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Dr. Edward D. Harper Is Leading Macedonia Baptist Church to the Next Level
The Macedonia Baptist Church of Lakewood is literally a church on the move. Founded in 1905 when the Central New Jersey town of Lakewood had a bustling black community, Macedonia worshiped and praised in a small one-room sanctuary. The church expanded significantly through its 115 years and proudly owned five properties on an acre of land. In 2017, under the leadership of their pastor, Dr. Edward D. Harper, Macedonia sold its church building, three houses, and a vacant lot. Macedonia now meets in a temporary church in nearby Lakehurst. By the end of 2020, a 36,000 square foot multi-million-dollar facility on 18 acres of land in Jackson, New Jersey will be the new home of Macedonia Baptist Church.
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from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctorate from Columbia University. He was the former executive assistant to the president of the General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, former Strategic Planning chairman of the General Baptist Convention, former moderator of the Seacoast Missionary Baptist Association, and is presently chairman of the Permanent Council of the Seacoast Missionary Baptist Association. In addition, Dr. Harper was inducted into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. International Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 2013; is an alumnus of the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention Pastoral
“We are building a new building from the ground up,” explained Dr. Harper, Macedonia’s pastor for 20 years. “It’s going to be in three phases. The first phase is the sanctuary, bathrooms, and the elevator. Downstairs is going to be the multi-purpose room, kitchen, and offices. The second phase is going to be our educational wing. The third phase will be a recreational area. We are focused on a larger facility than what we had before.”
Dr. Harper and his wife, Virginia Ann Harper, moved to Lakewood in 2000, when he was named the 10th senior pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church of Lakewood. He holds five degrees including a Master of Divinity
