In September 1944, Floyd Massey, Jr., a graduate of Colgate-Rochester Theological Seminary and a native of North Carolina, began a long and illustrious ministry at Pilgrim.  Immediately, the church roster was brought up to date and a budget system, through which an indebtedness of $5,000 was liquidated in eight months.  Many improvements to the church were made.  The roof and exterior walls of the sanctuary were repaired, the parsonage properly improved, and the Cedar Street church lots were saved by paying the taxes and later sold to the city for the Capitol Approach Project.  Partitions were purchased to provide some privacy for church school classes, a public address system was installed and an electrical outdoor bulletin board presented.  In addition, a cement sidewalk and curbing were built to improve the church yard.

A campaign to erect the Educational Unit began in 1946.  From December 1948 to September 1949, the three story structure was built.  It contains individual church school rooms for all departments, church office, pastor’s study, nursery, church parlour, baptismal dressings rooms, Board of Education office, lavatories, storage rooms, and a new gas furnace.  Also in the same years, the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and the kitchen were completely redecorated.  The kitchen was equipped to 300 people.  In 1957 new pews were installed in the church and new hymnals purchased.  In 1958 a new Wicks pipe organ was purchased and installed.

In May 1961, the congregation liquidated the indebtedness on the educational unit three years ahead of time.  On October 8, 1961, the mortgage was burned on the $179,900 worth of improvements!  The funds for this unusual feat were raised through the Fellowship Units System headed by the late Deacon Moses A. Knott, Sr.

Like Dr. Harris, Dr. Massey was also actively involved in national and community, religious and civic affairs.  He served on the board of the Council of Churches, the Foreign Missions Board of both the National and the American Baptist Conventions, USA, Inc., among others.  In 1962, Dr. Massey was elected President of the ABC Foreign Mission Societies.  He also served on the Urban League board and was convenor of the Rondo-St. Anthony Highway Organization, and chairman of the drive to rebuild Maxfield School.  Reflecting his continuous interest in the educational system, Dr. Massey and members of Pilgrim spearheaded the drive to build a new Maxfield Elementary School.

Dr. Massey had an able co-worker in his wife, Sis. Ethel Massey.  The Masseys came to Pilgrim as newlyweds and started their family.  In addition to rearing three sons, Floyd III, Ronald Bruce and Thomas Rickie, Mrs. Massey was a Benedict College graduate and former teacher of French, Algebra, and Drama.  She directed several plays for teenagers and adults of Pilgrim and the State Baptist Pastors' Wives.  She was in demand as a public speaker and fund raiser for many campaigns while her husband pastored here.  The Masseys enjoyed the support and confidence of Pilgrim and community throughout their twenty years of Christian service.

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