One hundred and fifty years to the day since 16 former slaves first met under the shade of a brush arbor at Sassafras Stage, the congregation of Gloucester’s Bethel Baptist Church met under the shade of the Founders’ Tree to celebrate the legacy of their church and its ancestors.

With the roots of the Founders’ Tree beneath their feet, worshippers offered up prayers and hymns before marching back to the church to a chorus of hymns.

Sunday’s morning service at the church on Hickory Fork Road began with a greeting from Pastor Michael W. Jackson, who is now in his ninth year. “What a blessing it has been to be the 16th pastor here at Bethel Baptist Church,” Jackson proclaimed, before reading Psalm 150, which was selected as the anniversary verse for the celebration.

Sister Toni Olivis, a descendent of church founder Beverley Burrell, then read the church’s anniversary litany, a call-and-response prayer written for the occasion.

Following the l...