The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page X8

CYANMAGYELBLK TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 8 ditlo 8 Thursday, June 24, 2004 THE TENNESSEAN www.tennessean.com A special section The Heart of Historic Nashville Jefferson Street Germantown Customer longevity is one reason behind minority-owned success By GETAHN WARD StaffWriter Lealand Marcus Smith got this piece of banking advice from his now-deceased grandfather seven years ago upon moving here from Atlanta to help run the funeral home. told me the only bank I could go to was Smith recalls of Marcus Gunter, owner of William Gunter Sons Funeral Home, who died last year. my grandfather, my uncle, had accounts with Citizens, also my Smith was referring to Citizens Savings Bank Trust, the venerable Nashville-based bank the funeral home has banked with since its startup in 1946. Such customer loyalty as well as a niche providing financing for buildings by Nashville-area churches have ensured longevity as one of the oldest minority-owned banks. The bank turned a century old this year, a rarity in an industry known for mergers and acquisitions.

Citizens, with its main branch on Jefferson Street, has played a role in the growth of other black-owned businesses and churches as well. Consider Antioch Baptist. Two years after forming in the home of pastor Marcel Kellar, the church bought a building off Trinity Lane after obtaining an $85,000 loan from Citizens. were able to meet the needs of a small starting said Kellar, 74, whose close ties to Citizens dated back to when he led another church. Other larger Nashville banks were more concerned about the congregation being only 2 years old, and Citizens ended up offering the lowest interest rate, he said.

Such lending to churches has actually been critical for Citizens. About of its loan portfolio consists of financings for churches building new sanctuaries, and day-care and retirement centers. a steady niche that executives said has helped the bank weather ebbs and flows of challenges, such as changing economic conditions. Chairman T.B. Boyd III said the bank might offer more flexible terms because churches are the single lending market a bank can possibly are the most stable, the most supported and respected institutions in our reach, however, extends beyond churches.

It had a role in financing recent building projects in predominantly black north Nashville, from the Otey Center retail development to the new Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center. The bank is profitable, earning $450,000 last year. Citizens ended 2003 with $55 million in assets. And from one initial location in the law offices of cofounder J.C. Napier, Citizens today operates from four sites, including two in-store branches.

Going forward, Citizens officials said trying to preserve the historical commitment, while continuing to reach out to the broader Nashville community. Citizens was started in 1904 by a group of well-known local African-American businessmen and civic leaders to serve their community with dignity and respect. Its initial mission was to encourage savings and entrepreneurship among blacks. This year, Citizens added a new business mission statement and also has plans to open locations beyond the hub in predominantly black north Nashville. will be known for our commitment, unique leadership, extraordinary customer service, targeted array of services, and programs administered by a highly talented team of dedicated financial reads a portion of the statement.

the years, the bank has received support not only from the African-American community, but from the total Boyd III said, citing another factor in longevity. fact speaks very highly of the city Another area in which Citizens has seen longevity is having a member of the Boyd family in a top leadership role since its startup. Current Chairman Boyd III is the great-grandson of former slave R.H. Boyd, first president of what initially was One Cent Savings Bank Trust and founder of the National Baptist Publishing Board. just think a great said Kellar, who has known each family leader of the bank since Henry Allen Boyd the son of the founder who was president of Citizens from 1922 to 1959 and served as pastor of the church Boyd III attends.

was the only place a lot of African-Americans had to finance their homes for many Smith of Gunter Sons is proud to be fulfilling one of his wishes. always spoke highly of Citizens and wanted to continue our business there well after he passed and hoped they flourish and do well which they have. He believed in the bank and also had a very personal relationship with Dr. T.B. After 100 years, Citizens Bank still thrives in helping churches, businesses grow By PAM SHERBORNE For The Tennessean Two historical churches found in the historic Germantown district today have been linked closely with the recent revitalization of this 18-city block area about one mile north of downtown Nashville.

wants to be in a neighborhood without a church in said Michael Emerick, who moved into the area in 1979. The Church of the Assumption, at 1227 Seventh Ave. was first established in the area in 1859, served by Father John A. Vogel. The first Methodist congregation was established in 1867 under the Rev.

W.D. F. Sawie. According to John Lawrence Connelly, a Davidson County historian who was raised in this area of Nashville, the first Methodist Church, called the North High Methodist Church, was at 1223 Sixth Ave. N.

congregation outgrew that little church, and in 1906 the Monroe Street United Methodist Church was Connelly said. The North High Methodist Church is now the Eighth Street Baptist Church. All the churches in the area struggled through the hard times. Changes to the community at the turn of the 20th century and the decay that followed almost closed the door on the Church of the Assumption and the Monroe Street United Methodist Church. when these two churches decided to renovate and stay in the community, it seemed that was the time when the whole revitalization first Emerick said.

The revitalization went further, however, than the renovation of the churches. The Church of the Assumption and Monroe Street United Methodist were the founders of the annual Oktober- fest. This annual event has brought many visitors into the area, raising the awareness of that community. Emerick said Berdelle and Ernest Campbell, longtime residents of the area, actually bought their first house in Germantown after attending that first Oktober- fest in 1980. Father Bernard Niedergeses, who has been a pastor of the Church of the Assumption for 34 years, said his congregation and the Methodist church congregation had been friends for a long time.

Connelly was a member of the Methodist church for a long time, and he came up with the idea of the Niedergeses said. group from each church met together and planned it. felt this was a great way to remember our historical background, to help remember our little bit of German heritage that seemed to be slipping he said. Connelly said although the Eighth Street Baptist Church participate in the planning of Oktoberfest, it does participate by having activities during the celebration. The Oktoberfest begins with church services at 9 a.m.

at The Church of the Assumption and Monroe Street United Methodist. When that concludes, the two congregations meet together in the street and have a very short service, Connelly said. the omp-pah-pah he said. is authen- tic German food and American food. There are booths with crafts.

There is a play park for the Connelly said the Rev. Rosemary Brown, pastor of Monroe Street Methodist, is in charge of the play park. is he said. has been in this church for eight Two historical churches credited with revitalizing Germantown TENNESSEAN FILE PHOTO Evelyn Kempson, now deceased, worked at keeping The Church of the Assumption in Germantown clean for 20 years. The church was founded in 1859 and is the second-oldest Catholic church in Nashville.

The Germantown community grew around that church and the North High Methodist Church, which was established in 1867. By NATALIA MIELCZAREK StaffWriter On Fisk lawn that borders the legendary Jefferson Street stands a historic marker commemorating the Nashville sit-in movement. shielded by a tree branch and barely visible to passers-by. But in the right area, to some surprise. true that the sit-ins happened in downtown Nashville at lunch counters, not on Jefferson Street.

true that the Freedom Riders, the students who came here from across the country, took buses and got arrested in Jackson, not on Jefferson Street. also true that many of those who fought for equality were called by racial epithets downtown, not on Jefferson Street. But the majority of the brain power behind the sit-in movement, non-violent resistance and bus rides was located nowhere else but on Jefferson Street. Not only that the overwhelming support that the activists received came from Jefferson Street business owners and residents. Kwame Leo Lillard knows firsthand.

Before Nashville became the first major city to desegregate public facilities after months of protests, Lillard was a graduate of Tennessee State University. He was just 20 years old in 1960. Bound for India to work with the Quakers, he became one of the original members of the central command on Jefferson Street that trained Freedom Riders and taught nonviolence. He said he joined the movement because of for a ll the insults that I saw (done) to my people, particularly the women having to pee in the alley behind the department store because they go to the The Nashville sit-in movement was sparked by the sit-in organized by four students in Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 1, 1960.

Twelve days later, Nashville followed on a much larger scale. The sit-in movement here was used across the nation as an example of how an organized non-violent movement should operate. Together with then Fisk University student Diane Nash, Lillard met daily in churches and a house he calls central command to prepare for long and dangerous bus rides to Mississippi. Most of the local students who participated were those from Fisk, TSU and American Baptist By RICK MOORE For The Tennessean Nashville, and the South, are known for a rich Christian heritage, and Jefferson Street has been home to some of the most important churches serving predominantly African-American congregations. Three of those churches are Mount Zion Baptist Church, Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church and Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church.

Mount Zion was organized in 1866, but its well-known church building at 1112 Jefferson St. erected until 1905. Twelve years ago, the church began to grow by leaps and bounds. In 1992, when the church had a congregation of about 175 members, Bishop Joseph J. Walker III became the pastor at Mount Zion, and church growth has exploded under his direction.

While a weekly Bible study is still held at the Jefferson Street location, Mount reach now extends beyond its origins to two other church locations. In October 2001, Mount Zion completed a $17 million state-of- the-art ministry complex on Old Hickory Boulevard in Whites Creek that seats more than 5,000 people. And in December 2003, Mount Zion completed construction of a third location on Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch. In total, about 14,000 people are members of Mount Zion. Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, at 2708 Jefferson was organized in 1887 by a coffin maker as the North College Street Baptist Church in a storefront on what is now Third Avenue.

That site was sold in 1920, and the site at 2708 Jefferson St. was purchased. The current sanctuary at that site was built in 1976. The Rev. James Thomas, who has been with the church for 33 years, said the church deals with a variety of social issues in the community.

The church today has a congregation of about 500 members. Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church, at 1410 Jefferson originated in 1885 on what is now 11th Avenue North as part of a split in the congregation of Mount Zion. Pastor Alvin E. Miller said the current church building was built in 1926. Miller explained how the name came into being.

was told that, when the Three Jefferson Street churches have been serving worshippers since the 1800s ERIC PARSONS STAFF Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Jefferson Street drew a standing-room- only crowd during a recent Wednesday bible study. TENNESSEAN FILE PHOTOS In April 1960, Nashville city councilman Z. Alexander Looby was comforted by his law partner Avon Williams after a bomb wrecked home. The bombing was found to be orchestrated by segregationists.

Days after the attack, a line of black student demonstrators wound its way around the courthouse area, coming out from Jefferson Street and James Robertson Parkway toward City Hall. The students were protesting the Looby bombing; they marched three abreast and the line stretched for 10 blocks. Jefferson Street sit-in movement PHOTO BY NATALIA MIELCZAREK Kwame Leo Lillard sits on steps that led to a house where Freedom Riders gathered for training before being arrested. a former member of the central command, which was disbanded in the 1960s. Sit-ins continues on page 9 Churches continues on page 9 The current chairman of Citizens Bank is T.

B. Boyd III, great-grandson of R. H. Boyd. Former slave R.H.

Boyd founded One Cent Savings Bank and Trust, which became Citizens Bank..