| Members' Page | Ministries | Calendar | News | Media | Church History | Sports | Sermons | Contact Us | Home |
 A New Century of Service The beginning of the 21st Century brought new leadership at Mount Calvary when Dr. Patrick E. Vincent, the noted preacher, administrator and revivalist became the senior pastor in 2000. A native of Port-of-Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Vincent is a product of early childhood Christian Education. In 1993, Elder Elder Wesley Bruce was the pastor. He was a deeply spiritual and caring pastor with a strong interest in the welfare of young people. He became a strong supporter of the church’s school. During his pastorate, the sanctuary of the current church was upgraded. He was an effective counselor for married couples. His stewardship was also notable for its emphasis on fostering a strong academic program at Mount Calvary Junior Academy, where enrollment reached its highest numbers. Church debt was significant reduced and the school operated in the back.
Significant renovations were made to the church and school buildings. The school’s playground was enlarged after the church purchased two lots adjacent to the church’s property. A house for the Community Service Center was dedicated in 1989. A city-wide evangelistic effort was held in 1986 in which many souls joined the church body. Elder Young supervised and personally labored in building the Progress Village Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose mortgage was burned in less than a year. Elder Young supervised and personally labored in building the Progress Village Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose mortgage was burned in less than a year. Mount Calvary Junior Academy was enlarged by three more classrooms. Elder Sumpter was also notable for his leadership in enhancing Mount Calvary’s public image. In 1978, Elder Sumpter accepted a call to serve as executive secretary of the Southern Union of Seventh-day Adventists. 
The following year, Elder Herman Davis became Mount Calvary’s new pastor. He found the school in need of room in which to expand and rose to meet that challenge. His efforts led to the building in 1979, with the financial assistance of Archie and Pearl Hamlin, of the Archie Hamlin Center. The building was put up debt-free.
Not long after, The Breath of Life Evangelistic Team conducted an effort in the center adding a large number of new believers to the church body. Preschool was formulated. Elder Davis was assisted by Elder Milton Sterling. During the summer of 1972, two itinerant pastors, Elder C. T. Richards and T. M. Fountain provided much to strengthen the church in Tampa. Then, in the fall of 1972, Elder O. H. Paul took over the church’s pastorate. Several evangelistic campaigns were conducted in the church.  The financial status of the church was greatly improved. The Evangeleers’ Choir was organized, the school upgraded to the 10th grade, the Town and Country church was organized and the property on Williams Road was purchased. Elder Raymond Baker assisted Elder Paul.
Elder Paul’s pastorate was followed by Elder Ward Sumpter, who pastured Mount Calvary from 1976 to 1978. During his pastorate, Elder Sumpter and his amiable and helpful wife, Mary Diane, brought inspiration and spiritual strength to the church body as a whole. Elder Sumpter helped the church’s organization by increasing and strengthening the Deacon’s Board.  Under his leadership, the church’s Dorcas society was upgraded to the Community Service Center. Elder Sumpter held an evangelistic campaign for the Tampa and Clearwater district during which he added many souls to Mount Calvary’s congregation. Additional property was also purchased to meet the needs of increased parking. Elder Johnson was followed by Elder Joseph. L. Follette, who served from 1964 to 1968. It was during Elder Follette’s pastorate that the church’s location, at 3111 East Wilder Street, was purchased.  Elder Follette was succeeded by Elder R. A. Sloan, who served from 1968 to 1972. Upon his arrival, Elder Sloan started a program to raise the spiritual tone of the church and introduced a stewardship plan to make the church solvent. Through his vision and leadership the church’s first mortgage was paid off in record time and the church was renovated. Elder Starks was followed by Elder F. S. Keitts, an experienced minister who conducted evangelistic meetings that brought in more church members.  From 1956 to 1962, the church was pastored Elder W. S. Banfield. The E.C. Ward-W.S. Banfield Evangelistic Campaign was conducted at the church during that period. More than one hundred souls joined the church during the summer of 1958-1959.  Elder Banfield became the President of NAACP and through his leadership, many benefits were given to blacks in Tampa. Later, Elder Banfield was elected to the presidency of the South Atlantic Conference. The minister who followed Elder Banfield in Tampa was Elder I. J. Johnson, who served from 1962 to 1964. Elder Johnson had previously served as a literature evangelist and a successful soul winner during the pastorate of Elder Starks. In 1945, Elder Walter Merrill Starks became Mount Calvary pastor. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Elder Starks was the product of Christian education. During his five-year pastorate at Mount Calvary, Elder Starks conducted several tent meetings. Many new members joined the church.  He was well-regarded for his scripturally-based and grace-centered approach to stewardship preaching. For his unique approach to stewardship, Elder Starks became known among Seventh-day Adventists world-wide as Mr. Stewardship. Elder Starks received a call to leave the church in Tampa in 1950. He went on pastor other churches in Ohio and Washington, D.C. He subsequently became president of the Allegheny West Conference and later as the director of the department of stewardship at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. From 1940 to 1943, Elder W. Lee, a young and energetic minister, pastored the church. He held a tent effort in 1942 and the harvest was quite fruitful. Elder A. L. Kirk then served from 1943 to 1945 during which Elder W. W. Fordham conducted a 1944 summer tent effort that resulted in many people accepting the truth. Elder Storey was succeeded by Elder J. A. Bookhart, a very godly minister, who served as the pastor until 1933. From 1933 to 1937, Elder L. J. Pryor, who was born in Kentucky, served as the pastor of Mount Calvary. He preached the Third Angel’s message in two tent efforts that added more souls to the church. During January 1937, Elder Strachan was brought back to labor in Tampa. Many members were helped through his wise counsel. Elder Strachan also became a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Tampa. 
Elder F. A. Osterman, an able preacher became the pastor after Elder Peters. Elder Osterman, who pastored the church from 1924 to 1926, was well-known in the community for his chorus group. From 1926 to 1928, Elder J. F. Crichlow served in an efficient and quiet way as pastor of the church. He was succeeded by Elder A. B. B. Storey, an eloquent speaker, who held two tent efforts that added many new souls to the church until his succession in 1931. Elder Storey was succeeded by Elder J. A. Bookhart, a very godly minister, who served as the pastor until 1933. Elder Strachan, who was assisted by F. H. Stevens, who later became a well-known ordained minister, organized the company into a church before Elder Strachan left the Tampa area to work in another field. The small church remained faithful to their beliefs with the services of its lay members and visiting members.
In the summer of 1921, Elder G. E. Peters, who hailed from Antigua, in the West Indies, conducted a very successful tent effort in Tampa. It was a highly successful soul-winning campaign in which 245 precious souls were added to the church. A camp meeting held later that same year resulted in a small number of new believers. These included J. A. and Martha Tucker, H. J. Murray and Sister Brown. Later, Sister Thomas, a Seventh-day Adventist believer, joined the group and together with the Furman family, a company was organized. Services were held in believers’ homes, rented buildings and the churches of other denominations.
The company later added Sister L. J. Monford from Plant City and Sister Hattie Smith from Lakeland. Between 1912 and 1915, Elder M. C. Strachan labored in Tampa and added more members to the company. 
Elder Mann was assisted by Brother Thomas Furman, an African American who had become a Seventh-day Adventist in 1896 through the effort of a white brother in Bartow. Elder Mann and members of the Furman family organized the first Sabbath School in the Furman’s living room. Elder Mann served as Superintendent and Carrie Furman was the secretary. Additional links on this topic:
|
Dr. Vincent has helped to raise the level of spirituality and exhibited a strong commitment to Christian education at Mount Calvary. He has conducted five evangelistic crusades during which hundreds of precious new souls joined our church family.
n 1985, after the administration of Elder Davis ended, Elder Theus Young became Mount Calvary’s next pastor. Elder Young was a leader blessed with the wisdom to effectively guide the church’s financial wellbeing. His concern for the senior citizens of the church led him to start a food give-away program on Sabbath.
