Recognizing Mt. Olivette Missionary Baptist Church

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary celebration of Mount Olivette Missionary Baptist Church, a historic landmark, in Miami, Florida.

The church was founded on October 12, 1912, in the home of Nathaniel Sampson, Reverend Sampson's brother, who is named as one of the pioneers, along with Julia Dean, Remalia Ellis, Richard Johnson, Francis Smith, Albert Taylor and Ellen Ward. Reverend Sampson's 16- year-old daughter Irene was the recording secretary.

The congregation later moved to Mrs. Powell's schoolhouse on Avenue G and Woods Street, which is now Northwest 1st Street and 2nd Avenue. The church bell would ring from a pine tree to alert the congregation about Sunday services, deaths and funerals.

Mount Olivette Missionary Baptist Church relocated to its present site at 1450 Northwest 1st Court around 1915.

In 1952, tragedy struck and the church had to be re-built from the ground-up. Under the leadership of Reverend I.C. Mickens the new sanctuary was completed in 1959, and the mortgage was burned in 1963.

Now, under the leadership of Reverend R. Clark, since 1979, Mt. Olivette Missionary Baptist Church continues to be a spiritual, educational and cultural center for the people and community it serves.

Please join me in recognizing this historic church, one of the corner stones of Miami's Overtown community.

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