A Sunday Morning on Race Street
Mount Carmel Baptist Church sits at 5732 Race Street in West Philadelphia. Founded in 1882 by thirteen people who wanted to worship God in the Baptist tradition, it is known for orderly worship built around choirs, an organ and preaching, a large family of youth and music ministries, and work that reaches into the surrounding community. Mount Carmel has long been called "The Church in the Heart of West Philadelphia for the Hearts and Hands of the People."
Sunday begins with Sunday School at 8:30 a.m., followed by the worship service at 10:00 a.m. at 5732 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139. Children's Worship also begins at 10:00 a.m. during morning worship in the D.W. Hoggard Fellowship Hall, on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Sundays from January through June and October through December. Visitors are welcome to stay awhile after the service, when the pastoral staff greets people at the door. A plan a visit option is available for those preparing to worship for the first time.
A Greeter from the Hospitality Guild or the Ushers Ministry is usually stationed at the doors and the welcome desk, handing out the worship program, pointing out the restrooms, sanctuary and fellowship area, and answering questions about the service. The service follows an orderly progression: prayers, scripture reading, announcements, plenty of singing from the church's various choirs, and challenging and comforting preaching from the pastor. It is not a long service, but the songs and the preaching of God's word leave worshipers uplifted, encouraged and blessed for having been in the house of the Lord. The service is also livestreamed on YouTube, where recent sermon series can be watched as well.
Come as you are. The church says people should come to God as they are, without dressing up for approval, noting that most men wear ties and many women wear hats while others point out that Jesus never wore a tie and that God blesses even a person without a hat.
Three small parking lots serve the church, one on the corner of 57th Street, a second on the corner of 58th Street and one behind the church on Cherry Street. Visitors with mobility restrictions or young children to carry are encouraged to use street spaces closest to the church door, and to arrive early, because those spaces go quickly.
Race Street Roots: Thirteen People in 1882
Mount Carmel began in 1882 when thirteen people gathered in West Philadelphia to establish a church where they could worship God in the Baptist tradition. There were several moves before a permanent location and name were settled, and nine pastors have served. The early ministers, Reverend Lewis Tyler, Reverend Napper H. Hester, Reverend Lewis G. Jordan, Reverend G.C. Coleman and Reverend Daniel W. Wisher, united the congregation and laid its foundation.
Leadership stability came with the 19-year tenure of Reverend Thomas D. Atkins (1913 to 1932), when membership grew, debts were paid and the first pipe organ was purchased. Reverend Dr. Dennie W. Hoggard, called in 1932, led the church for 31 years, enlarging the edifice and adding pews, stained-glass windows and another pipe organ. He stressed community involvement: Mount Carmel purchased and administered the program at the Robert Wood Home for Children and ran a nursery and daycare in the church building.
Reverend Dr. Albert F. Campbell guided Mount Carmel from 1966 to 2013 and called the congregation "People in Pilgrimage" who depend on God for mercy and guidance. His years brought the Mount Carmel Garden Apartments to support housing needs in West Philadelphia, the burning of a nearly one million dollar mortgage that funded major renovations and expansions, the erection of an Educational Service Building and the purchase of the community service property at 5900 Race Street, along with a new organ, a church elevator and renovated bathrooms. He retired at the end of 2013 and serves as Pastor Emeritus.
Entering the 21st century, the church pledged to be "A Revolutionary Church Engaged in Revolutionary Services to Make a Difference in the lives of our congregation and community." On December 14, 2014, Reverend Donald D. Moore was installed as the ninth pastor, with a vision of spreading knowledge of God's love and holy words, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for salvation, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to love and serve others. The church now describes itself as "One Church Working Together."
The Pastors, Ministers and Ministry Team
Rev. Dr. Donald D. Moore is described as a shepherd, scholar and servant leader who leads with "a pastor's heart and a strategist's mind." With more than three decades spanning healthcare, higher education, ministry and civic life, he has worked as a clinical speech pathologist and a university professor. He founded The Voice of Leadership, LLC, and has served in advisory and leadership capacities with the Philadelphia School District, the Pennsylvania Governor's Transition Team and the UNCF Philadelphia Advisory Board. He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a contributing voice to The Philadelphia Inquirer, and an inductee of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel of Pastoral Leadership at Morehouse College.
- Rev. Kenneth Woodson, Associate Minister and Executive Minister to the Pastor, has been a member for more than 35 years. Past responsibilities include Church School Superintendent, trustee, deacon board ministries and president of the Young Adult Fellowship, and he has served on the Board of Directors of Mt. Carmel Gardens Inc. for more than 20 years.
- Rev. Dr. Willette A. Burgie-Bryant, Staff Minister, has served the church and academy for more than 40 years. With degrees in education, social work, theology and ministry, she has been invited across the United States and overseas to preach, teach, offer pastoral care and facilitate retreats.
- Rev. Julia Bruton-Sheppard, Associate Minister, spent 14 years as a nurse in hospice home care before entering ministry.
- Min. Anastasia Marie Austin, Associate Minister, joined Mount Carmel in 2015 and was licensed in June 2019 as the second associate minister under Pastor Moore. She previously served with The Baptist Worship Center under Bishop Millicent Hunter.
- Minister Calvin A. Austin, II, Associate Minister and Minister to Youth, was born and raised in Philadelphia and has been developed at Mount Carmel since the age of 10 under the tutelage of his parents, Deacon Calvin A. Austin, Sr., Deaconess Brenda D. Austin, and Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Albert F. Campbell, Sr.
Choirs, Orchestras and Praise Dance
Music carries a large share of Mount Carmel's worship, and the church's music life spans instrumental ensembles, youth choirs, praise dance and gospel stepping. The Church School Orchestra, directed by Deaconess Kimberly Smith and Marva James, rehearses Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon between September and June and ministers on the 1st and 3rd Sundays.
- The Mt. Carmel Junior and Young People's Choir, directed by Kerri Williams, rehearses Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. between September and June and ministers on the 3rd Sunday, bringing young people together to worship and sing praises to God, to offer Christian fellowship and to promote Christian principles.
- The Praise Dance Ministry, directed by Adara L. Watts, uses dance and movement to admire and honor God, offering "their temples as a living sacrifice" to prepare an atmosphere of worship and to connect the word of the Bible through song.
- MCBC Steppers, directed by Alexis Warren-Brown, meets Tuesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. to cultivate appreciation for African-American culture and heritage through stepping that incorporates the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- The Mime Ministry, directed by Kimberly Kelly, rehearses Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. between September and June and ministers on the 3rd Sunday, using body language and music to worship and praise God and to reach young people through outreach.
Children and Youth on a Weekly Rhythm
The Commission on Youth Ministries oversees the church's youth-oriented organizations and acts as a clearinghouse for new projects so that those activities adhere to the church's Christian policies. It meets on the 3rd Sunday immediately following morning worship, with Deaconess Stephanie Johnson as chairperson, Deaconess Kimberly Smith as co-chair and Minister Calvin A. Austin, II as Minister to Youth.
- Children's Worship, directed by Hugh McGhee, III, meets during the 10:00 a.m. service in the D.W. Hoggard Fellowship Hall.
- Junior Missionaries, chaired by Brenda Clark, meets the 1st Saturday from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., promoting personal development, home and community life skills and self-esteem through missionary work.
- Academic Enrichment Ministry, chaired by Deaconess Stephanie Johnson, offers academic activities for young people in the church and surrounding community, including test preparation for the PSSA, SAT and ACT, a STEAM summer camp, scholarship information for high school seniors and an oratorical competition for 9th through 12th graders.
- Mentoring Ministry, chaired by Deaconess Delores Randolph, meets the 3rd Saturday at 1:00 p.m. from September through May, instilling spiritual values, love, faith and hope while enriching children's moral, educational and cultural growth.
- Mt. Carmel Rocks, the basketball ministry directed by Kelly Stewart, meets Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. and reaches young people in the church and community through basketball.
- Young People's Usher Board greets everyone who enters the church and helps provide a worshipful atmosphere.
Health, Heritage and Civic Engagement
The Health Ministry supports physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs by surveying what the membership needs, planning programs around those needs and opening those programs to the community. Sessions are led by Marva James, RN and Gwen Travis, RN. "The Salt Connection" explains blood pressure, hypertension and the DASH eating plan, while "The Salty Six" looks at sodium in bread and rolls, cold cuts, pizza, poultry, soup and sandwiches. The ministry treats the body as a temple, pairs prayer with diet and exercise, and encourages 30 to 60 minutes of activity on most days of the week.
The congregation's care for its neighbors is long-standing. It once purchased and administered the program at the Robert Wood Home for Children, ran a nursery and daycare in the church building, and has hosted blood drives and taken part in a Gift of Life donor program.
The African Heritage Ministry seeks to uplift the Mount Carmel family and the general community through education, edification and fellowship, and to eradicate misconceptions about and prejudices against people of Africa and the Diaspora. It sheds light on social, economic, religious and political history, celebrates the African presence in the Bible, encourages self-love, and embraces the God of all people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Community and Civic Engagement Ministry, C.A.C.E., works to enhance a culture of civic responsibility by providing programs and resources that help the church and the local community expand their civic identities through mutually beneficial partnerships aimed at a more just society.
Prayer, Hospitality and the Deaconess Ministry
The Prayer Ministry engages in specifically focused intercessory prayer for the spiritual, physical, social, emotional and economic needs of the membership and community, holding to the words "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Joyce Woodson and Margo Mango serve as co-facilitators.
The Deaconess Ministry assists the deacons in carrying out the ordinances of Mount Carmel Baptist Church and works to meet the spiritual, physical, emotional and social needs of the membership. Monica Taylor serves as president, and the ministry meets monthly on the Saturday before the 3rd Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
The Hospitality Guild promotes Christian warmth and friendliness by welcoming members and visitors to church-wide activities. Members receive and welcome people, serve as hosts and hostesses at special occasions by request, register participants at conferences and workshops and support community outreach. The guild meets the third Saturday from January through June and again from September through December at noon in the Tape Room on the sanctuary level.
The Women's Ministry prays together and works to enhance the spirit of God by sowing seeds of discipleship through the Word, aiming to educate the mind, nourish the body and feed the spirit through evangelism, discipleship, Christian service and missions. Eileen Burrell serves as convener and Pashen Jackson as co-convener. Its fundraising has included a lemon seed fundraiser that asks people to count the seeds in a lemon and give 50 cents per seed on their honor, or a donation of their choosing.
What Mount Carmel Teaches and Values
The mission of Mount Carmel Baptist Church is to teach, preach and interpret the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to convert the lost and build up the body of Christ. That mission also commits the congregation to eradicating miseducation, prejudice and all forms of discrimination, and to meeting holistically the spiritual, physical, emotional, social and economic needs of the membership and the community.
Mount Carmel calls itself a community of believers who grow closer to God and one another in fellowship, taking the image of iron sharpening iron. It describes itself as a church without walls, following Jesus's call to go outside the walls to reach the lost and the broken, and it values the word of God, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, grace extended to those who have no hope and a personal relationship with God.
Giving, Buildings and Neighborhood Care
Tithes and offerings provide for the areas of ministry and outreach, and giving is described as personal worship and faithful stewardship. Gifts can be made online or through Cash App, and the church's goal is 100 percent participation in giving to the Generous Future fund. The suggested posture is sacrificial, with the example of giving the cost of one fast food meal each week, and 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 is cited for giving willingly and cheerfully from the heart.
The church has long owned property for the neighborhood: the Mount Carmel Garden Apartments support housing needs in West Philadelphia, the Educational Service Building was erected as a nearly one million dollar mortgage was retired, and the congregation purchased the community service property at 5900 Race Street. The church also has procedures for borrowing tables and chairs for church events. Voter registration information for Pennsylvania and New Jersey is available as well.
At 5732 Race Street, the church that started with thirteen people in 1882 continues to pair orderly worship with ministries for children, young people, women, deaconesses, choirs, praise dancers and the wider community. Carried through nine pastors to Rev. Dr. Donald D. Moore, Mount Carmel pursues Jesus together as "One Church Working Together."