Join us at 6pm on Tuesday January 20, 2026, at Second Missionary Baptist Church to hear Rev. Clyde Ruffin share the history and growth of Second Missionary Baptist Church. Learn about the establishment of the church in 1866 and construction of the church at its current location in 1894 and the community that was instrumental in building the church. This event is FREE; but reservations are required.

Rev. Clyde Ruffin has served as senior pastor for Second Missionary Baptist Church since 2003. He began preaching at a very young age and was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 1970. He entered the University of Iowa in 1970 where he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in Speech and Dramatic Arts. In 1976 he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at Washington University- St. Louis. In St. Louis, he was ordained in 1978 under the leadership of the late Bishop Dwight McDaniels and served there for six years. In 1982, he moved to Columbia, Missouri to accept a senior faculty position with the University of Missouri, he has been recognized with the Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and the Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creativity. Starting in 1997 he served as an Associate Minister and Assistant Pastor at Second Baptist until 2003 when he was elected to the position of senior pastor. In 2015 Rev. Ruffin was elected to the Columbia City Council as the representative for the First Ward where he championed an agenda to confront the issues of social inequity, racial disparity and violence in our community. Most notably he is married to Sheila Ruffin and they are blessed with four daughters and six grandchildren.

1-20-26 A Legacy of Faith: The History of Second Missionary Baptist Church