6000 30th Street
New Light Baptist Church, Burnette Baptist Church
The cornerstone for New Light Baptist Church was laid on July 31, 1949. At the time, Reverend A. M. Martin pastored the church. This information took me ages to find because it was misreported in the newspaper as 6000 Thirteenth, not Thirtieth street.
Throughout its history, the congregation helped its parishioners get jobs, donated time and money to disabled veterans, and hosted community events.
Across the city, Burnette Baptist Church was founded on October 10, 1953, by Reverend J. Allen Caldwell. At the time, they met in a storefront at Mack and Dubois. When the church was incorporated two years later, its registered address was 4600 Russell Street, near where the Matrix Human Services Plymouth Center is today.
In 1962, New Light Baptist Church Church moved to 5240 W. Chicago Boulevard, across from Nardin Park, where it still resides. After vacating their space at 30th and Cobb, Burnette Baptist Church moved in.
Under the leadership of the charismatic Reverend J. Allen Caldwell, the congregation continued to grow.
In 1969, the congregation hosted its first annual ‘March Against Sin.’ Organizers said it wasn’t a march against the government—it was strictly against crime and narcotics. It occurred for at least three years.
In 1970, Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright were married at Burnette Baptist Church. Wonder was 20 at the time; Wright was 23. They would divorce by 1972.
In August 1978, Burnette Baptist Church moved again. They relocated to 16801 Schoolcraft, just under a 15-minute car ride away. The parish still utilizes that building today. However, after the move, the congregation still used 6000 30th Street. They still hosted various events in the space, from concerts to outdoor services.
In 1981, said outdoor services sparked controversy. The congregation hosted a tent-covered event yearly in the vacant lot next to the church. After neighbors complained about noise and vandalism years prior, City Council denied permission for the church to host the event. After a few council members met with Reverend Caldwell, they moved to reconvene on the matter. Then-President Erma Henderson canceled the vote, as the event had already been moved inside.
In December 1991, the building sold for $56,000 as a part of a multi-parcel transaction. After that, I’m not certain what happened to the building.
I spoke with a neighbor about the structure for over a half-hour; he believed it had recently sold and had seen people working in the past weeks. He said one of his neighbors constantly called in those on the street not upkeeping their homes or with garbage outside, but they hadn’t called on the large pile of rubble outside the church. The whole block wants to see the building revitalized.
At some point, Burnette Baptist Church changed its name to Greater Burnette Baptist Church. The congregation is still located on Schoolcraft and is currently led by Reverend R. Patrick Johnson.
Reverend J. Allen Caldwell passed away in 2005. He preached for thousands of Detroiters in his lifetime, had a weekly broadcast on WJLB, and released at least two 7” singles through Von Record Company (run by Joseph Von Battle of Joe’s Records).
This corner of Detroit has more churches than any other I can recollect. 6000 30th Street may not be the most opulent, but I’m happy to have documented it.
