Enoch Douglas Davis

Enoch D. Davis Center in South St. Petersburg Florida, November 2024Enoch Douglas Davis (1908—1985) was an American reverend, author and civil rights activist who spent the majority of his life in the town of St. Petersburg, Florida. A native from Burke County, Georgia, his family moved to St. Petersburg in 1925, and he began his religious career when he gave his first sermon in 1930 at Bethel Community Baptist Church, which was then known as Second Bethel; he was made the church's official pastor two years later. At the time of his retirement in 1984, he had served as reverend for Bethel Community for over 50 years, making him at the time the longest-serving pastor in the history of St. Petersburg. As an author, his works include Toward the Promised Land and his autobiography, On The Bethel Trail. The Enoch Davis Center is named after him and is located at 1111 18th Ave. South in St. Petersburg

Early life Enoch Davis was born in 1908 in Burke County, Georgia, to cotton farmers Abram and Mozell Davis. His family was large, with sixteen children including himself as the youngest, but he claimed to remember to only nine of his brothers and sisters, some of whom “died early;” one of them killed by lightning. His first job was with the Georgia Engineering Co., in which he paved the streets with Augusta blocks and earned $21 a week. Although he was handed offers from more affluent churches to work for them, Davis rejected each one; he submitted his resignation once in response to an offer but later recanted after a 30-day tabling period. He also conducted theological studies at Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Illinois, and in 1964, he earned his master's degree in Religious Education from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He was asked by the deacons of his church to stop. Under him, Bethel Community adopted a “Policy on Open Membership” in 1962 that rejected “…all types of discrimination and segregation,” declaring its doors “open to all who would subscribe to its Articles of Faith…that church membership should never be [based on] one’s race.” His wife Hazel said, “His purpose was to help people. Not politics.” In August 1971, Bethel Community Heights, an 84-unit low-rent housing project for blacks and whites of low and middle income, was established on 15th St. South under Davis's leadership, a decision that he described as “a decision of serious proportions” and one that he made after he dreamed of standing over a hole and seeing a man with a wheelbarrow pour concrete into it before he jumped into it. In 1980 he was presented the National Conference of Christians and Jews’ Silver Medallion Brotherhood Award; upon receiving it he gave his thanks and pledged, “…we shall continue making installments on an unpayable debt.” In September 1981, the city honored Davis with the opening of the Enoch Davis Center, a multipurpose community center with a library and science center, a 250-seat auditorium and offices. This center has sense been a hub for community, culture and activism with a concentration on serving and advocating for St. Petersburg citizens . Davis called this “one of my greatest honors.” In between, he received citations from the YMCA as a Christian Service Leader, the N.W. Collier Award from Florida Memorial College, citation from the United Negro College Fund for “voluntary service,” and citation from the Ambassador Club Inc. for “distinguished service.” The church was also honored Davis greatly by adding an Educational Wing, new updated pews and an organ. His leadership at the church also sparked the building of an 84-unit housing project for low-income St. Petersburg residents. He remained humble throughout all of it; during one testimonial dinner, he reportedly admitted as he thanked the speakers that he “had difficulty figuring out who they were talking about so highly.”

Later years After 52 years of service, Rev. Davis retired in March 1984 at the age of 75, making him the longest-serving pastor in St. Petersburg's history at the time, and was succeeded by Rev. Gregory Wallace. However, he continued to attend church services and deliver sermons as well as maintain his volunteer work, because “blacks still have a long way to go.” “I would not like to see a repeat of the days of the Great Depression nor the days through which we passed in the 50s and 60s…Our greatest problem facing us today is Reaganomics. All classes have to be aware of it because when poor people suffer, everyone suffers—if not materially, in consciousness.”

On September 29, 1985, Rev. Davis died at age 77 at Bayfront Medical Center after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral service, open to the public, was held at Bethel Community Baptist Church on October 5, 1985, with a dozen speakers addressing a crowd of 560 mourners. The day before, a stream of nearly 840 people came to view the body and pay their last respects, an event that reportedly lasted all day and into the night.

One member of his congregation said, “He was like Martin Luther King…a very peaceful man.”

At the service, mourners were told that Rev. Davis's work “is not complete.” Davis himself had these sentiments at the end of Bethel Trail six years earlier when he said:“…the South, as does the country, has a long way to go. In all realistic terms, the accomplishments of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and the legislation passed…and the softening of the hearts and minds of many whites have all contributed to the cause of human equality and brotherhood.”