Israel Baptist Church in Washington, DC was founded in the fall of 1880 by a small group of faithful and hardworking visionaries who were members of Mt. Horeb Baptist Church. These men and women saw a vast and immediate need to increase the number of churches in the northeast section of the city to accommodate African-Americans who walked far and wide because of limited transportation. United in their mission, they withdrew membership from Mt. Horeb Baptist Church and established the Israel Baptist Church.