OUR HISTORY

 

Mt. Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church had its beginning in 1973, as the Second Emanuel Baptist Church.  The Reverend Clarence Long was the Pastor.  Second Emanuel started as a Missionary Circle, meeting at 443 Johnson Street.  At a special meeting (7/18/73), the church family decided to look for a permanent location.  Seeing this move as a "new beginning," the congregation also decided to rename their church.  The church would now be known as the Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church.  Pastor Long called a meeting on August 6, 1973, for the purpose of electing three (3) trustees. Those persons were Deacon Wilbur O'Connor, Deacon Kirmit Braxton, and Rev. Clarence Long.  At this same meeting, the membership voted to become incorporated.
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On February 1, 1974, the Living God Baptist Church Family (pastored by the Rev. Clinton Hearns) and the Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church Family came together and united their congregations into one (1) family.  The name Living God Baptist Church was dropped.  The church body would be named Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church.  Rev. Hearns accepted the call and served as Pastor of Mt. Lebanon.  On February 3, 1974, Mt. Lebanon held her first worship service in her new location, 1043 E. Seventeenth Avenue. The late Rev. James K. Rayford was called to Pastor Mt. Lebanon, March 11, 1976.  Under his leadership, the church grew spiritually and in numbers.  A building fund was established for the purpose of paying for the structure on Seventeenth Avenue.  Pastor Rayford was called home to be with the Lord on Sunday evening, September 20, 1987.

 

Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church (MLBC) was without an undershepherd for the next few months.  On December 17, 1987, the church family extended the call to pastor the congregation to the Rev. Nathaniel Pannell.  Rev. Pannell accepted and served for six (6) years.  Many members were added to the church, which rapidly outgrew the location at 1043 E. Seventeenth Avenue.  The search began for a new site.

 

MLBC relocated to its present site, 1775 Eddystone Avenue, under the leadership of Pastor Pannell.  The Lord blessed MLBC with the building and all of its contents.  The building on Seventeenth Avenue was sold to the Loving Charity Baptist Church Family.  Pastor Pannell was called home to be with the Lord, after faithful service to the MLBC Family, on May 10, 1994.  MLBC, again, being without an undershepherd, extended the call to the Rev. Nathaniel Carter.  Rev. Carter accepted and was officially installed as Pastor on October 2, 1994.  In 1995, Pastor Carter retired from the U.S. Postal Service, in order to devote more time to the pastorate.

 

Under Pastor Carter, the church continues to grow spiritually and in numbers.  He places great emphasis on teaching and study of the Word of God, and on a strong prayer life.  Pastor Carter set about to establish an administration that would put God first, in all things.  Leadership and responsibility would be shared with all leaders of the church.  Those leaders would be accountable to the Pastor (the Overseer of all entities of the church).  With very capable leadership already in place, MLBC was blessed with the addition of these officers:  Rev. Ralph F. Harrell, Assistant to the Pastor, and Ronald Nelson and Jack McDaniel, Deacons. These men were ordained under the pastorate of Pastor Carter.  In addition to a strong teaching ministry for MLBC, Pastor Carter emphasizes that a church should "look like a church."  Therefore, a program was put in place to erect a cross, a steeple and to place a corner stone on the church building.  In November of 1998, the church dedicated the James K. Rayford Fellowship Hall, and the Nathaniel A. Pannell Learning Center.  In August 2000, a youth center was organized, to assist the young people of the church, in their growth to spiritual maturity and to teach them how to conduct themselves in worship service.