The Foundations of Mount Moriah Baptist Church

Mount Moriah Baptist Church was founded in the belief that communities must learn to help themselves. Our work is founded on the following five pillars of faith:

• Witnessing through Evangelism
• Worshipping through Praise
• Working through Service
• Warring through Prayer/Spiritual Warfare
• Walking through Life/Living

Find out more about our people and the history of Mount Moriah Baptist Church.

Join us for our Worship Services!

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Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00am

Sunday School: 8:30am

Children's Church: 2nd & 3rd Sunday

Wednesday Night Bible Study: 6:00pm

Church History

Down Through The Years

1913 – 1925

1913 Branched out from Providence Baptist Church and became known as the Little Rock Baptist Church. The church held services in Barton Hall at the junction of Humphries and Greensferry Avenues. 

Reverend W.H. Brown

1915  Official name was changed to Mount Moriah Baptist Church in April under the leadership of its first pastor Reverend W. H. Brown. 

1917  The church purchased its first building, the old Warren M. E. Church, for $2,000 cash, located at the corner of Humphries and Chapel Streets.

1918  In January, the congregation marched from Barton Hall to the new home. The new members joining from June, 1914 to June, 1918 was 825. On June 23, Reverend W. H. Brown went home to be with the Lord thus ending his pastorate.

Reverend T.T. Gholston

1918 – 1925  Mount Moriah’s second pastor was the Reverend T. T. Gholston, called on September 5, 1918. The note of $1,200 on the church was paid off during his pastorate. 2,150 new members were added to the fold. Rev. Gholston resigned February, 6, 1925, serving for six years and five months.

Reverend C.H. Holland

1926 – 1946  The third pastor called to pastor Mount Moriah was Reverend C. H. Holland of Newnan, Ga. Under his leadership, the old location was sold and Mount Moriah held services at the new location of Warren M.E. Church, Greensferry Avenue and Mildred Street until the church could move to its present location, 200 Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, SW, formerly known as Ashby Street, SW. The church had become known as Mount Moriah Institutional Baptist Church. 2,073 souls were saved. The grand total of saved saints from June, 1914 to May, 1940 was 5,048.

Reverend Doctor R. Julian Smith

1947  On April 17, a call was sent to Reverend Doctor R. Julian Smith of Atlanta, Ga. He matriculated at Booker T. Washington High School, Morehouse College, Turner Theological Seminary, Reid’s Business College, and Moody Bible College of Chicago.

1953  By this year, during Dr. Smith’s pastorate, a total of 1,487 new members had been added to the church, 509 persons were baptized, three ministers were licensed, two ministers were ordained, and 117 couples were married. Construction and renovation projects included: a ten-room brick parsonage, remodeling and extending the brick auditorium, enlargement of the choir stand, the addition of a $43,000 two-story education wing, remodeling the front steps, and the installation of a public address system (inside and outside the church). A church office was opened and a full time secretary was employed.

1954 – 1961 The church was organized into fifty-five districts. A self-auditing system was established which increased the income of the church by more than 75% annually, established two junior choirs, the RJS Male Chorus, the Hour of Power prayer meeting service (Wednesday evenings), and Junior Hour of Power service. A nursery department was organized along with an accredited elementary school with an attendance of 291 students and 14 teachers. The church also sponsored a modern-day nursery and kindergarten which operated five days a week. Dr. Smith served until his declining health caused him to resign.

Reverend Howard William Creecy, Sr.

1962 - 1991 On July 1, 1962, the fifth pastor called to pastor Mount Moriah, was the charismatic, eloquent, and powerful preacher, Reverend Howard William Creecy, Sr., friend of the Civil Rights Movement. Mount Moriah often hosted meetings of the movement. Goals and objectives achieved: 1300 individuals became members of the flock, a $200,000 complete renovation of the church, including equipment, property purchased for additional paved parking accommodating 50 cars, parsonage converted into rental property, acquired $20,300 of additional rental property along Fair Street, and the church budget grew from $42,000.00 to $134,000.00. Outreach Ministries established: Sunday radio broadcast, Project Spirit (administrator: Rev. Juanzen K. DeLoney), Feed the Hungry/Meals on Wheels (administrator: the Missionary Society), the food bank, Thanksgiving/Christmas Basket ministry. During his pastorate, seven Sons of the Church were licensed and ordained: Reverend Henry Burke, Reverend Gardner C. Creecy, Reverend Howard W. Creecy, Jr., Reverend Juanzen K. DeLoney, Reverend Richard Lankford, Reverend Morris Nolan, and Reverend Ron Sailor, Sr. Reverend Creecy tendered his resignation on February 3, 1991, after serving twenty-eight years.

1991  The Associate Ministers: Reverend Henry Burke, Reverend Willie H. McCroley, and Reverend Morris Nolan carried out the duties of the spiritual leadership adding 200+ members to the fold. Also, under the administration of the Deacon Board/Trustee Board, renovations were made to the front stairs as well as the interior of the church.

Reverend Dr. Orlando K. Winters

1992 to 2012  April, 1992, Mount Moriah called its sixth pastor, the Reverend Dr. Orlando K. Winters, Sr. Accomplishments under his tenure of nineteen years and counting include: the institution of the 7:45 A.M. Sunday morning worship service; creation of the Praise Team; formation of IMPACT, a young adult choir and ministry; the Agnes H. Barnett Saints of Silence, a youth mime ministry; the Silent Messengers, an adult mime ministry, and the Lorraine Bryan Bell Choir. The Annual Day of Jubilee, the Barnabas Ministry, (a ministry dedicated to visiting the sick and shut-ins), Samaritan House, (a food/clothing ministry), and the Mount Moriah Board of Christian Education were also organized under his Direction.

September 2010- February 2013

Assistant Pastor Reverend Morris Nolan and Associate Ministers Rev. O. Cornell Hurst and Lynwood Spells carried out the duties of the spiritual leadership of the church during the illness of Dr. Orlando K. Winters, Sr.

Reverend Eric D. Hurst

February 2013 - Present

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On February 2013, Mount Moriah called its seventh pastor, the Reverend Eric D. Hurst. On March 17, 2013, Rev. Hurst was installed and received his charge to move Mount Moriah forward, and move forward we have. Since Pastor Hurst’s arrival over 300 people have responded to the invitation to Christ. Pastor Hurst revamped and restructured our music ministry with the addition of a Minister of Music, praise and worship leader, praise team, and a complete band.

Pastor Hurst added and restructured several ministries to reduce overlap and burnout. In 2015 he led the church in the revision of its by-laws, which were subsequently revised again in 2019.

Pastor Hurst also led the church in several capital improvements, which included, the creation of church’s website, online and mobile giving, partnered with ParkMobile to provide cashless payment for our parking lot ministry, new roof, state of the art sound board/system, as well as a renovation of the sanctuary that included new carpet, new pulpit, musician’s pit, and handicap seating space for worshipers in wheelchairs, and much more. 

Pastor Hurst has also licensed four new ministers of the gospel and increased our community involvement and enrichment by hosting community town hall meetings, in an effort to assess and address the community needs and concerns, evangelism outings, hosting Humane Society events that give pet owners in the West End and surrounding communities an opportunity for medical care for their pets at an affordable cost.