Northern Heights Presbyterian Church

Northern Heights Presbyterian Church. Dallas County. , Prior to 1960. Northern Heights Presbyterian Church was known as Sylvan Street Presbyterian Church. which began in 1896 as a Sunday school mission sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Selma. The church formally organized in 1900. Rev. Lucius DeYampert served as the first pastor, and he later left Selma to work as a missionary in the Congo. Rev. DeYampert and his wife. Lillian Thomas DeYampert. worked with Maria Fearing. a noted Presbyterian missionary who established a home and a school for girls in the Congo. Maria lived with the DeYamperts in Selma after returning to Alabama from the Congo. Maria was an active member of Sylvan Street where she served as a Sunday School teacher. In 1960, under the leadership of Rev. Charles C. Fisher, the church purchased the former Northside Baptist Church. The church changed its name from Sylvan Street Presbyterian to Northern Heights Presbyterian. From 1962 through 1970, under the leadership of Rev. Ernest Bradford. the church played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement, the local War on Poverty, and the effort to desegregate Selma's public schools. Northern Heights has been identified as a locally significant strategy hub for mass meetings., The church sponsored community organizations and served as a center for activism in Dallas County. Church members participated in the 1965 march to Montgomery, working effectively with both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). With the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. the church hosted a SNCC Citizenship School administered by SCLC. The late Elder Sallie B. Jackson, a member since 1942, held many positions in the church. During the church's final years. she made it her mission to keep the church doors open and serve the community in Selma. She dedicated her service until her passing on June 25, 2020. at the age of 103 years old. Northern Heights Presbyterian Church closed in 2021. The historical place is now utilized as a mission center to provide educational programs needed in the community., Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on March 28, 2015 , Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 24, 2022.