| This study preserves the legacy of the pastor Matthew Marcus, Sr. and founder of Little Ark Missionary Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland who followed the tradition of Black uplift to empower the spiritual and economic well-being of people in his community. It demonstrates the historical significance in Marcus' determination and ability to become a well-respected, educated, influential member of the Baltimore community, in spite of circumstances that plagued African Americans of his time. Through his private and public life, he rose from an abused, semi-literate, poor Black child from the South to a prominent entrepreneur, community leader, teacher, mentor, founder and pastor who positively influenced the lives of hundreds of people. Marcus taught the principles of self-respect, family, self-help, and worship for more than fifty years to help those around him free themselves from economic and spiritual bondage.; In order to do this, primary sources, such as oral interviews, personal documents, government records, and church documents were researched for use in the discussion of Marcus' personal, church and community life. Secondary sources, such as scholarly articles and books relative to the Black man in America, were also reviewed and analyzed to provide the historical content for this work and to support the suggestion that Marcus used religion to bring structure and hope into his own life and into the lives of those he encountered. |
