Macon honors Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church pastor with park

December 11, 2020

Jatrissa Wooten,

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Macon-Bibb County has a new park for people to enjoy. Reverend Jacob Parker Memorial Park sits across from Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on the corners of Elm and Telfair Streets.

Named after Reverend Jacob Parker, the park honors the man who pastored Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church for nearly 50 years.

Reverend Jacob Parker Memorial Park features

concrete plaza area
benches
trash cans
sidewalks
picnic tables
landscaping
irrigation

Prior to becoming a park, the area had several blighted structures.

Reverend Parker, now in his 90’s, loves parks. Pastor Parker’s daughter Barabara Parker says the family feels truly honored.

“I’m overwhelmed that at almost 92-years-of-age, dad is still here to see his honor being stowed upon him,” Barbara said. “It’s our prayer that this community will enjoy the fruits of his labor and remember the man with that million-dollar smile.”

It took $182,000 from the District 2 Blight Remediation Program funds to purchase the property and demolish the blighted structures. The county used SPLOST funds to design and build the amenities.

Reverend Parker has long served as a member of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The Macon Chapter of the NAACP honored Parker with its Earl T. Shinholster Award in 20019. He was also the first African American radio announcer at WFPM in Fort Valley. Parker is also a renowned recording artist with The Spiritual Crusaders.

In 2016, Macon-Bibb County joined Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in recognizing Reverend Parker’s legacy by designating a portion of Elm Street as “Reverend Jacob Parker Memorial Way.”