FEATURES

Pastor Ella Redfield’s New Creation

By Rev. Dr. Trisha Miller Manarin

Rev. Dr. Ella Redfield I n 1994, while working for the Department of the Treasury, Rev. Dr. Ella Redfield felt the call to ministry. No one seemed interested in calling Dr. Redfield to a senior pastor position; however, convinced God had called her, she decided to start a church in her hometown of Silver Spring/

Wheaton, Maryland.

Dr. Redfield wanted to form a church that was open to new things — one that did not conform to the “same old way” of many “black Baptist churches.” She called an ecclesiastical council of pastors in DC and Maryland, along with another church, that was pastored by a woman to endorse/bless the formation of the church. The churches — Walker Memorial Baptist in DC, Paramount Baptist, First Baptist N Brentwood,

Mt. Calvary Rockville, Covenant Baptist in DC, and the femaleled New Genesis Baptist Church — represented truly diverse perspectives and theological foundations. Interestingly, the pastors, not their representatives, came to the council. All were men — there were no women pastors at the time, and they all blessed Dr. Redfield’s new creation.

Dr. Redfield spent $2,000 of her own money to create a brochure, which aimed to spark curiosity. The cover featured only the words “New Creation,” and the inside invited those interested in a “new thing” to an October 29, 1994, meeting at the Holiday Inn. Then, Dr. Redfield gathered family and friends to pass out the pamphlet.

Forty people came to the gathering, which included a message, music and refreshments, and 14 of them said, “We will step out with Pastor Ella.” Three additional organizational meetings, also held at the Holiday Inn, followed that initial meeting. Dr. Redfield wanted to name the church “New Creation,” but being a good Baptist, she did not want to tell the group: She wanted the Spirit to lead. During a brainstorming session for the name, one man said, “The name is right here: New Creation.” Everyone agreed!

New Creation Baptist Church first met with another congregation in a church building that later closed. Eventually, New Creation purchased its own facility: a former African Methodist Episcopal Church that was built in 1871. The property was originally purchased by ex-slaves for $100.

Richard Allen, also a former slave, was the founder of what would be called the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church. In 1953/54, a major church renovation was undertaken and remnants of the original log cabin building, which had been constructed by “Jacks of all trades,” could still be found.

In August 2000, Allen Chapel AME sold its property to New Creation Baptist Church. After making some improvements to the building, the congregation, which had grown, moved in on the first Sunday of October. New Creation was only the second owner of the property. Doing ministry in the District of Columbia was a tremendous challenge, and for a woman whose home church had opposed her even going to seminary, the challenges for Dr. Redfield were plentiful! The District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) helped connect New Creation Baptist Church with the American Baptist Churches, USA (ABC). Rev. Dr. Robert Cochran, then DCBC’s associate director, and the interim before him, helped this new congregation. The ABC offered New Creation a new church start grant, providing $15,000 over five years.

In late 2020, New Creation merged with Zion Baptist Church to become Zion Baptist Church North. The congregation is housed in an old white church building tucked behind large trees with what may simply be thought of as a utilitarian grassy patch out front. On closer inspection, that patch is actually a cemetery whose hallowed grounds have stories to be told. Linger there a little while and names will appear. The oldest dates found on the tombstones are from 1890, but, undoubtedly, there are also older graves of former slaves whose loved ones simply did not have the means to purchase headstones. In those cases, they merely placed a rock as a marker.

Zion Baptist Church North may be small, but its ministry is mighty. Today, Dr. Redfield is the Executive Minister on the site where she attended Allen AME Church with her grandparents. Daily, her ancestors call out to her as she serves in this corner of Silver Spring/Wheaton — her great grandfather, great grandmother, as well as an aunt and uncle are all buried in the cemetery in front of the church building.

Our ancestral connections are powerful. They call out and sometimes even set straight the call of God on our lives. Perhaps, they even call forth new creation as we are marching to Zion! Thanks be to God for the faithful witness of these three congregations and the faithful following of our sister, Rev. Dr. Ella Redfield — an African American female Baptist pastor for such a time as this! 

Rev. Dr. Ella Redfield (center, back) enjoys a moment with some of the children of Zion Baptist Church - North.

Rev. Dr. Trisha Miller Manarin, E xecu tive Director/Minister