REV. DR. SHON T. ADKINS
From supermarket to sanctuary … a journey of faith and service
For the past 20 years, Rev. Dr. Shon T. Adkins has been faithfully leading the congregation of just over 100 members at Antioch Baptist Church, doing a mighty work in Harlem. She is only the second senior pastor in the church’s history, having inherited the pulpit from her late father, Rev. Dr. Alfloyd Alston, who founded the congregation in 1977 with 16 members.
“I grew up in Harlem in what we called back then ‘Da Hall,’ around 129th–130th Street and St. Nicholas Terrace,” recalls Rev. Dr. Adkins. “Things were rough in Harlem in those days, but my father was determined to make a difference.”
The first service of that small group of believers was held in the Harlem State Office Building. Dr. Adkins remembers vividly that a nude exhibit was what greeted worshippers on that first Sunday. Yet her father was relentless in his pursuit of a sanctuary home. “When he found our current building, which had been an A&P Supermarket, he openly wept,” she says.
The church’s building fund was sustained by weekly barbecues on 143rd Street and Lenox Avenue, which became so popular that people came from across the tri-state area. Today, Antioch’s community outreach continues to flourish. Food drives include one program led by a certified chef who prepares hot meals twice weekly for the public. In partnership with the 26th Precinct, the church hosts community events featuring the police band. A daycare, afterschool program, and active media ministry are also part
of Antioch’s outreach. Together with ALMS, food is provided for 100 people every week.
Known as “The Church with the Big Heart,” Antioch now boasts more than 13 ministries. And through it all, Dr. Adkins continues to encourage her congregation with words of faith: “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. You cannot trust God and then lean to your own understanding. Trust and leaning go hand in hand,” she says.
