The original St. Mark Baptist Church on Detroit Avenue burned down in 2014. The church was rebuilt and its legacy continues through I.J. Johnson’s son, Curly.
TOLEDO, Ohio — During times like Juneteenth or Black History Month, you’ll probably hear a lot about Martin Luther King Jr. He’s one of the most influential civil rights leaders ever, and rightfully so.
There have been many others who worked to accomplish the same goals as King in their cities and communities, including Toledo.
The Rev. Isiah James (I.J) Johnson, who died in 2018, is known for being the former leader of Toledo’s St. Mark Baptist Church.
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“He was a good man and he tried to help all he could,” the Rev. Curly Johnson said of his father.
Curly now leads the church his father used to pastor. But before his father came to Toledo, he was born and raised in Troy, Ala., where he knew King.
“He used to tell us a lot when I was young about his days in Alabama and he was proud about the civil rights movement,” Curly said.
Fast forward to 1967, King came to Toledo to speak at Scott High School, an event later plastered on the church’s basement walls, showing I.J. and King together.
“He talked about how the civil rights movement was a movement for equality, dignity and respect,” Curly said of his father.
Former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner also spoke highly of I.J., as the two had been friends, and says the late pastor was the type of person who would help people who needed it.
“I.J. Johnson was as close to me as any minister in this community has ever been,” Finkbeiner said. “I was in his home many times.”
Curly said one goal his father chased throughout his life was to help community members get jobs.
“There were many people who worked many years at different jobs that they would’ve never gotten without [I.J.] going out knocking on doors,” Curly said.
Finkbeiner said I.J. dedicated significant time and effort to every person he connected with.
“He was ready to put all of his influence and his heart and soul behind that individual and that cause where there was a need,” Finkbeiner said.
I.J.’s influence also reached Toledo’s youth. State Rep. Elgin Rogers said he would attend men’s meetings led by the pastor, who taught him values he still holds today.
“Rev. Johnson would give us a word about God,” Rogers, who still attends church to this day, said. “One of the things that I remember is he would say is ‘do onto others as you would have them do onto you,’ the golden rule. That stuck with me.”
For a guy who did so much for others, I.J. still had his own struggles. His original church on Detroit Avenue burned to the ground in 2014.
“He was crushed,” Curly said. “It’s not about the building, it’s about his memories.”
In a 2014 interview with WTOL 11, I.J. remained staunch in his role as a pastor despite the blaze, saying, “The church wasn’t burned. The people are still standing. The church is still standing.”
The church, now led by Curly, was rebuilt on North Holland Sylvania Road, where it stands today.
Curly hopes as the Toledo community celebrates Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the U.S., people remember how hard others fought for civil rights and the right to vote.
“We’re squandering some of the gains that men like Martin Luther King died for, people like my dad lived for, women have given their lives for, to have the opportunity to say yes or no,” Curly said.
Curly also hopes people will do as his dad did: help others.
“If you leave this life and you don’t help anybody, that’s a life wasted,” Curly said.
Curly became head pastor of St. Mark in 2018 when I.J. died.
Service is every Sunday at 10:45 a.m. at 2340 N. Holland Sylvania Rd.
