SoKY’s Choice: From refuge to resilience, the enduring role of the Black church
BOWLING GREEN, Ky – During the Civil Rights Movement, Black churches served as places to organize marches, plan boycotts and find strength through faith when the world outside felt hostile. That visibility also made them targets for violence.
Despite that history, Black churches endured. For many families, they became one of the few places where people felt safe, heard and united.
At Powerhouse Ministries in Bowling Green, leaders say that legacy continues today.
Reverend Bryson Bailey, an associate minister at the church, said the foundation of the Black church traces back to its earliest days as a refuge for enslaved people.
“I believe it starts from just the origin of the Black church. It was a space where slaves could go and be able to praise God in their own way,” Bailey said. “That tradition has carried on. The Black church is a safe space where we can come as African Americans and share our voice where we feel no condemnation.”
Bailey said that sense of belonging extends beyond Sunday services and into daily life.
“When you have a place where you genuinely love one another, then it makes it accessible for just any place else,” he said.
From surviving hatred in the past to building community in the present, churches like Powerhouse Ministries remain symbols of resilience. For many, they also serve as reminders that faith has long been a force for unity and support.
