A Century on Newport Street
For more than a hundred years, Greater Fairview Missionary Baptist Church has stood at 2545 Newport Street in Jackson, Mississippi. The story begins in 1918, when the late Rev. Mark Burns organized Fairview M. B. Church in an old store-front building at the corner of Amite and Jefferson Streets in downtown Jackson. The name reflected the view of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds across the way. Wooden apple crates and planks served as seats for the first worshipers. Two deacons, Bro. Jeff Mason and Bro. John Camel, and church clerks Sis. Ella Patton and, after her, Sis. Olive Patton carried the work forward. After six years of saving, the congregation purchased a lot on Mississippi Street from M. A. Lewis, and a building was completed by 1924 with roughly twenty-five members.
The next several decades carried Fairview through a procession of pastors: the late Rev. Willie Pickens, the late Rev. N. Trouvillion, Rev. Jackson, the Rev. F. W. Coleman (called in 1930 and serving fourteen years), the Rev. R. L. Varnado (eight years), and the Rev. R. H. Walls (called in 1953). Under Rev. Walls the roof was updated, the siding painted, a walkway installed, and an organ and piano were added.
On April 27, 1962, Fairview called the Rev. S. L. Spann, Sr. as pastor, and a new chapter began. On the second Sunday in July 1963, Spann led the congregation from the Mississippi Street property to 2545 Newport Street. Within a year the membership tripled, from sixty-five to three hundred, and the name was changed to Greater Fairview Missionary Baptist Church to mark the wider reach. New ministries multiplied: Senior and Junior Matron Leagues, Senior and Junior Laymen's Associations, a Junior Ushers Ministry, the Women's Missionary Society, a Trustee Board, the Senior Choir, the Chancel Choir (which became the Young Adult Choir), the YWA, and a Sunday School that grew to ten teaching classrooms. An after-school tutorial program combined academics with a Christian approach to learning. In 1992 the building of a new sanctuary began, and it was dedicated the third Sunday in October 1995. Dr. Spann served for thirty-eight years and was called home on November 9, 2001. Mother Fannie B. Spann joined him in August 2002. The motto from the Spann years, "The Church Where Love Prevails Over Hate," remains the church's motto to this day.
After Rev. Danny R. Hollins served as pastor beginning in July 2002, the church called Rev. Vincent V. Russell as its eighth pastor. He was installed on February 26, 2017.
Word, Worship, and Witness
Greater Fairview organizes its life around three pillars displayed beneath the church's name: Word, Worship, and Wisdom. The mission statement reads: "The Greater Fairview Missionary Baptist Church exists to bring glory and honor to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by making committed disciples to minister through Worship, the Word and Witnessing to the local church body, surrounding communities, nation and uttermost lands as the Lord so leads us."
The vision unpacks that calling into a seven-fold pattern of discipleship: giving to upbuild the Kingdom, reconciling mankind, equipping the laity, abounding in agape love, training up leaders, exalting the Lord, and reaching the lost. Across that framework, the aim is to make committed disciples and to follow the Holy Spirit wherever He leads.
A Sunday at the Fairview Experience
Sundays at Newport Street follow a familiar rhythm. Sunday School opens the day at 9:00 AM, with classes for men, women, and children running in parallel. Worship gathers at 10:35 AM, both in person and online for those joining from home, livestreamed on YouTube (channel gfview) and on Facebook. Ushers meet each visitor at the entrance, the Hospitality and Valet Ministry extends a warm welcome from the parking lot to the pew, and the choirs lead the singing.
New members are recognized at a reception in Spann's Hall immediately after worship on designated Sundays, an unhurried welcome that lets newcomers meet leaders and other members face to face. After the benediction, members gather for fellowship before heading home.
Wednesday Nights and the Week That Follows
The middle of the week at Newport Street is built for teaching and prayer. The Junior, Youth, and Young Adult Choir rehearses at 5:45 PM, with new members welcomed to join. At 6:45 PM the Prayer Services gather the body in intercession. At 7:00 PM the Adult Bible Class and the Salt and Light Bible Class run together. Salt and Light meets in Spann's Hall for children, youth, and young adults; parents and guardians sign children in and out, and a security-and-safety protocol applies to all classes.
Outside of the sanctuary, weekly conference-call prayer connects members who cannot make it to the building. The Morning Prayer Call rings in at 7:00 AM and runs until 7:15 AM each weekday (dial 727-731-9421; no code required). The Prayer Warriors of the PALS senior ministry hold a noon prayer session on selected days, and aerobics classes fill the gym at the ROC on Mondays and Tuesdays. Across the rest of the week, additional rhythms shape the life of the church.
A Choir for Every Voice
Music is woven into nearly every moment at Greater Fairview. The Music Ministry leads the congregation in worship through music, dance, and theatrical excellence, and it organizes several ensembles so that every generation has a place to sing. The Adult Choir, the Junior Choir, the Male Chorus, the Mass Choir, and the Youth and Young Adult Choir each carry their own voice into the services, with weekly rehearsals scheduled around midweek and Sunday mornings. The Mass Choir often anchors major services and special days.
Three expressive-arts ministries extend the music ministry's reach. The Praise Dance Ministry features young ladies ministering to God's people through dance. The MIME Ministry gathers young men of all ages who praise God through movement and encourage others to worship freely. Christian Dramatics produces plays, skits, and recitations that bring scripture and story to life during services and special events.
From Salt and Light to the PALS
Greater Fairview structures much of its ministry around the seasons of life. Salt and Light is the umbrella for children, youth, and young adults, anchored by the Salt and Light Bible Class on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM. Young people in elementary through undergraduate school are recognized through the Youth Spotlight, which honors academic and athletic achievements, community service, and leadership on the second Sunday of each month. The Mighty Men of Valor (MMOV) gathers the men of the church to grow as leaders through knowledge of God's Word and to support district, state, and national laymen work. The M.O.R.E. Ministry (Making Our Relationships Extraordinary) prepares seriously dating and engaged couples for marriage and strengthens existing marriages, drawing on the premarital counseling offered by Pastor Russell and the book "Tying The Knot: A Premarital Guide to A Strong and Lasting Marriage" by Rob Green. The Women of Excellence (WOE) develops women through worship, the Word, prayer, and fellowship and hosts quarterly birthday celebrations. The Mother's Ministry counsels and serves as role models for the young ladies of the church and community.
For older adults, the PALS Ministry (the Prayer and Labor Squad) enlists and engages seniors in activities that are stimulating and enjoyable in a Christian environment. S.W.A.P. (Singles With A Purpose) provides ministry for single adults that fosters individual wholeness through a relationship with God. The Comfort and Bereavement Ministry walks alongside those who are suffering and offers the bereaved a word from God and any assistance the church can give. The Orientation and Assimilation Ministry takes the first steps in discipleship training for new converts and members.
The Recreational Outreach Center on Boling Street
A few miles west of the main campus, the Greater Fairview Recreational Outreach Center - known affectionately as the ROC - anchors the ministry at 1909 Boling Street. The story of the ROC stretches back to 2004, when the church purchased thirty-four acres on Boling Street for future development. Work began in October 2010, and the Fairview Learning Academy and the ROC opened on the property.
The ROC is a multi-use facility the church describes as available for meetings, events, conferences, banquets, sporting events, and other gatherings. Inside its walls, members and visitors find a cafe, meeting rooms, and a full-size basketball and volleyball court. The Aerobics Ministry uses the space on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5:30 PM for classes that promote health and wellness across the church and community; participants are asked to wear workout gear, bring a towel and water, and leave the jeans at home. Girl Scout Troop #4235 meets at the ROC on Mondays at 6:00 PM, part of a wider scouting ministry at Greater Fairview that also includes Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops for boys ages eleven to seventeen. Inquiries about hosting an event at the ROC are directed through the church office.
Meeting People Where They Are
Greater Fairview has long cast its ministry outward into the Shady Oaks community and beyond. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the church became a refuge center, sheltering sixty members of one family from Slidell, Louisiana, and later a Hispanic family from Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Rita. The creed "Meeting People Where They Are" was tested and taken to the limits in helping those neighbors. Beginning in 2006 the church adopted Johnson Elementary School, the Morrison Academic Advancement Center, and later Dawson Elementary and Northwest Middle Schools, expanding Greater Fairview's reach in advancing education in the community. The church also served as a satellite campus for Jackson State University's Continuing Adult Education Program, helping many members earn college degrees.
Several ministries carry that outreach forward today. The Angel Tree Ministry works in partnership with Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program to provide Christmas gifts to children of incarcerated parents in the surrounding community. The Nursing Home Outreach Ministry takes the gospel of Jesus Christ to elderly residents who can no longer attend church in person. The Transportation Ministry provides rides for members who need a lift to and from church on Sundays. The Kitchen Ministry prepares and serves meals and refreshments for church functions, and the Hospitality and Valet Ministry greets every person entering the property with the love of God through the Holy Spirit.
The church also walks alongside its young scholars. The annual Celebration of Education recognizes graduates of high school, professional and technical programs, and undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The Deacon Nick Bradley Jr. Memorial Scholarship rewards a high school male scholar who is an active Greater Fairview member, has at least a 2.5 grade point average, and has been accepted to a two-year or four-year college or university. The Honor Roll and Dean's List recognition, along with the monthly Youth Spotlight, round out that support.
Pastor Vincent V. Russell and First Lady Dr. Natalie Morton Russell
Rev. Vincent V. Russell has served as Greater Fairview's pastor since his installation on February 26, 2017, and has been part of the Greater Fairview family for more than thirty years. A native of Jackson and a 1985 graduate of John W. Provine High School, he holds a 1994 diploma from the Word of Life Bible Training Institute and a 1999 BBA in Business Administration from Jackson State University. He began preaching at sixteen, was licensed by Bishop Keith A. Butler of Word of Faith Christian Center in Southfield, Michigan, and was ordained by Bishop Paul S. Morton in Atlanta, Georgia. Before full-time ministry, he built a long career across the corporate world, rising through roles in sales and marketing, operations, quality control, and corporate training, and ultimately serving as a regional director responsible for the entire southeastern United States. He has served in ministries under Rev. Dr. S. L. Spann, Rev. Ronnie Sims, Bishop Kevin E. Wright, Rev. Reginald Gibson, Rev. Mike Purkey, and Pastor Creflo A. Dollar, and was ministered to by the late Kenneth E. Hagin, Dr. Lester Sumrall, and Ed Dufresne.
Pastor Russell is submitted to and pastored by his spiritual father, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. Within his first year at Greater Fairview, more than one hundred new members joined. He formed the Executive Administrative Support (EAST) Team, launched Evangelistic Training classes, restructured the children's ministry into Salt and Light, and revitalized the M.O.R.E. couples ministry. He has also written the church's theme song, "Welcome to the Fairview Experience."
Dr. Natalie Morton Russell serves alongside her husband as First Lady. A native of Detroit, she earned a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education Administration from Western Michigan University, and a Master's in Educational Leadership with a specialty in Human Resources Development and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Loyola University in New Orleans. She has held administrative positions at Western Michigan University, served as Associate Manager in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan, and in 2008 accepted the call to serve as Church Administrator for Changing A Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta under Bishop Paul S. Morton, where she was responsible for the business operations of a 5,000-member church, supervised a staff of twenty-five, and served on the Ministerial Alliance and the College of Elders. Dr. Russell has been active in music ministry, Children's Church, and Christian Education throughout her life. She and Pastor Russell have one daughter, Raquel.
Visiting and Staying Connected
First-time visitors typically find the doors open well before Sunday School at 9:00 AM. Parking is available on church property, and the Hospitality and Valet Ministry assists anyone needing help from car to pew. Ushers greet each person at the entrance and guide visitors to seating.
The church operates on two campuses. The main campus at 2545 Newport Street in Jackson, Mississippi 39213, hosts Sunday worship, Sunday School, Wednesday Bible classes, choir rehearsals, prayer services, and the Senior ministry. The ROC at 1909 Boling Street in Jackson hosts midweek aerobics, scout meetings, and outside events. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Friday from 8:00 AM to noon. Members and friends can reach the office at 601-362-6447 or by email at east.gfview@gmail.com.
Giving is available through PushPay, and members can give by texting GFView to 77977, mailing checks to the church office at 2545 Newport Street, Jackson, MS 39213, or visiting in person. Services stream live on YouTube and Facebook each Sunday morning and Wednesday evening for members who join from home.