The African American Church has throughout history played a crucial, multifaceted role in the development and sustenance of Black Communities in America. This fact is well illustrated in the story of East Austin’s past and present. The brief histories presented here will provide insight into the chronological development of East Austin’s most historic congregations as community religious institutions. The narratives will also shed light on the Church’s various related roles that help define and support the sense of place and cultural identity of the community. From the inception of Central East Austin’s African American community, in addition to being places of worship, churches have served as neighborhood social gathering places, social services organizations, incubators for political movements, educational facilities, political leadership academies, and neighborhood centers, just to name a few of their attributes.