About Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
History of the church
The Mt. Carmel Baptist Church was organized by the Late Rev. Dr. Kenneth Lawrence Folkes in February 1956 with a few believing friends and faith in our Almighty God. With Christian leadership provided by Dr. Kenneth L. Folkes, the church continued to grow both spiritually and financially. The church grew from a small room in a funeral home with a few members to a large edifice on Prospect Avenue with hundreds of ministries and numerous ministries.
Along with Rev. Folkes, there were five members instrumental in the organizing of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. The chartered members of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church were the late: Brother Elmer Dampeer, Sister Lula Burnside, Deacon Decodas Burnside, Sister Ethel Brooks and Sister Mabel Dampeer. Mt. Carmel is a church that was constructed on faith and sacrifice. One of the charter members; Sister Ethel Brooks demonstrated this faith and sacrifice by bringing her entire family to the construction site of the present edifice and assisted in raising funds and laying bricks for the original foundation.
We are active supporters of Foreign Missions, The National Baptist Convention, The Empire Baptist Missionary Convention, The United Missionary Baptist Association, and The American Baptist Convention.
In March of 1987, after 31 years of Pastoral Leadership, Rev. Folkes retired as Pastor and continued to serve as Senior Pastor.
On July 27, 1987, Rev. Anthony Lowe of Charleston, South Carolina was called as the Pastor of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. We truly thank God for giving Dr. Folkes a vision in Rev. Lowe who accepted the call.
In April 1988, with the grace of God, we held the dedication service of the expansion for the new addition to our edifice.
Over the years, the Church has undergone exciting spiritual renewal. New ministries have been added as well as revitalization of existing ministries. An Assimilation Ministry has been developed with a host of greeters to make all feel welcomed from the sidewalk to the church doors and all the way through the service.
There is a welcome packet to introduce the church to newcomers in the narthex staffed by a greeter available to answer any question and to be of service to all those who enter the doors. We have expanded our outreach to the community and have partnered with a local domestic violence shelter to provide Christmas for all of the residents for the last ten years as well as provide backpacks and school supplies to a neighborhood school. We have organized a prison outreach ministry, the Lighthouse Ministry, where we share the light of Jesus with those who are transitioning from the prison system back into community as well as provide support and resources however we can.
The Missionary Ministry under the servant leadership of our Pastor Dr. Lowe and Minister La’Rae Hardy-Shabaka, who has recently advanced to serve at Bethesda Baptist Church, has experienced incredible growth. The church has an active food pantry, holds regular services ast a local residential center, and is very active in Foreign Missions and So Send I You. Dr. Lowe and Minister Shabaka have both traveled to South Africa to increase the witness of the Gospel. We are a missional minded church.
Mt. Carmel embraces the liturgical seasons of the faith, holding reflective services on Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday. These services offer the imposition of Ashes and the washing of feet in preparation for Easter. In addition, the paraments of the church reflect the colors of the liturgical season. We also observe the Advent Season with weekly lighting of the Advent Candles and accompanying music and meditation.
God has been good to Mt. Carmel and we have witnessed many milestones in the growth and development of the church. In 2008, Rev. Lowe and Officers appointed Rev. Dr. Zoleka Adams as Assistant Pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.
In May 2011, the church witnessed the historic event of Rev. Dr. Anthony Lowe, Pastor and Rev. Dr. Zoleka Adams, Assistant Pastor, graduate from Drew University with earned Doctor of Ministry degrees. The church celebrated this achievement and has been blessed by the knowledge learned and so generously shared.
In October 2011, Minister Juliet Grant was licensed as a minister of our congregation. Sadly, in November 2014, Minister Grant went hoe to be with the Lord. She remains profoundly missed.
In August 2012, Reverend Tyrone Richardson joined Mt. Carmel Baptist Church as the Minister of Music and in 2015 became a full-fledged member of the church and the ministerial staff.
IN 2013, the church was blessed by the addition of Rev. Christena Phoenix to the ministry team. She has proven to e a beneficial addition.
In 2016, Dr. Lowe broke the mold again and appointed the first female Chair of the Diaconate Ministry in the person of the very capable Deacon Lorna Wyatt. He has since added twelve new deacons to the roster. Deacon Lorna Wyatt was also the first female ordained at Mt. Carmel along with three other women in 1993.
In 2017, our ministerial team expanded even more with the addition of MIT Eda Franco who as of December 2019 has been licensed to serve as Minister Eda Franco.
Ever striving to increase the witness of Jesus Christ, our Pastor is active in many community affairs and is the newly elected and installed Moderator of the United Missionary Baptist Association. This is historic in that the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church has only had 2 pastors and both have made history within the United Missionary Baptist Association, serving as Moderator.
Dr. Lowe has also been committed to increasing the knowledge and preaching skills needed for today’s church. To that end, he has published a great source book on Effective Preaching and has held several high caliber homiletic seminars equal in quality to advanced theological and seminary training.
We have assembled a Leadership Ministry that includes deacons, trustees and the servant leaders of the ministries of the church. We meet monthly to receive instruction that supports us effectively working together to accomplish God’s mission.
Through it all God has been good to us and we are eternally grateful. We are grateful for such a visionary Pastor who is committed to serving God’s people and teaching God’s Work.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank our many friends and well-wishers for their interest in the past and to request their prayers and support as we venture into the future.
THE MOUNT CARMEL BAPTIST CHURCH
1376 Prospect Avenue Bronx, New York 10459
Rev. Dr. Anthony Lowe, Pastor