What were the motives for building Calvary Baptist Church?
The primary reason why the church was built was to meet the spiritual needs of African-Americans were living here in this community. They had come largely as part of the railroad moving westward, the extention of business in enterprises such as the hotels, and the military coming westward, as well as some of the mines. And they needed a place that they could call home, a place that they could be spiritually fed and their need be taken care of, so they started the Calvary Baptist Church as one of those. Well, for African-Americans, historically the place where they have found freedom of expression, freedom of participation, and freedom of input has been the African-American Church. Thus, here in this community it has been a gathering place. It’s a place where African-Americans can feel like they are in charge and they control what happens and what does not happen. They can have their input and the free and whatever expressions they chose to use. Q: Tell us what Utah was like when you fi