social and criminal justice thought leaders would gather and create policy. You’d think school buses would be pulling up on the regular, giving students a history lesson and showing them the very pulpit he preached from and the church office he studied in. You’d think it would be a showcase for everything MLK.

Calvary Baptist Church, at 1616 W. Second Street in Chester, could still be the nucleus of contemporary Chester pride. But there’s no vision coming out of the church or the community. The building still looks great. But, like with so many other churches, the membership is dwindling down to nothing, and the church is struggling to find the finances to stay alive. Will it survive the coronavirus shutdown?

Pennsylvania historical marker in front of Calvary Baptist Church

Thousands of vehicles travel past the church every day and have no clue what that historical marker at the front door says. But, when you tell people you’re talking about the church with the MLK mural on the side, everyone knows what you’re talking about. You’d think the mural would at least be lit up at night.

Here’s a little relic by my man John Kopp of the Philly Voice back in 2015:

An old mirror hangs in the pastoral office at Calvary Baptist Church in Chester. Lacking a frame, its upper-right corner chipped away some time ago.
The former pastor, Rev. Bayard Taylor, sought to remove the mirror a while back, but before doing so, he learned of its significance. And the mirror stayed.
Martin Luther King Jr. had gazed into that very mirror soon after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Wondering aloud, King asked, “Who am I?”

Of all the black churches that are dying in Chester, Calvary Baptist has perhaps the most potential to stay alive. The fact that up to now no one has found a way to capitalize on its association with the most famous Black American icon is embarrassing.

Those of us in the city of Chester still have a chance to turn this underperforming church into a national attraction, but will we do it? Or will it take someone from outside the community to recognize the treasure that is Calvary Baptist Church?

I’m betting it’s going to happen. The question is when, and by whom?

Stefan Roots blogs at Chester Matters and at Covid While Black.