Like many of the other African American churches in the 19th century, Mt. Sinai Baptist Church began as a part of a white congregation. Mt. Sinai traces its roots back to Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, which is located south of the Mt. Sinai on Erwin Road. From 1823 until 1870, many of the African Americans who lived in the Presswood Community were members of the congregation of Mt. Moriah. The Presswood Community would have been located in the immediate vicinity of today’s intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard (formerly Airport Road) and Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill, NC. As recorded by Mrs. Trice, African American worshippers also met secretly at a location away from Mt. Moriah. This location might have been the Rosemary School, which was the local district school. Dr Maddry recorded a different story in his book. According to Dr. Maddry, unlike other white churches, Mt. Moriah created an area behind the pulpit for the African Amencan worshippers. Dr. Maddry described the area as 30 ft. long with pews and could accommodate up to 150 people. He reported that often times the preacher would turn in the direction of the African American worshippers and speak directly to them. Many of the Baptists churches referred to the African American members of their congregation as “servants” instead of ”slaves”. Dr. Maddry recorded in his autobiography, “There must have been an innate sense of decency and a feeling of a common brotherhood of equality in Christ that made it incongruous to refer to their brothers and sisters in Christ, held in bondage against their will, as “slaves.” 

As the African American membership grew, in 1850 Mt. Moriah appointed a “colored” deacon to assist a white deacon to attend to the moral and spiritual welfare of the “servants.” This “colored” deacon, who was referred to as “Jack,” was a servant of a brother Barbee. He reported to the white deacon any questionable behavior of an African American member. Jack and two other white deacons would meet the member and present the case to conference, where the consequences were decided. Mt. Moriah did not discriminate in punishing any member, white or African American for an infraction. Conference notes from Mt. Moriah are explicit in detailing consequences unruly, unchristian behaviors.