The SCRANTON ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH was begun in 1869 as a Free Will Baptist mission and despite many changes has endured. Luther Doolittle, one of the founders, raised money door to door and among friends for the first church at Putnam (E. 38th) and Scovill. A serious split hindered the growth of the parish during the first pastor's tenure, and a new leader was chosen. By 1874 the church had relocated to Clark and Scranton. The new church, erected in 1893, was not dedicated until 1900, when all debt was cleared. In 1917 the Scranton Rd. Free Will Baptist Church united with the BAPTISTS and was admitted to the CLEVELAND BAPTIST ASSN. as the Scranton Rd. Baptist Church. This move aided the church financially. Because of a membership decline, however, the church was unable to support itself. As a result, it conveyed title to the property to the Cleveland Baptist Assn. and held meetings with Czecho-Slovak Baptists until 1942, at which time the parish voted to be self-supporting. The church retained its ties with the Czechoslovak Baptist Convention, as well as the Cleveland Baptist Assn. As the neighborhood changed, Scranton Rd. Baptist began to minister to the newer Appalachian residents. In 1995 it was located at 3095 Scranton Rd., membership stood at 100, and the pastor was Joe Abraham.
Cleveland Baptist Assn. 150 Years of Mission to Greater Cleveland, 1832-1982 (1982).
See also RELIGION.