Organized in 1886 to aid people in need, Ebenezer occupied various locations in downtown Atlanta before relocating to the historically Black Sweet Auburn neighborhood following the deadly Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906. The Late Gothic Revival-style church was constructed in 1922 and became the spiritual home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his baptism to his death. In the early 1950s, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. commissioned Edward C. Miller, Georgia’s first licensed Black architect, to construct a new Education Building which would serve the congregation and community. Under the leadership of father and son from 1960 until Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Ebenezer hosted many gatherings of the Civil Rights Movement and is now a core part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park.

The national significance of Ebenezer Baptist continues as the congregation’s long-term pastor, Reverend Raphael G. Warnock, presently serves as a United States Senator. The congregation is large and vibrant with almost 3,000 members and 5,000 people nationwide streaming services each week on average. Even with its national presence, the congregation focuses its substantial outreach towards combating economic and racial disparity in Atlanta through social services, interfaith partnerships, and meal distribution.

A National Fund grant of $200,000 with $400,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation will allow Ebenezer Baptist to complete community-serving upgrades, including asbestos abatement, mechanical and HVAC improvements, and ADA accessibility work, in the Education Building. Church leaders hope this work will enable Ebenezer Baptist and its partners to expand the capacity “for in-person, virtual and hybrid social justice and civic engagement activities, in particular by youth and young adults.”