Historic First Baptist Church, Bute Street Names Rev. Holmes As Pastor

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal and Guide

The Rev. Jerry Holmes was recently named the 19th Senior Pastor of Norfolk’s First Baptist Church, Bute Street, which has a storied history spanning more than 200 years.

The selection of Rev. Holmes, 60, ends the over two-year search for the replacement of Rev. Dr. Robert Murray, who served as the Senior Pastor for 38 years.

His wife, Julie Holmes, will be the First Lady of what is believed to be the oldest Baptist church in Norfolk serving African-Americans.

Born at the now-defunct Norfolk Community Hospital, Holmes was raised for most of his life in Portsmouth.  He is a graduate of Wilson High School and studied at Norfolk State and Hampton Universities.

He is currently attending Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.

His wife was also born in Norfolk and is a product of Norfolk Catholic High School.

Holmes said for over 16 years he was a Youth Minister at First Baptist, so he is familiar with the church’s history, legacy, and contributions to the region.

He was among four candidates to apply for the Church’s Senior Pastor.

Holmes said that during his tenure, he will seek to emulate the leadership style of Rev. Murray of being steady and “one you could trust to find solutions” and “find win-win situations.”

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Holmes said that he will be installed in the next 60 days to lead a congregation of over 700 congregants.

He said based on zip codes of congregants some 15 percent come from the immediate neighborhoods bordering the walls of his church.

First Baptist and neighboring historically African-American churches are sitting amidst a housing, infrastructure, and commercial renewal in the St. Paul’s Quadrant.

While one has been razed, Tidewater Gardens, two other aging public housing communities will be also in the coming years.

Replacing Tidewater Gardens is a new housing community of multi-story housing units, Kindred, sitting a short distance from the church’s iconic front entrance.

Now that the nation has emerged from the COVID-19 epidemic where churches were closed, and services held virtually, Holmes said he wants to accelerate the pace of First Baptist’s post-COVID-19 “transition.”