A Morningside Congregation Since 1918
Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church stands on Evans Avenue in the Morningside neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas, a stretch of the city's south side that has been the church's home for decades. The congregation itself goes back much further. In December 1918, eight charter members organized Mount Olive on the 700 block of Jarvis Street, with the Reverend Jack Williams serving as the founding pastor. The young fellowship outgrew meeting in a private home and moved its worship services into a garage on Hemphill Street before eventually settling on the Evans Avenue campus where the church still worships today. What began as a small storefront mission now draws families from across Tarrant County for Sunday worship, midweek Bible study, and a packed calendar of ministry.
Sunday Worship at 9 a.m.
The church's weekly rhythm centers on Sunday morning. Sunday School begins at 8:30 a.m., and the worship service follows at 9:00 a.m. Both are held in person at the church and broadcast by livestream so members who are traveling, sick, or watching from out of town can take part. The Media and Sound Ministry records every service and produces CDs for members who want to revisit a sermon or pass one along to relatives. Visitors who come in person will find a service that pairs preaching from Pastor William T. Glynn with a full music and arts program led by the Minister of Music.
Wednesdays Around the Word
Midweek Bible study is a second pillar of the church's life. Two sessions meet on Wednesdays. The Noon Day Bible Study gathers at 12:00 p.m. and includes a lunch, drawing working adults, retirees, and anyone who can step away from the day's responsibilities. A second Bible study meets at 7:00 p.m. and is paired with a light dinner. Both sessions keep the building open and active in the middle of the week, and guests are welcome to drop in on either one.
Music, Drama, and the Arts
The Music and Arts Ministry describes its calling as setting an atmosphere for the presence of God, supporting the preached word rather than competing with it. Under Minister of Music Michelle Fisher, the music ministry leads congregational worship each Sunday and supports a broader arts family that includes the dance team known as CP2, the MOMBC Mimes, and the Puppet Ministry. A separate Drama Ministry invites members of any age to sign up through an interest form on the church site. The Media and Sound Ministry handles every recording and livestream the church produces. Together these teams make the arts a regular, hands-on part of church life rather than a once-a-year program.
Youth, Young Adults, and Family Life
Children and teenagers have a place of their own at Mount Olive. The Wired-Up Youth Ministry, directed by Mark Carter, gathers young people around Bible teaching, fellowship, service in the church and community, and what the ministry calls godly leadership skills. For older youth and young adults, the iThrive Young Adult Ministry serves two age brackets, 18 to 30 and 31 to 45, with Bible study and life-skill teaching aimed at active involvement in ministry. A Golden Years Ministry supports senior members, the Mother's Ministry walks with women raising children, the Cell Ministry organizes the congregation into small groups that meet during the week, and the Men's Ministry gathers men for fellowship and study.
Women's Ministry and the L.O.V.E. Marriage Ministry
The Women's Ministry aims to enrich women at every stage of life - students, career women, mothers, and longtime believers - through Bible study and fellowship. Its purpose is to ground them in Scripture and to let that faith show up in everyday relationships. The Marriage Ministry, known by the acronym L.O.V.E. and rooted in Proverbs 18:22 (KJV), focuses on couples and on building marriages that hold up under daily pressures. Both groups welcome newcomers alongside longtime members and meet on a regular basis.
Giving and Outreach Beyond the Walls
Mount Olive's Giving in Action lists six priorities: evangelism, feeding the homeless, scholarships, foreign missions, supporting other churches, and the Freedom School. Online giving is offered through Givelify and PayPal. The scholarships program supports students connected to the congregation, Foreign Missions is listed as a standing ministry, and the church partners with other congregations across the region. The Media and Sound Ministry extends outreach beyond Fort Worth by livestreaming services and making sermons available on demand, so the Morningside pulpit reaches listeners well beyond the building on Evans Avenue.
The Pastor's Long Call
Reverend William T. Glynn, Mount Olive's tenth pastor, was called to preach at the age of seventeen. He was licensed in 1975 and ordained in 1977 by Mount Horeb Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. He studied at Bishop College in Dallas and at Mount Hope Bible College in Houston, earning a Bachelor of Theology in 1979 and a Master of Theology in 1982. He pastored Saint Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Houston from 1980 to 1990 before being called to Mount Olive in 1991. He has served as Moderator of the North Texas District Association for sixteen years and as First Vice President of the National Baptist Convention of America International, Incorporated. He is joined in ministry by his wife, First Lady Stephanie Glynn, by Assistant Pastor Louis Stewart, and by Associate Minister Keenan Broadus. The motto that frames the church's giving, "ministering to the misery of the masses with the mercy and message of the Master," sums up the long call that has shaped Mount Olive since 1918.