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Church Profile Building a Strong Future on a Strong Foundation “And I Say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” -Matthew 16:18 11 Rev. G. Franklin Wiggins Plaza, Peekskill, NY 10566 ▪ 914-737-7567 ▪ www.mountolivetbc.org Letter from the Pastoral Search Committee …...............................................................................................3 Pastoral Search Committee…………………………………………………………………………………3 Weekly Services…………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Annual Events ………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Mount Olivet Baptist Church History ………………………………….…………………………………... Description of Church Property…………………….…………………………………………..…………...8 Pastoral History...………………………………………………………………………………...................9 Ministerial Staff ………………………………………………………………………………...................13 Church Officers……………………………………………….……………………………………………13 Sheepfold ……..……..……………………………………………………………………………..……...14 Who We Are Vision, Mission and Core Values……………………………..……………………………..….................15 Affiliations.………………………………………………….……………………………………………..16 MOBC Membership By Towns 17 Ministries and Missions 18 Church Demographics 19 Our Community __________________________________________ 2 __________________________________________ Mount Olivet Baptist Church Church Profile Letter from the Pastoral Search Committee Effective October 2019, Rev. Dr. Robert E. Young resigned as Senior Pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Peekskill, New York. On February 2020, the church held a special prayer service seeking God’s guidance as we began the process of identifying the person God has chosen to be our Senior Pastor. Toward that end, a Pastoral Search Committee was selected on February 2020. A church survey was launched on June 19, 2020 to seek membership ideas as to what knowledge, skills, and abilities are desired in our next Senior Pastor. The Search Committee has developed this Church Profile to provide some insight into who we are. In Service to God, Pastoral Search Committee PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE Co-Chair: Bill Archer Co-Chair: Joe Johnson Secretary: Min. Marie Elena Grossett Assistant Secretary: Deacon Phyllis Washington Members Judy Gibbs Mary Foster Cecelia Hankins Adrienne Lassic Harper, Trustee June McKenley, Trustee Samuel McCorvey, Deacon Ida Wiggins, Deacon __________________________________________ 3 __________________________________________ Mount Olivet Baptist Church Church Profile WEEKLY SERVICES Weekly Services Sunday Sunday School . 9:30 AM Worship Service . 10:45 AM Wednesday Praise & Worship . 11:30 AM & 7 PM Bible Study . Noon & 7:30 PM Currently weekly worship services are being conducted virtually ANNUAL EVENTS January MLK Community Service March Church Anniversary May Women’s Convocation June Scholarship Sunday July Annual Church Picnic July Vacation Bible School August Season of Prayer & Rest September Revival September Youth Convocation October Men’s Convocation November Officers’ Day December 24 Candlelight Service December 31 Watch Night Service MOUNT OLIVET BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY Mount Olivet Baptist Church is a movement under the sovereign hand of God. In our 127 year history, the church has been built and rebuilt four times under the leadership of 15 pastors. Like the prophet Nehemiah, each of these pastors was called to stay on the wall and lead in Mount Olivet’s physical and spiritual climb. We would like to present portions of this climb to you. Our climb began in 1893 at 454 Main Street, the home of Mrs. Jane Clayborne—right about where the bridge passes over Route 9. Five Christians met and prayed, and prayed some more. The names of the founders of Mount Olivet Baptist Church are: Archer Clayborne, Mary Tinsley Fipps, Jane Clayborne, Liza Tinsley and N. Ward out of this group, came a vision. Sometime later that year, William Tinsley, the Chairman of a soon to be Board of Trustees, wrote letters to several churches seeking official recognition for this band of Christians. We don’t know if they all showed up, but we do know that Rev. Duers, pastor of the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Ossining, led his officers and other ministers in officially recognizing and setting this newly created church apart. __________________________________________ 4 __________________________________________ Mount Olivet Baptist Church Church Profile Continuing this climb, the founding members moved to the Greek Orthodox Church on Park St. As the membership grew Mount Olivet rented a hall at 7 Nelson Avenue. Then, on May 2, 1901, Mount Olivet Baptist Church was incorporated as a religious body. It was during Rev. Alexander Cook’s tenure that pastor and people decided to build. Land was purchased in 1907 and construction began. The first Mt. Olivet Baptist Church was erected in 1910. In 1964 the original church was demolished and rebuilt (at its current location). In 1917, Rev. John Robinson was serving as the fifth pastor of this growing congregation. Records indicate that the membership at that time was 98. This membership growth was large enough to support a Ladies’ Friendly Club and a Men’s Social Union. A fire, however, destroyed the barn next door as well as the fledgling church. Not deterred, and determined to stay on the wall, a second Mount Olivet was completed, this time with a basement for the church Sunday School. Pews, lighting fixtures and a communion set were purchased for the new church. After Rev. Robinson’s death, Rev. E. J. Matthews became Mount Olivet’s sixth pastor in 1920. Under Rev. Matthews, the mortgage was burned and stained glass windows and a small organ were purchased. Then, in 1931, Rev. Matthews resigned. Seven months later, Rev. Walter L. King was called to join the climb as Mount Olivet’s seventh pastor. Rev. King was remembered for clutching his Bible as he led the choir up the aisle to commence worship services. In 1935, Rev. Andrew Burns was called to serve as the church’s eighth pastor, and again, in 1945, as the 10th pastor. This Nehemiah was a pioneer. In the 1940s, Rev. Burns worked with local white churches and synagogues, and pulpit swapping became a regular occurrence. As a civil rights activist, Rev. Burns fought to open job opportunities for the members who lived in the city of Peekskill. Under his guidance, the Usher Board joined county and statewide usher assemblies. The fruit of this union made the Usher’s Annual Sermon Day, held the third Sunday in June, the most attended and financially prosperous event in the church’s calendar year. Rev. Burns was a walker; he did not drive. But that didn’t matter. Wherever his members were, Rev. Burns would appear. From 1936 to 1944, the Rev. L. M. Foster served as MOBC’s ninth pastor. Some of our oldest current members accepted Christ as young people during his tenure. A new organ was purchased and an Intermediate Choir was organized. After six years of service, Rev. Foster answered a call to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Albany, NY. On the 6th of September 1953, Rev. Carl B. Taylor became our 11th pastor. Under his leadership, Mount Olivet gained in both community and statewide recognition. Religious associations and state conventions met at Mount Olivet on a regular basis. Our members became more active in local politics and served on commissions and boards in the City of Peekskill. Rev. Taylor himself served on the Board of Education. The membership grew to 263. Realizing that the existing building wasn’t large enough, Rev. Taylor and the congregation expanded the sanctuary out towards Park Street. Work began in May 1955 on our third church building. When it was completed the sanctuary had been expanded, the choir stand was moved behind the pulpit, and a pastor’s study and side entrance were added. In 1959 Rev. Taylor left the climb to answer the call of Union Baptist Church in New York City. A search began for the church’s 12th pastor. In December 1959, coming from First Missionary Baptist Church Clayton, NC, Rev. G. Franklin Wiggins accepted the call and was installed in June 1960. __________________________________________ 5 __________________________________________ Mount Olivet Baptist Church Church Profile The next sixteen months saw a flurry of activity in Mount Olivet—new auxiliaries and boards, a tithing program, and 40 new members. 1965 was a watermark year in our history. In June of that year the old church was razed, and on December 12, 1965, the existing edifice—our fourth church building—was dedicated. This prefab building quadrupled our size to include a sanctuary, a fellowship hall, a chapel with baptismal pool, a nursery, and storage space. Later, the exterior of the church building was covered with brick, and central air conditioning was added to cool the sanctuary. Our membership grew to 450. PET groups (prayer, education, training) and still more auxiliaries were formed, including a hospitality committee, an academic-skilled tutoring program, a food distribution program, a scholarship committee, youth groups, a health committee, and more. Every summer, a church family picnic, and every fall, a homecoming service was held. Mount Olivet initiated, and later invited the community to participate in an annual Martin Luther King Jr. service. The climb reached beyond church borders. The Arlo property (a house and land located in Cortlandt Manor) was purchased. A private corporation, The Mt. Olivet Housing Corporation, was set up to build and provide housing for homeless or low-income people in Peekskill. The church supported a digging
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