The History and Spirit of the House of the Lord Churches
415 Atlantic Avenue
I feel compelled to relate how we came to 415 Atlantic Avenue. I have mentioned Reverend Clarence Williams and how he introduced me to Operation Breadbasket. It was during a meeting at Operation Breadbasket that another minister mentioned the church on Atlantic Avenue. We had been looking at another church on Monroe Street in Brooklyn. We thought it was ideal, the seating capacity was about 300 and it had a gym upstairs and it was a church building. We put our money down as a binder. When we returned to close the deal, the owners found a loophole in the clause in the contract that allowed them to refuse the agreement.
I was despondent and confused. How could God allow this to happen? The church seemed so perfect for our needs. For months I was in a state of confusion, despondency, bewilderment and dejection. Then at one of our Saturday morning breadbasket meetings, I was told by one of the ministers about Atlantic Avenue. Immediately we got in touch with the Bishop of the church. Yes, the church was for sale. It was $50,000 dollars. This was $15,000 less than what we would have paid for the Monroe Street church. In addition, it was ideally located for our kind of holistic ministry. It was in walking distance to all the centers of power and influence i.e. the thriving Downtown Brooklyn business community was several blocks away on Fulton Street. The Borough President’s office was only six or seven blocks. The headquarters of the Board of Education was even less than four or five blocks away at the time. City Hall was a quart of a mile away – across the Brooklyn bridge and Warren Street was a few minutes' walk from City Hall. In thirty minutes, we could walk from our church to any one of these points I mentioned. And then it was accessible, easy to convey directions, from anywhere in the world.
Again, I learned a lesson that I thought I had learned. Trust God no matter what the situation appears to be. God works in all things for the good, according to the Scripture which tells us “God will make everything work for the good, for them that love God and to them that are the called according to his purpose.”
Once we settled into 415 Atlantic Avenue, our church began to grow in numbers and influence. In the following, I tell the story of my life in times and our church's growth and influence:
HERBERT DANIEL DAUGHTRY SR.,
The Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry hails from a family which has produced six generations of Black church leaders. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised on the streets of Brooklyn, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey, Reverend Daughtry has risen to positions of national and international prominence.
More than 66 years of involvement in church and community, national and international service has earned him the title, "The People's Pastor." After serving for 61 years, Dr. Daughtry resigned in 2019 as the National Presiding Minister of The House of the Lord Churches. The Reverend Leah Daughtry, the eldest daughter of the Reverend Dr. Herbert and Karen Daughtry became the National Presiding Minister. However, the Reverend still remains active in the church; local, national, and global affairs. He is presently the Founder and President of the Herbert Daughtry Global Ministries.
Reverend Daughtry's long career of activism began with the civil rights struggles in the late 1950s. In collaboration with the:
Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
Welfare Rights Mothers (WRM)
Youth In Action (YIA), an anti-poverty program in Brooklyn. In the beginning of the war against poverty initiated by President Kennedy and continued by President Lyndon Johnson, Reverend Daughtry was one of the early organizers. He was Vice Chairman of Youth in Action, one of the first and most important anti-poverty programs.
1960s
Brooklyn Operation Breadbasket (BOB) 1962, the economic arm of the Southern Christian Leadership conference, founded and headed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Reverend Herbert played a key role first in the fight for integration for the schools, later he was a founding member of The Clergy Vigil which now fought for community control of schools.
1970s
The year 1975, in his ever widening attempt to reach all parts of the human family, Dr. Daughtry commenced the ministry to the New York Jets football team. He was introduced to the coaches and team by the late renowned Evangelist Tom Skinner. He continued association with some of the players for many years thereafter.
In 1976, as a result of the killing of 15-year-old Randolph Evans by a New York City police officer. Reverend Daughtry became a major force in organizing the Coalition of Concerned Leaders and Citizens to Save Our Youth. The group used economic boycotts to win jobs and services for the Black community from merchants in downtown Brooklyn. Their effort resulted in the establishment of the Randolph Evans Memorial Scholarship Fund (REMSF) in 1978 and continued until the present. And the Randolph Evans Memorial Crisis Fund, and numerous other initiatives.
Alonzo Daughtry Memorial Family Life Services, Inc, (ADMFLS) He is one of the founding members of ADMFLS, which serves the needs of the community through innovative programming such as Project Enlightenment, an AIDS educational program.
The Alonzo Daughtry Memorial Day Care Center, Inc. (ADMDC) He was a founding member which provides early childhood education under the motto, “Nurturing and Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow."
Commission on African Solidarity (COAS) 1977, as a Pan-Africanist the Reverend prioritized in his ministry, unity among people of African Ancestry. He formed the Commision on African Solidarity. One of its major accomplishments was a fundraiser for example Zimbabwe African Peoples Unity (ZAPU). The check was presented to Mr. Joshua Nkomo at the House of the Lord church in 1977. Mr. Nkomo was not only the president of ZAPU but he was considered the Godfather of the Southern Africa Liberation.
The Coalition of Concerned Leaders and Citizens to Save our Youth evolved into the New York Metropolitan Black United Front in July 1978. The success of the New York Black United Front inspired the call for a national organization. In both organizations he is still actively involved.
To be continued…