Fidelity Baptist Church began in Cleveland, Ohio as a prayer meeting group of the East Side Mission of the Scranton Road Free Will Baptist Church in 1888. In 1891 a lot on Wade Park Avenue and Van Ness (now East 84th Street) was purchased, and a prayer room was built and dedicated. Reverend T. C. Lawrence of Hillsdale, Michigan, became the first pastor of the Fidelity Free Will Baptist Church in March 1892. In May of the same year, two deacons, a clerk, and a treasurer were elected by the small congregation. A constitution was drafted shortly thereafter, and the official name became Fidelity Baptist Church, In 1912 Fidelity was recognized by the Cleveland Baptist Association. At this time the church had 510 members.
During the years 1912-1950, the church maintained a relatively stable membership drawn from the white, middle class neighborhood close to the church. As early as 1923, however, many Cleveland families had begun moving away from the inner city, and this emigration increased with time. Some of the families who moved to the suburbs maintained their ties with Fidelity, but many did not. By 1958, the active membership had fallen to approximately 25.
At this time, Fidelity joined the Inner City Protestant Parish in a successful attempt to revive and reformulate the church. The Inner City Protestant Parish made available the services of Rev. Paul Younger and his wife Betty, who served Fidelity until 1964. Rev. Younger was particularly interested in welfare and relief programs in Cleveland, and for this reason, Fidelity participated in the Hough Area Church Council and the Cleveland Area Church Federation. The American Baptist Home Mission Society, the Cleveland Baptist Association, and the First Baptist Church of Cleveland Heights granted financial aid in support of Fidelity's efforts to improve social and economic conditions in the inner city area. New welfare and recreation programs succeeded in attracting new members to Fidelity, and by 1970 membership was more than 200.
From the guide to the Fidelity Baptist Church Records, 1892-1975, (Western Reserve Historical Society)
