The Mt. Olive First Baptist Church in Clairton began as a prayer band meeting from house to house. It was organized into a church in 1910 in the home of Mary Williams on Railroad St. Early services were frequently read by candlelight and interrupted by the whistling and rumbling of passing trains.
On June 24, Mt Olive held their 109th anniversary at the church, now located at 451 Park Ave. Members of the church and guests made a red carpet arrival and were beautifully dressed in white, the color of the day. With Rev. William C. Callaway as the senior pastor since 1962, many souls have been led to Christ. In 1986, Rev. Callaway led the church into major construction, adding an educational wing that was named the E.W. Starks Annex. There have been additions to the church and the ministry, too numerous to mention. In November of this year Rev. Callaway will celebrate 56 years as senior pastor.
During the anniversary celebration Mt. Olive First Baptist welcomed Bishop Kenneth E. Anderson as guest speaker. Bishop Anderson is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Theology and Contemporary Christian Living. He recently received his Doctorate Degree of Divinity from Clarity International Christian University of Tallahassee, Fla. Bishop Anderson said he was humbled to be there and “by the grace of God I am what I am and I’m working towards the next level of God’s Plan.”
Mt. Olive’s motto: “The church where everybody is somebody but Christ is all.”
The church anniversary committee included: Deacon Gus Reed, Deacon George Williams, Deacon Carlton Wade and Deacon Thomas Wade.
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
About Post Author
