Seeking change through Christ? Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church is a beacon of hope. Organized in September 1923 it started with five deacons and ten women. Rev W M Hamilton served as interim pastor. Rev M Sanford was the first called pastor. There is limited information available about the pastors between Rev M Sanford and Rev L H Gore. It is believed that this period was unstable for the church.
In 1946 Rev L H Gore moved Mount Hermon. Its new location was 5301 South Dearborn. Rev L H Gore retired as the 15th pastor in 1960.
In April 1961 Rev Joseph Andrew Allen became the 16th pastor. He was known as a spirit-filled preacher. Within a month the church needed a larger space. The congregation grew quickly from 75 to over 200 members.
On the third Sunday in June 1961 Mount Hermon moved again. This time the destination was 7848 South Normal Avenue. This is in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham Community. Children from the community were drawn to the church. They were attracted by its community presence and youth ministries. Membership increased. Mount Hermon became a respected ministry. Rev Allen served for 41 years. He built up the people and the community.
Rev Joseph Allen passed the pastoral mantle to Rev Oscar T Moses in 2002. Rev Allen was 90 years old. Rev Moses became the 17th pastor. He saw the community’s hopelessness. He understood the church needed to inspire hope. The church’s motto changed. It went from “The Church by the Lagoon” to “Changing the Community through Christ”.
Today Mount Hermon serves the community. It uses outreach to transform hopelessness into hope. The church aims to empower its members. They provide ministry within the community and Chicago area. This happens 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Mount Hermon believes in humility towards Christ. It wants to spiritually mature in the Word of God. The church values hospitality within its congregation. It seeks to attract the non-churched and integrate them into the ministry. Mount Hermon emphasizes hard work within its neighborhood. It strives to carry out the work of Christ.
Mount Hermon’s core values include preaching biblical truth. They see the Word of God as essential for a victorious Christian life. The church provides training classes to strengthen biblical knowledge. Worship is meant to be inclusive. It should satisfy the Savior strengthen the saint and save the sinner. Mount Hermon values the traditions of the early church. They believe Christians grow best together through learning sharing and worshipping.
Mount Hermon strives to be progressive in its ministry message and membership. They want to be relevant and serve the present age. The church believes its ministry should positively impact its members the community and the Chicago area. They hope community involvement will lead the lost to Christ. They are committed to investing in the lives of children and future generations. Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church continues to evolve. Its focus remains on faith community and service.