Chatham County GaArchives History .....The 1st African Baptist Church, Chapter XIV 1925
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 11, 2004, 10:13 pm

CHAPTER XIV.

   Rev. Thomas Jefferson Goodall, D. D., hails from Tennessee. He was educated
at Roger Williams University. When invited to pay a visit to the First African
Baptist Church, he was serving the church at Jackson, Term., where he was
succeeding finely and rapidly rising into prominence. Though younger in
appearance than any other pastor since Rev. George Leile, he made a profound
impression upon the church. From that date his popularity continued to increase
despite other visitors. After protracted prayer meetings, the officers of the
church recommended him. He was unanimously elected pastor, May 1,1915.

   Dr. Goodall is a brainy man and a forceful and practical preacher, as well as
an orator of no mean ability. He is also quite aggressive; and while at the
First Church, he was ever on the alert and contentious for every right, honor
and distinction that should come to Mother Zion. Assuming charge about the time
the National Sunday School and Baptist Young People's Union Congress was
developing, he kept her fully represented in that body and often saw that she
was in conspicuous places on the program. Some of her delegates became familiar
figures at these annual gatherings. Since the days of Dr. Love he did more to
popularize her and keep her in the limelight than any other pastor.

   Being war time, money was quite plentiful and the congregations were large.
Hence he espoused a program of general church improvement and the congregation
cheerfully responded. The basement was modernized. . A kitchen, dining room,
rest rooms, and other apartments were constructed and furnished. The ceiling of
the auditorium was beautifully paneled; upstairs and downstairs were ceiled with
ornamental metal shingles, the lighting equipment was improved and the interior
of the church was embellished and beautified so as to lend a charm and grandeur
that vied with the prettiest edifices in the whole country.

   In the years immediately succeeding the World War, the cost of living took a
sharp and continuous rise while wages were constantly descending. The country
became panicky and Negroes continued to go north. These general conditions,
together with some dissatisfactions in the church caused a considerable slump in
the attendance and receipts of the church. Pastor Goodall had long felt that his
salary should be increased and had made it known to the deacons, but they could
not see their way to recommend it. About this time he visited Philadelphia and
pretty soon received a call to the Second Baptist Church of Germantown, a suburb
of Philadelphia. After considerable parley, he eventually offered his
resignation to the church with an appendage that filed numerous charges against
the deacons and an offer to remain with the church provided he was granted a
raise in salary, a new board of deacons and some other minor requests. Intense
excitement followed. The deacons caught, unexpectedly, and surprised at the
pastor's move, asked for time to make their defense. Their request was granted
and the time set for the next regular conference. The pastor declined to be
present. The deacons were completely exonerated and the pastor's resignation
accepted. He preached his final sermon and his administration terminated
December 31,1922, being the first pastor during the 150 years of its existence
that ever left the First African Baptist Church by a vote of that body. Only two
others ever departed except by death. They were Rev. George Leile who by force
of national conditions left for Jamaica in 1782 and Rev. Wm. J. Campbell, who,
in a fit of passion, withdrew with a body of members in 1859 to form another
church.

   Dr. Goodall is still at the Second Church, Germantown, in good health and
rendering excellent service.


Additional Comments:
From:

THE FIRST AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA

BY REV. EDGAR GARFIELD THOMAS, A. B., B. D.
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Copyright, 1925
By E. G. Thomas, Author.


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