Mount Olive marks 111 years
There are a lot of Christians who are saved who don't live sanctified lives.
That was the gist of the message delivered Sunday afternoon at the service to celebrate the 111th anniversary of Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church at 510 NE 15th St. The sermon was delivered by Elder Terry Price, pastor of Philadelphia Primitive Baptist Church in Tallahassee.
“A lot of Christians come to church and shout, but don't go out of the church to witness the goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Price said.
Price said a lot of Christians are reluctant to witness and spread the word outside of the four walls of the church because their lifestyles don't line up with the sanctification of the holy ghost.
Elder Jerome Ford, a member of Philadelphia Primitive, presided over the service, which included devotion led by Deacon Lorenzo Alexander, also of Philadelphia. Alexander said he was traveling north on I-75 in his stylish recreational vehicle when he remembered Philadelphia was on program Sunday at Mount Olive.
“There was a lot of backed up traffic on the interstate due to a car crash, so I had to take an alternate route to get here by using my GPS,” Alexander said.
Alexander then led in the singing of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” before saying the devotional prayer. Praise and worship was led by Mount Olive Deacons Joe Williams and Willie Williams, who led in the singing of “I Have Somewhere to Lay My Head.”
After praise and worship, Ford took a minute to talk about the significance of the song.
“We all need somewhere to lay our heads because if Donald Trump gets in there and becomes president, we are all going to need somewhere to lay our heads,” Ford said.
The history of the church was read by Mother Janie Williams of Mount Olive. She said the church was founded in 1905 at 600 SW Third Ave. in the neighborhood that was then known as “Dells Quarters.”
She said the church was first known as “Little Mount Olive in the bushes.” She said the church moved in to its current sanctuary on June 19, 1977.
“We've had our ups and downs, but we are still here, 111 years after being established,” Williams said.
Describing what each number in 111 means, Williams said the first “1” is for the Father, the second “1” is for the Son and the third “1” is for the holy ghost.
Price preached from Ephesians 5:18-21 and his subject was “How to Get Drunk in a New Way.”
He said Ephesians has two major points of emphasis. He said one deals with Paul trying to figure out what positions those who believe in Christ are in with their belief in Christ. For example, he said Paul wanted to know if people were serious about living like Christ or just playing around.
“Either you are saved or unsaved, righteous or unrighteous, just or unjust, honest or dishonest,” Price said.
He said the second major emphasis of Ephesians deals with how Christians should live in Christ.
“In Paul's eyes, there should not be a difference in our lips and our lifestyles,” Price said. “Paul said if you are in Christ, you just can't live any kind of way, go any kind of place and do any kind of thing. You can't be one way in church and live another way when you are out of church.”
On the cover: Elder Cedric Andrews, left, pastor of Mount Olive, and Elder Jerome Ford, a member of Philadelphia Primitive in Tallahassee, stand as Elder Terry Price, pastor of Philadelphia, delivers the sermon. Cleveland Tinker/Special to the Guardian
* Pastor: Elder Cedric Andrews * Location: 510 NE 15th St. * Services: Sunday school is 9:45 a.m. and morning worship is 11 a.m. Prayer meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Bible study at 7:30 p.m. * Phone: 352-377-6973