Nine Decades on North 6th Street
Mt. Olive Institutional Missionary Baptist Church has stood on North 6th Street in Saginaw, Michigan since 1933, when thirty-two charter members gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Gills to organize what would become one of the city's most enduring Black Baptist congregations. Known affectionately as "The Olive," the church is affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the Wolverine State Baptist Convention. Today its reach stretches well beyond the red-brick campus through livestreams on Facebook and YouTube, a weekly podcast, and an expansive list of ministries that touch nearly every phase of life in Saginaw and beyond.
From the Busy Bees to a Church on the Hill
The roots of Mt. Olive stretch back to 1932, when a small group organized a club called the Busy Bees under the leadership of Mrs. Leroy Lyons. That club became the seedbed for Mt. Olive Baptist Church, formally constituted on February 27, 1933, with the Reverend James Arnold moderating the Recognition Council and the Reverends F.C. Jones and Epps serving alongside him. The Reverend Matthew Toomey became the church's first pastor in 1933 and served for four years, followed by the Reverend W.G. Wilson in 1938 and the Reverend O.C. Thomas, under whom the first sanctuary on the present site was constructed, only to be destroyed by fire in 1944. The Reverend E.L. Todd served briefly as interim pastor before the Reverend R.B. Bradley was called in 1946. Under Pastor Bradley the church grew rapidly spiritually, numerically, and financially; a nursery, choir loft, pastor's study, and finance room were added, and the house next door was purchased.
The church's longest-serving pastor, the Reverend James Paris Wilson, accepted the call in October 1958 after coming from Detroit's Third Baptist Church. A 1942 graduate of Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, and Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio, Pastor Wilson presided over the membership's growth past 500. In 1962 ground was broken for a $135,000 educational wing with twenty classrooms and a basketball court, and in 1969 a major renovation enlarged the nave. In 1990, with the loyal membership financing it through tithes and liberal offerings, the church dedicated its barrier-free J.P. Wilson Fellowship Hall, built by MCS Construction Company at a total cost of $343,648. After Pastor Wilson's retirement in 1993, the Reverend Eddie J. Williams served twice as interim pastor. The Reverend Nile E. Smith Jr. followed, and then in October 1998 the Reverend Marvin T. Smith, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, accepted the call. Pastor Smith launched the Media Ministry and a Tuesday noon Bible study, expanded television and radio broadcasts, and served for twenty-five years before retiring on October 29, 2023. In February 2026 the congregation honored him with the unanimous title of Pastor Emeritus.
A New Chapter Under Pastor Joshua M. Daniels
The current Senior Pastor, the Reverend Joshua M. Daniels, began his ministry at Mt. Olive on May 1, 2024. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Houston Graduate School of Theology and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Homiletics at Anderson University in South Carolina. The church describes his preaching as expository, biblically based, theologically sound, doctrinally focused, culturally relevant, and prophetically accurate. He preaches a national circuit as a revivalist, conference speaker, and seminar instructor, and serves as Assistant Recording Secretary of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America and as Congress Dean for the Providence Baptist District Association. He and his wife, Arianna S. Daniels, are the parents of three children: Jarrington, Joshua M. Daniels II, and Jenesis.
Beliefs and the L.E.A.P. Vision
Mt. Olive's statement of faith holds to one God eternally existing in three co-equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - as Creator and Sustainer of all things. The church confesses Jesus Christ as the virgin-born, crucified, risen, and ascended Savior who will return to reign as King, and the Holy Spirit as Comforter, Guide, and Advocate given to every believer. The Bible is held to be divinely inspired, without error, and the final authority for Christian belief and life. Salvation is taught as a free gift received through faith and expressed in repentance and baptism by immersion. The church's mission is to reach people for Jesus Christ, bring them into the Christian family, teach them the Word of God, and train them for ministry so that God's name will be exalted. For 2026 and beyond, Pastor Daniels has anchored the congregation in a four-point theme called L.E.A.P.: Love Broader, Excel Higher, Act Now, Produce Disciples.
Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Refuel
Sunday at Mt. Olive begins at 9:00 a.m. with Sunday School classes that meet on Zoom (Meeting ID 817 3798 5682), followed at 10:00 a.m. by the main worship service in the Main Sanctuary. The service opens with songs of adoration, thanksgiving, and praise that draw on a mixture of old and new hymns and contemporary songs, and concludes with a sermon from Pastor Daniels. Baptism is observed on the first Sunday of each month during the service, with Communion celebrated on the same day. Children and Youth Church meets on the fourth Sunday in the lower-level gymnasium and classrooms, and a separate Millennial Service is held on the third Sunday.
Mid-week, the church gathers for what it calls Wednesday Refuel. At 6:00 p.m. a Prayer and Praise service fills the sanctuary with song and testimony, and at 6:30 p.m. a Bible study led by the pastor presents the Word of God with what the church describes as great clarity, always seeking to separate Holy Scripture from the traditions of men. Both the Wednesday Bible study and the Sunday worship service are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube and archived on the church's YouTube channel at mtoimbc. On Thursday mornings at 6:00 a.m. an early prayer call invites members to dial in, mute their phones, and lift up the needs of the church and community.
FLOCKS: Shepherding One Another
At the heart of Mt. Olive's shepherding work is a ministry called FLOCKS, an acronym for Fellowship, Leadership, Outreach, Caring, Knowledge, Service. Drawing on the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15, FLOCKS divides the congregation into five small groups - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon - so that no member is left behind. Each Flock has identified leaders who meet together a minimum of twice a year, share prayer concerns, encourage one another through life's milestones, and help newcomers take their next step in connecting to the body of Christ. All new members are enrolled in a Welcome Class taught by the pastor or his designee, where they learn the church's core values and discover how to put their spiritual gifts to work in ministry.
Music, Media, and the Spoken Word
Music has long been central to worship at The Olive. The Music Ministry is led by the Reverend Larry D. Allen, Minister of Music, supported by an organist and pianist, a bass guitarist, and a drummer and keys player. The church maintains five choirs - a Mass Choir, a Gospel Choir, a Millennial Choir, a Youth Choir, and an Angel Choir - each rehearsing on a regular schedule before the Sundays they lead. The Media Ministry captures every service through audio, video, and still photography, streams services live to Facebook and YouTube, and distributes CDs and DVDs to sick and shut-in members so they can remain plugged into the life of the church. Archived services, sermons, and Bible study teachings are available on the church's YouTube channel and through its podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Children, Youth, and Family Life
Mt. Olive takes seriously the work of forming the next generation. Children's Church meets on Sundays in the lower-level gymnasium and classrooms with age-specific lessons for children from birth through twelfth grade. Second Sunday Soldiers is a training ground for young people ages five through eighteen who learn to lead the congregation in worship. The Youth Ministry helps young people understand their God-given purpose in a setting the church describes as fun, while the Young Adult Ministry develops an ongoing relationship with local college students and maintains ties with members studying at schools around the country.
The Very Important Parents, or V.I.P., Ministry, led by Delores McMillan Lewis, encourages parents and grandparents to live out 1 Peter 2:9 as "peculiar parents" who raise children empowered to realize their full potential. The group meets on the fourth Saturday of each month, runs a Parent Resource Room, and partners with the Saginaw Public School District to host a teen parent group. The Women's Ministry offers a Tuesday afternoon Mission class at 1:00 p.m. and a Tuesday evening Christian Women small group at 6:00 p.m., along with a Women's Day weekend during Mother's Day week that has included stage-play trips and shopping excursions. The Men's Ministry cultivates the Christian life of laymen through study, worship, fellowship, and service, and celebrates a Men's Day weekend during Father's Day week.
Outreach Across Saginaw
The Outreach Ministry seeks to be God's hands and feet in and beyond Saginaw, partnering with other churches and organizations to meet practical needs. Its work includes a summer feeding program, benevolence assistance, visitation, donations, prison ministry, and crisis response. Listed partners include the Black Church Food Security Network, Bread for the World, Saginaw Community Connect, Hidden Harvest Shares, Mustard Seed Shelter, the City Rescue Mission of Saginaw, the Underground Railroad Resale, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, the Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, the Saginaw County Public Health Department, and LifeClinic. A team of First Responders stands ready during services and events to handle medical and accidental occurrences, the Sports Ministry opens facilities to people of all ages for activities that nurture physical and spiritual well-being, and a Transportation Ministry provides dependable rides for church activities.
Counseling, Health, and Pastoral Care
Pastoral care at Mt. Olive runs through several specialized ministries. The Olive Branch Counseling Ministry offers spiritual and direct counseling with loving support and compassion, providing structured groups and confidential one-on-one services to members and the wider community. The Body and Soul Health and Wellness Ministry, led by Deaconess Gail Little and Sister Harriet Douglas, encourages members to take charge of their health through educational activities, vital health information, healthy eating, and physical activity; it meets on the third Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in J.P. Wilson Hall. God's Prayer Shawl Ministry brings comfort throws, shawls, and lap blankets to local nursing homes and hospice patients. The Nurses Ministry provides child care and medical assistance during services, the Heavenly Hands Ministry prepares and serves meals and refreshments, and an Intercessory Prayer team of volunteer prayer warriors holds online prayer requests in strict confidence.
First-Time Visitors
First-time guests are welcomed at a Welcome Table in the breezeway, greeted by friendly volunteers, and given a gift bag with information about Mt. Olive. The dress code is described as "casual, but godly," and members arrive in everything from suits and dresses to polos and jeans. Visitors are encouraged to arrive about ten minutes before the 10:00 a.m. service begins. Parking is available in the main lot and behind the building, with security staff on hand to direct traffic and handicap ramps and an assist lift available at the entrance. Services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, archived on the church's YouTube channel, and released as a podcast. The church office, at 1114 N. 6th Street, is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and can be reached at (989) 752-8064. For those wishing to join, the simplest path is to walk forward at the minister's invitation during any service; a member of the New Members Ministry will guide the way and provide a welcome packet.
A century after the Busy Bees first organized in 1932, Mt. Olive Institutional Missionary Baptist Church continues to grow with the blessings of God, holding fast to its Baptist identity, its Saginaw roots, and its calling to do everything the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned it to do.