In March 1964, Pastor Francis was commissioned by Rev. Dr. Enoch Backford Sr, Pastor of Salem Union Baptist Church, Parliament Street. He was sent to continue the work of the Salem Grove Mission located on Baillou Hill Road at the old Jordan Memorial School. The Church then relocated to a parcel of land on Market Street and Coconut Grove Avenue. This land was leased to Pastor Francis by the late Sis Coral Huyler, leasing it for a shilling and a half. It was at this location that the first edifice was built, a wooden tin-roofed structure that was renamed the First Baptist Church because it was the first Baptist Church that was situated on the eastern side of Market Street. From a membership of a family and a half, the church blossomed into a rich membership. It was from this platform that he touched the lives of many, many people. He, along with his wife (Dr Marjorie Francis) served diligently and faithfully in the Lord’s house. Dr Marjorie served as the Church’s Organist for over 45 years, leading the Chapel Choir and retiring in 2010. In 1978, Pastor Earle and Dr Marjorie matriculated to the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louiseville, Kentucky. During this time the Church was left in the care of Rev. Glenroy Deveaux and Rev Harold Bodie (Co-Leaders). Rev. Harold Bodie was instrumental in reconstructing the Church’s wooden structure to a stone building. As the founding Pastor, he served faithfully for 50 (fifty) years: ordaining ministers and deacons, marrying couples, burying the dead, dedicating infants and catering to the physical and spiritual needs of the members of his “flock” and of the Grove community. “The Earle”, as he was affectionately called, was diverse in his apostolic approach to ministry. Pastor Francis established 5 (five) Mission churches that all came out of First Baptist Church: South Beach Union Baptist Church- Rev. Wilton McKenzie, Pastor; Harold Road Union Baptist Church- Overseer Othnel Humes; Cedars of Lebabon Baptist Church- Rev. Dr. Charles Rolle, Pastor; Mt. Theos Baptist Church- Rev. Dr. Joseph Knowles, Pastor; River of Life Union Baptist Church- Rev. Dr. Philip Ferguson, Pastor. In June 2014, after much opposition the late Pastor Francis was succeeded by his daughter, Rev. Diana Francis. On September 11, 2014, she was installed as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church. The ministry continues to do well, serving the community of the Grove and beyond. Pastor Diana Francis continues to cater to the spiritual and physical needs of the membership, by the help of the Almighty God, carrying on the legacy of her late father.
