The History of Mount Olive
“I knew God was with me, and however He chose to protect the baby would be best.”
Our History
Sunday, July 2, 1889:
A small group of baptized believers came together following the directives of the “Great Commission” found in Matthew 28:19 to “Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” and the Mount Olive Mission was birthed.
Their meeting was held in the Old Irving Hall located at the corner of Main and Mercer Streets in Hackensack, New Jersey. The minister on that day was Rev. J. J. Porter. At the conclusion of their meeting, twenty-nine persons immediately applied for membership and were received as charter members. In that same month, Rev. J.J. Porter was called to the Pastorate of Mount Olive.
1889 – 1892: Rev. J.J. Porter
- Served as the first pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church for three years
- The mission was reorganized and recognized as an independent Baptist church
- The church was incorporated on August 16, 1892
- Resigned
1883 – 1895: Rev. J.W. Jeffries
- Lecture room was erected in 1898 at the cost of $780.00
- Future worship services were held in the lecture room
- Resigned in March 1895
1895 – 1897: Rev. Marable
- Not ordained at the time of his call to Pastor; however, on December 7, 1895 he was ordained by a council called for that purpose; later resigned
- $500.00 was raised for building of new church edifice due to the congregation having grown too large for the lecture room
- July 1, 1897 work began for new building
- July 11, 1897, the cornerstone was laid
- November 14, 1897, the new church was dedicated
- The cost of the building was $1,500.00 the membership at that time was fifty-four people
1897 – 1907: Rev. Anderson
- The first parsonage was built on Berdan Place
1907 – 1914: Rev. R.L. Harris
- The church was completely built in 1911
- Resigned in 1914
1914 – 1920: Rev. J.P.E. Love
- Called to the Pastor position in the latter part of 1914
- Added some features to the church
- New parsonage was purchased at 267 High Street
1920 – 1921: Rev. A. Williams
Served as Supply Pastor (interim) beginning in October 1920 March 1921
- Death on April 20, 1921
1920 – 1921: Rev. A. Williams
Served as Supply Pastor (interim) beginning in October 1920 March 1921
- Death on April 20, 1921
1921 – 1923: Rev. J.W. Washington
Called to serve as Pastor on July 6, 1921 and served well until his resignation on February 25, 1923
1924: Rev. P.G. Gravely
Served as Interim Pastor until April 1924
1924 – 1933: Rev. J.P. Green
- Called to Pastor the people of the church
- Church remolded inside and out
- New parsonage was purchased at 340 First Street
- New pipe organ at the cost of $3,500.00 was installed
- Estimated value of the church was $80,00.00
- Seating capacity of the church building was about 350 people
- Membership grew to 400 souls
- Resigned in August 1933
1933 – 1956: Rev. T.W.H. Gibson
- Called to serve as pastor
- Mortgage on the parsonage and other indebtedness was paid
- Church edifice renovated pews refinished in natural wood, hardwood floors were laid through out the church, carpet, stained glass windows, pew racks equipped for communion glasses, electric Cross, kitchen sink, oil burner, and fluorescent lights.
- Drinking fountain installed in vestibule
- New chairs purchased for the lecture room
- New church house purchased at the corner of James and First Streets
- Death on March 17, 1956
1957 – 1961: Rev. Jonathan Gilbert Brown
- Called to serve as Pastor on February 21, 1957
- Church office set up with a part-time secretary
- Reorganization of financial system
- Implemented Sunday Morning nursery for children and a Nurses Unit to serve the church and take care of the children during worship service
- Purchase of forty-five passenger church bus for transporting the children to Church School and the choirs in their fellowship with other churches
1962 – 1982: Rev. James Patrick Coleman
- Elected to serve as Pastor on May 29, 1962
- Revitalized campaign for new church edifice
- Purchase of bus and a new church organ
- Inauguration of annual scholarships for high school graduates
- Increase of members were added or restored to the church during his leadership
- Under his administration numerous men accepted the call to the ministry
1962 – 1982: Rev. James Patrick Coleman cont’d
- Purchased land site and parking lot and lead the membership in the construction and occupancy of our current House of Worship at 260 Central Avenue
- Implemented support for Foreign Missions
- Communion Celebration was changed from 7:30am to the 11:00am service
- Involved in political concerns of the community
- Death on Friday, July 23, 1982
1982 – 1984:
The Mount Olive Family was led from July 1982 until April 1984 under the able leadership of Deacon Carey E. McCall Jr., Chairman of the Deacon Board.
1984 – 2019: Rev. Gregory Jerome Jackson
- Inherited property at 274 Central Avenue from Mrs. Edna Logan, Member and would serve as the parsonage and later as an education center
- Called to serve as Pastor in April 1984
- Installed as Pastor on July 15, 1984
- Implemented two services per Sunday to accommodate the increase of membership
- Communion Celebration is offered after each service on the first Sunday of the month
- Hour of Power on Wednesday at 12:00pm
- Continued support for the Foreign Missions
- Purchased properties at 237 Central and 241 Central Avenue
- Under his administration numerous men and women accepted the call to the ministry
- Instituted the Summer Enrichment and Summer Youth Employment Programs
- Promoted the importance of education: college tours for high school students, reading, traveling, SAT prep, etc.
- Political and civic involvement in the community
- Education awareness for various health issues
- Vernon C. Walton (1996-1998) was elected and installed as the first Assistant Pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church
- Vision and current progress of the Family Life Center
- Ground Breaking Ceremony for Logan Family Life Center, June 11, 2000
- Solicited donations in excess of $25,000 to assist the victims of tsunami and Hurricane Katrina
- Dedication Service for Logan Family Life Center, May 27, 2007
- Elected President of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention August 2019
2020 – 2021:
COVID-19 Pandemic – Rev. Jackson as Pastor Emeritus and Chairman Deacon James E. Dow, Jr. worked in harmony to maintain the congregation.
2021 – PRESENT Rev. Dr. John O. Page
- Elected December 2020
- Called to serve as Pastor in April, 2021
- Installed as Pastor May 22, 2022
Mission
Molding believers, influencing the world
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Values
Molding believers, influencing the world
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form t is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English.
Beliefs
Molding believers, influencing the world
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form t is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English.
A Place For You
Lord’s House is a church that believes in Jesus,
a church that loves God and people.