On the first Sunday of November, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke openly about faith, belonging and the role of city governance in responding to the needs of neighborhoods at First Baptist Church of Crown Heights.
He spoke about his friendship and admiration for Rev. Rashad Raymond Moore, the pastor of First Baptist Church dedicated to advancing the role of tradition and ritual in historically Black Institutions.
Mamdani met Moore in Albany when he was an assembly member, and recalled running to him to ask for a meeting when they first met.
On Sunday, Mamdani acknowledged the different roles that the church has in the community. He spoke of the church as a place for belonging, but also a place to talk about problems that need solving or where mercy is called upon.
“I will not pretend to know what afflicts each one of you in this room,” Mamdani said. In his time as mayor, he said, he has listened to thousands of New Yorkers and their needs.
“Listening to New Yorkers as they wondered out loud to me: ‘What was the point of City government if they never saw or felt it in their lives?’” Mamdani said. “And I listened to New Yorkers as they told me how they could not afford to call our city home any longer.”
The Mayor drew upon Hebrews 10:39, commanding the community to find a path forward.
Historically, First Baptist Church has been a place that does just that. The Church was founded in 1953, first as a storefront on Throope Avenue, then on Moore street, before being displaced when the City acquired their property for a housing project.
They finally moved into 450 Eastern Parkway in August 1969, becoming the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights.
Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Clarence Norman Sr., the church grew to over 2,000 founding members. Norman extended his outreach in the community beyond the pulpit, and founded the Local Development Corporation of Crown Heights, which built or renovated more than 800 units of affordable housing.
The church is described as one “anchored in its past, alive in its present and leaning with hope toward its future."
“My friends, that work, that work of refusing to shrink, no matter what lies before us, does not only unify us as New Yorkers," Mamdani said. "It defines us as New Yorkers."
