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Hartford Memorial Baptist Church celebrates over 90 years of loving God and serving the world community. Our founding pastor was the Reverend Edgar Wendell Edwards, who left Hartford to go to Chicago in 1920. After a diligent search, the Church called the Reverend Charles A. Hill, Sr., assistant to the Rev. Robert L. Bradby, Sr., of Detroit's Second Baptist Church. Installed as pastor in November of 1920, Dr. Hill remained pastor until his retirement on his 75th birthday, April 28, 1968. During his long progressive pastorate, all the former physical facilities on the corner of Hartford and Milford were built and dedicated. Dr. Hill was an outspoken champion of civil rights before the start of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's to today. He was one of the first African Americans to run for the Detroit City Council and courageously opened the Hartford pulpit to such nonconformists as W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson. A strong supporter of organized labor, he allowed the UAW Ford Local 600 to organize in Hartford Church.

On April 6, 1969, Hartford gleefully received its son, Charles Gilchrist Adams as pastor of the Church in which he had been reared, indoctrinated, baptized, licensed, ordained, and married. Dr. Adams, honors graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Divinity School, had begun his seventh year as pastor of historic Concord Baptist Church in Boston, New England's largest African-American congregation. Under his strong and vigorous leadership the old mortgage was burned in 1971 and with a growing church family, Hartford made one of the largest ecclesiastical facilities on James Couzens. Hartford marched into the 'new' church April 10, 1977, burning its mortgage in 1983, nine years ahead of time.

Dr. Adams' vision of community outreach led to the establishment of AGAPE “Love” House for charitable and community ministries. Housed in properties purchased across the freeway on James Couzens, AGAPE House offers needed social services such as Medical Referral, Free Clothing, Daily Senior Citizens' Program, Hunger Task Force, Bookstore, Taping Ministry, Scholarship and College Preparation Programs, KAFO and KENTAKE Academies for Boys and Girls, Public Health Consortium, Legal Referral, Child Visitation Program for incarcerated mothers, W.I.C. Program, Telefriend Latchkey Program, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, REACH Program for AIDS awareness, education and support and the Hartford Economic Development Foundation.

Hartford has continued to purchase real estate along Seven Mile Road and James Couzens, refurbishing them and establishing additional Outreach Ministries such as Head Start Agency, Tutorial Program, Hartford Family Program (Fathers and Mothers in League with Youth Against Drugs), OASIS Motivation Program for High Schoolers, and the Hartford Institute for Biblical Studies.

For its greatly expanded music ministry, Hartford dedicated the largest pipe organ built by a Black church, enlarged and rearranged the choir stand and extended and redecorated the sanctuary. We celebrate and praise God for the ever growing ministry of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church.