Our Pastor
Raymond S. Watkins- Senior Pastor
Pastor Raymond S. Watkins, is a native of Hillsborough, North Carolina. He is a family man; and is married to Lakecia D. R. Watkins and is the proud father of two daughters, Brittany and Rhea.
Since his arrival, through his dynamic leadership, spiritual teaching, biblical preaching, and musical abilities, He has helped the church transition into a cutting edge 21st century ministry. This is evident as the church celebrates time honored traditions while employing new ministry methods and technology. The church is reaping a harvest of renewed visibility in the community through the outreach and evangelistic activities of the ministries under Watkins’ leadership. Mount Calvary United Church Of Christ is, “On the move for God.”
Pastor Watkins has helped to establish a contemporary worship service for the church, music, media, and technology ministries. In addition to full time administration, He maintains an active preaching schedule throughout Durham and surrounding area churches, facilitating workshops, preaching revivals and other services throughout the entire region. He also serves with other Pastors in the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance who help facilitate worship services that create outreach for the community.
Pastor Watkins is a graduate of Elon University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. Although most of his ministerial career was leading and shepherding music ministries, God redirected his passions towards Pastoral ministry. Upon acknowledging his call, He pursued and received a Master of Divinity degree from Apex School Of Theology, in Durham, North Carolina. Following his graduation, he preached his Initial Sermon, received his license and was subsequently ordained into the Gospel Ministry by the UBC Ordination Council of The East Cedar Grove Association. Pastor Watkins also obtained his license as an ordained Minister with full standings in the Eastern North Carolina Association Southern Conference UCC.
Pastor Watkins is well known throughout the community. He has always exemplified a strong passion and commitment in supporting the community, actively participating in various outreach ministries, visiting the sick and shut-in at home as well as Senior and Assisted Living centers, providing support during times of surgery and hospitalization, providing spiritual counsel based upon scripture for individual and married couples, and providing numerous families with support and assistance during their time of bereavement.
Through worship, ministry and a commitment to servant leadership,
Pastor Watkins strives to proclaim the Good News of God’s love, to encourage others in their Christian walk, to lead them into praise and worship of Him, and to nurture their spiritual development in ministry.
Our HISTORY
MC UCC
Mount Calvary United Church of Christ was founded in 1893 when a small band of Christians came together with the desire to worship their Lord and Savior. The church was called Mount Calvary Christian Church. It began in a little three-room house in a poverty-stricken community. After using the small house for a number of years and seeing the membership grow, the group moved to a new wooden structure until 1945 when it was destroyed by fire. With the misfortune of the fire, it afforded the congregation the opportunity to build a new brick church. Later the name of the church was changed to Mount Calvary Congregational Christian Church. In 1963, the congregation voted to merge with the United Church of Christ, due to demands from the Redevelopment Commission, the church and the residents of the community relocated to an area located by the Search Committee which had been appointed by the church. With limited funds and a whole lot of faith, the area chosen was purchased and today the church remains at 1715 Athens Avenue.
Mount Calvary has had four previous pastors: Rev. N. E. Higgs, Rev. J. W. Matthews and Rev. Robert L. Monroe. Our late pastor, Rev. Dr. Josiah Cecil Cheek, was called to Mount Calvary in January 1970 and installed in May 1970. Under his leadership and to the glory of God, we entered a new worship center in December 2000. It is attached to the former sanctuary, which was renamed the J.C. Cheek Art And Education Building. Dr. Cheek went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, November 24, 2013. He served the MCUCC Family and the Durham community for almost 44 years!
On Sunday, March 31, 2019, the church family voted and selected the Reverend Raymond Scott Watkins to be our next Senior Pastor! He, his wife Lakecia and daughter Rhea joined the membership on April 7, 2019, and oldest daughter Brittany in obedience to the Lord joined on December 13, 2020. Rev. Watkins preached his first sermon as our pastor on April 28, 2019. We look forward to a long and fruitful union with our new Senior Pastor, First Lady and daughter, with the help of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
130 YEARS in Ministry
John 8:31-32 KJV
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
When some of the Jews started to believe in the Lord, he encouraged them to follow HIS gospel and in some way trying to tell them not to deviate from HIS teachings and they would be as his disciples, knowing the truth which would give them freedom - freedom from the bondage of what closed some of their minds to Jesus and were without understanding. If we believe in Christ, then believe in his teachings and don’t let anything or anyone make you believe that the word of God is not the truth. The word tells us that “ALL scriptures were given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” If God wanted something to be in there, it wouldn't have been left out. If the Bible we read today was not the truth, do you really think it would still exist today? If you believe that the Bible we read is not the truth, then somewhere in your walk you have deviated from the gospel and fell into someone else’s teachings, making you a disciple of them and not of the Lord. BE CAREFUL of FALSE teachings. Stick to the word. Have a blessed day!
Lamonte Barry
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