top of page
wdwc_edited.jpg

History of Mount Olive Baptist Church

Picture8.png

​

  Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded on May 16, 1818 under the pastorate of the late Reverend Horace Crutcher with only five members. We are the oldest African-American church in Stafford County, Virginia. A slab wood harbor (shelter) was Mount Olive's original place of worship. Our present edifice, was completed in December 2010.

 

  Prior Pastors included the late Reverend Robert Johnson, the late Reverend William Tyler, the late Reverend William Harris, and the late Reverend Peter Carter. In April 1954 the church called Rev. O. C. Cecil Elijah Rhodes, B.D.,and D.D, who served as Pastor for 31 years and 9 months. Reverend Marvin N. Battle Sr. was pastor from October 6, 1985 to June 30, 1991. Dr. George A. Langhorne was Pastor next from April 18, 1992 to February 20, 1994. Reverend Karl W. Merritt was the next Pastor from March 5, 1994 to February 25, 2001. Reverend Ronald William Cooper was our next Pastor from March 3, 2002 to August 14, 2005. Reginald E. Bryant was the next Pastor from November 11, 2007 to May 29, 2011. Reverend Dr. George A. Langhorne and was installed on Sunday, June 10, 2012. The church was honored on Sunday, February 21, 1993 to have licensed the first son of the church in 175 years, namely Reverend Zolly G. Hawthorne. The Northern Virginia Baptist Association, Inc. ordained Reverend Hawthorne on Sunday, May 17, 1998 as the Pastor for Youth Ministries, He is now an Associate Minister.

 

  Some of our outreach programs have been:

Providing Bibles and eyeglasses to the needy in Zambia, Ghana and New Zealand. Providing care, financial assistance, food, clothes, school supplies, and other items to the needy, senior citizens, sick, distress and shut-in members and friends of the community. Providing programs and activities for our youth such as Bible Study, Vacation Bible Study, music ministry, skating, bowling, and other programs and activities.

 

 Mount Olive Baptist Church has the following auxiliaries, ministries, and choirs/choruses: Deacon and Deaconess Boards, Trustees Board, Pastoral Relations Committee, Missionary Society, Flower and Decoration Club, Social Committee, Sunday School, Christian Education Department, Budget Committee, Senior and Junior Usher Boards, Star-Light Senior Chorus, United Voices Choir, Male Choir, Nurses Unit, Youth Ministry, Angels of Mercy, Hospitality and Fellowship Ministry, Men's Fellowship, Women's Fellowships, Transportation Club, Food Ministry, and Building Steering Committee.

 

  Mount Olive is a member of the following organizations: American Baptist Churches of the South, USA, Inc., and Area II, Northern Virginia Baptist Association, Inc., Life Member of the Mattaponi Association of Virginia and the National Association for the advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Sickle Cell Association, Virginia's Adopt-A-Highway Program, The Foreign Mission Board, The Lott Cary Foreign Mission Convention, Inc., The Lakeland Forrest Property Owners Association Inc., and the Stafford Emergency Relief. (Through the Volunteer Efforts (SERVE), Inc., We support through missions at home of the local Fire Department and Rescue Squad and Baptist Children's Home of Virginia in Petersburg, Virginia. We support empowerment through education through our state universities such as Virginia Union University and Norfolk State University, Stafford County Ministerial Association, and to our high school and college students we provide a financial donation to help them further their education. Six years ago our church established a Food Ministry, where we provide food and other items to needy families in our Church community.

 

We thank God for the Mount Olive Baptist Church and its past history. We also thank God for all his help and strength to carry on in the future and to continue in His name and truly we can say as our theme say, we are

"The Church Where Everybody is Somebody for God"

bottom of page