"Worship. Connect. Serve."
New Psalmist Baptist Church fills a 4,000-seat worship center at 6020 Marian Drive in west Baltimore. Worship. Connect. Serve. These three words are shorthand for a vision statement: "To intentionally LEAD as many persons as possible into a DYNAMIC, ENGAGING and LOVING relationship with Jesus Christ." What began in 1899 as a small Freewill Baptist gathering in a basement has grown into one of the largest congregations in the region, a body of more than 7,000 active members, with a global footprint that includes an accredited partnership at the United Nations Environment Program.
The present sanctuary was dedicated on October 16, 2010, the realization of a vision cast more than fifteen years earlier. It is the second purpose-built home the congregation has occupied in its modern era and the fifth in its history. The 4,000-seat worship facility anchors a 19-acre campus that also houses Zion Fitness Center, ministry offices, classrooms, and a food pantry, and was designed to minister to the needs of individuals in the 21st century.
From a Basement on Russell Terrace to 7,000 Members
The congregation was organized by Rev. Junius Gray in 1899 as the Right Independent Freewill Baptist Church. The first meetings were held in the basement of a house on Russell Terrace, with fewer than twenty members. By 1901 the small flock had purchased and moved to a two-story building at 1102 Parrish Alley; the following year the adjoining lot was acquired and a new church building was constructed. In 1911 the church, now renamed Psalmist Baptist Church, bought and remodeled a property at Riggs Avenue and Woodyear Street. Rev. Gray was an active community leader in his own right and pastored Psalmist Baptist Church for 47 years. Under his leadership, the congregation contributed $100 toward the salaries of Negro nurses in segregated colored schools.
Rev. Atkins was called to the pastorate in June 1948. Membership swelled, and in 1954 the church moved to a building at Druid Hill and North Avenues. During his tenure a baptismal pool was installed, a powder room for the ladies was added, air conditioning introduced, and a new pipe organ and hot water heater purchased. The $56,000 mortgage was paid off and burned in 1960. The congregation was renamed New Psalmist Baptist Church during this period. Rev. Atkins served until his sudden death on March 16, 1974.
Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr. was called in April 1975. Under his leadership the membership grew from roughly 200 to more than 7,000 active members. In 1978 the church moved again, this time to downtown Baltimore at Cathedral and Franklin Streets. In 1991 a church meeting voted to build a new facility; ground was broken in 1994, and on April 7, 1996 the congregation moved to 4501 1/2 Old Frederick Road, a multimillion-dollar worship center on 19 acres. Continuing growth led to another decision to expand in 2004; ground was broken in 2008; and in the fall of 2010 the church entered its current 4,000-seat sanctuary. Bishop Thomas served as pastor for 50 years, the longest tenure in New Psalmist's history, and now serves as Pastor Emeritus.
The Pastorate: Bishop Thomas Sr., Dr. Walter Thomas Jr., and the First Ladies
In August 2023, New Psalmist elected its fourth pastor, Rev. Dr. Walter S. Thomas, Jr., the eldest son of Bishop Thomas. Dr. Thomas first answered the call to preach in 2001 and delivered his inaugural sermon at New Psalmist under the spiritual guidance of his father. He was ordained into the ministry in 2007. He graduated Cum Laude from Morehouse College with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Psychology, was a top-ranking senior in his major department, earned his Master of Divinity at Howard University School of Divinity as a Lilly Foundation Fellow and Dean Evans Crawford Scholar, and completed his Doctor of Ministry at United Theological Seminary in 2023. Before returning to Baltimore he served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Steelton in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he led a comprehensive roofing project, modernized departments, and launched the Legacy Capital Campaign. He has served on the Governor's Advisory Commission on African American Affairs for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has presented at the Charles E. Booth Preaching Conference.
Since Dr. Thomas Jr. became senior pastor, the church has entered into a partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, baptisms are performed every month, and the membership has continued to grow. He and his wife, First Lady Jarrette Thomas, are the parents of two children, Lillian Grace and Walter III.
First Lady Jarrette Thomas, a Memphis native, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Women's Studies from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and a Master of Science in Women's Studies with a concentration in Women's Health from Towson University. She has worked as a Reproductive Health Educator and as a Transplant Assistant for UPMC Central PA, and currently serves as an Education Project Specialist supervising medical students and Advanced Practice Provider students. Within New Psalmist she has served faithfully in the Music Ministry, Fine Arts Ministry, Women's Ministry, and Vacation Bible School, and is a long-time member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and of the International Association of Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows Inc., where she has held local and state offices.
Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, Sr., now Pastor Emeritus, holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Maryland, a Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Religion, and a Doctor of Ministry from Saint Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, and has been awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Virginia Seminary and Bethune-Cookman College. He is the elected Bishop and Presiding Prelate of the Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors and has served as past president of the Hampton University Minister's Conference. He is a Myers Briggs Practitioner certified in MBTI assessments and interpretations and is widely regarded as a "pastor's pastor," coaching church leaders across the country. He is the author of Spiritual Navigation for the 21st Century, Good Meat Makes its Own Gravy, Outstanding Black Sermons Volume 4, and Hanging On By a Thread (2017), which outlines the THREAD Principle for restoring balance to people's lives. His broadcast "Empowering Disciples" airs on WJZ TV in Baltimore on Sunday mornings at 6:00 a.m.
Lady Patricia Thomas, the First Lady Emeritus, holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Morgan State University. She is the author or co-author of "Sister Strength: A Collection of Devotions for and from African American Women," "Seeds of Strength: Ministers Wives Stories," and a contributor to Bishop T.D. Jakes' "Woman Thou Art Loosed Cookbook, Vol. I." She and Bishop Thomas have three children, Joi, Walter Jr., and Joshua, and six grandchildren.
Sunday Mornings, Wednesday Noon, Thursday Nights
The rhythm of a week at New Psalmist is set by three regular gatherings. Sunday Morning Worship begins at 9:00 a.m. in the main sanctuary. On Wednesdays the Noon Day Worship offers a midday service at 12:00 noon. On Thursdays the Pastor Thomas Virtual Bible Study meets at 7:00 p.m. and is livestreamed online so members and friends can join from home. Services are also carried live on the church's online platform for those who cannot attend in person, and the pastor's most recent messages are posted on the church's YouTube channel.
The church's stated mission, drawn from Matthew 28:19-20, is "to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The church offers a three-year discipleship program, leadership classes, a catering ministry, and a ministry school for future ministers of the gospel, programs that have helped send many men and women out of New Psalmist to pastor churches of their own.
Small Groups, Bible Study, and the Family of Believers
Beyond the Sunday gathering, New Psalmist's small groups are "our way of staying connected and learning about Christ." Groups meet around shared interests, life stages, and neighborhoods, and members can browse and sign up through the church's online community. The Pastor Thomas Virtual Bible Study on Thursday evenings is one of the most visible entry points for newcomers. Under Bishop Thomas Sr.'s pastorate, Christian education and Bible study classes met six days a week, and that rhythm continues in the present congregation. Members can also register for ongoing ministries, become e-members, or join a serving team through the church's online portals.
The Sons & Daughters ministry traces the many men and women who have come out of New Psalmist to pastor churches of their own. The current roster names pastors now serving congregations in Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Catonsville, Edgemere, Perryville, Elkridge, Reynoldsburg, New Haven, Atlanta, and as far as Halifax, Nova Scotia. The list includes Bishop Heber Brown of Shiloh Baptist Church, Rev. Clarence Jones of The First Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. William Curtis of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Rev. Carl Solomon of United Baptist Church, Bishop Dwayne Debnam of Morning Star Baptist Church in Catonsville, Rev. Joshua Thomas of Freedom Church in Atlanta, and several who serve as Pastors Emeritus of former local congregations. The list is one of the clearest indicators of New Psalmist's role as a training ground for ministry across the country.
"Make Life Better for Someone Else"
"Make life better for someone else" is a phrase used throughout the church's outreach. Locally, the Missions and Outreach Ministries coordinate several programs: Spiritual Growth and Evangelism classes teach members how to share their faith; Project 100 is a family enrichment program that pairs weekly groceries with empowerment classes; Project 200 Job Training Center offers career assessment, resume building, interviewing skills, professional development, and job placement; Financial Empowerment uses biblical principles to reduce debt and build wealth; the Fitness Ministry and Health Empowerment initiative encourages exercise, healthy eating, vaccinations, and regular doctor visits; and the Social Action Legal Committee helps community members navigate social issues. A food pantry on the church's campus provides food to those in need at any time of year, and families receive additional support during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
Family Services at the church includes C.O.R.E. (Christmas Outreach Empowerment), which assists families with purchasing Christmas gifts; the Choose to be G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training) Summer Camp for children ages 9 to 12; an annual school supply distribution with prayer for students; a Deaf Ministry that trains members in interpretation for the hard-of-hearing community; a Homeless Ministry that provides weekly outreach to those without housing; and a Prison Ministry that serves individuals behind prison walls and those returning to society.
Through Maryland Outreach, New Psalmist partners with 12 schools across the state in its Taking Charge Schools program, supports a Missionary Ministry that visits nursing homes and adult daycare centers, partners with the American Red Cross on disaster and crisis response teams, and provides prison ministry to nearly every state correctional facility. Blood drives are hosted throughout the year. Internationally, the Foreign Outreach Ministry, a UNICEF/WASH in Schools partnership that advocates for water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools around the world, and a Global Policy Team that partners with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation carry the congregation's reach further. New Psalmist is an accredited organization with the United Nations Environment Program.
Zion Fitness Center: Where Faith and Fitness Meet
On the New Psalmist campus sits Zion Fitness Center, a full gym where "faith and fitness meet." Members and visitors can purchase an Unlimited Monthly Subscription for $30 per month or a 1-Day Pass for $7, and line dancing classes are available with separate registration. Registration, payments, and bookings are managed through the GymFlow app, which is available for both iPhone and Android. When users arrive at the church for a class or a workout they present their active booking, subscription, or pass to a building attendant, who then directs or escorts them to the gym or the line dancing area.
Staying Connected, Giving, and Prayer
New Psalmist maintains an active online presence. The current pastor's weekly messages are available on YouTube, services are livestreamed through the church's online platform, and a prayer wall invites anyone to submit requests that are prayed over by the prayer team. Prayer requests can be sent by email to amen@newpsalmist.org or by calling the church at 410-945-3000. An inclement weather line is maintained at 410-945-9370. Members and supporters have several ways to give: online through Fellowship One and Givelify, or by texting NPBC to 77977. A calendar of devotions, including a series of Lenten devotionals, is published for personal study throughout the year.