Our History

Juniper Level Missionary Baptist Church (JLMBC) began in August of 1870 when nine free men and their families received a contribution from New Bethel Church to establish their own church. Today, and several renovations later, it still stands on its original site on Sauls Road in the Panther Branch Township of southern Wake County.

From its formation, the plan for the church was to serve as the cornerstone of its community and included a school to ensure the education of its children.  This vision has remained the guiding star on its horizon throughout its history.

In 1926, JLMBC raised the required matching funds to build a Rosenwald School and opened the school on their church grounds. The school remained in operation until 1956 when the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional in the landmark case of Brown versus Board of Education.

The school fell into disrepair over time with the lack of use until, in 2000, JLMBC organized a dedicated group of community advocates, the Juniper Level Baptist Church (JLBC) Community Alliance, for the express purpose of restoring the historic building to its original state and purpose.

It was a long journey, but the site was added to the National Register of Historic places, funded for restoration (including additional funds from the Rosenwald Foundation), and re-opened in August of 2021.

Today, JLMBC and its Alliance are shepherding their community as a direct link between its community and the resource fields of Wake County’s agencies and non-profit arenas. It fosters a direct link to Wake County Health and Human Services and has effectively opened communication between County and Departmental leadership to amplify the voices of their community.

The JLBC Community Alliance partners with agencies, non-profits, and advocates to position itself in the community to be part of the solution.