Community History - Covington - Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church began meeting in December 1927. The first worship service was held at the home of John Lattimore at 1209 Maryland Avenue. Soon thereafter, a former stable was offered to the congregation by a Mrs. Butler. The stable was located on east 11th Street. On April 21, 1928, Macedonia Missionary Baptist achieved church status under the direction of the Reverend E. Kelley of nearby Calvary Baptist Church.
The old stable building was used by the congregation until 1939 when the property was acquired by the federal government for the construction of the Jacob Price Public Housing complex. The congregation found quarters in an upholstery shop on Bush Street while a new church was being constructed at 219 E. 11th Street.
In 1965, Joseph R Garr was named Pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Garr was borne in Boyle County, Kentucky and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse. During his childhood, the Garr family moved to Akron, Ohio. He then served four years in the United States Army during the Korean War. Garr was wounded in the left arm. Following the war, Garr became a mortician. He eventually established the Joseph R. Garr Funeral Service in Cincinnati. In 1991, he purchased the E.B. Delaney and Sons Funeral Home in Covington.
Joseph R. Garr remained Pastor of the congregation until his retirement in 1995. Under his guidance, the current church building was completed at 323 E. 11th Street, a nursery was begun and a junior usher board was established.
Kentucky Post, December 2, 1978, p. 2, January 31, 1991, p. 9k, January 18, 1993, p. 6k and May 13, 1995, p. 9k.
