Page 7 - The History of MSBC

From Bush Shelter to Brick: The hisTory of MT. sinai BapTisT ChurCh
ing stated, “revival preaching was hard enough as it is, without having to do it in the presence of empty benches.” Amazingly, the services were observed by large, eager crowds which the church could not ac- commodate. Each night people were standing on the outside near the windows looking and listening from a distance. He noted that they were not simply curious, for they gave regularly in the offerings. Like any guest who had visited Mt. Sinai, Rev. Bowling had these words to say about the handsome structure, “No visitor to this rural Baptist Church ever wonders again why previous visitors have universally come away with words of unstinted praise....”
Rev. Alexander never neglected his duties, even in the rise of an economic recession. He received what- ever the Mt. Sinai congregation could afford to pay him. As a faithful servant, the miraculous power of God was often demonstrated through Rev. Alexander. One incident occurred when he prepared a baptis- mal pool in the bed chamber of a sick man and submerged him. On another occasion, the congregation watched as Rev. Alexander witnessed to a deaf mute by writing his questions on paper until the man confessed Christ.
Within the guidance of Rev. Alexander, several deacons were ordained. They were Brothers John H. Lewis, Enoch E. Baker, Titus L. G. Walden, George W. Brown, Paul E. Stephenson, Anthony T. Howell, Axium J. Holland, Peter Darden, Jodie B. Howell, Matthew Bailey, Daniel Holland, Bennie H. Ashe, Lonnie Holland, Charles Dillard, Cornelius Milteer, Henry Williams, Matthew Bailey, Benjamin Howell, Elias White, Thomas Carr, and Squire T. Walden. A pictorial, “Religious Progress of a People,” was com- piled by Deacon Axium J. Holland and Mrs. Evelyn R. Hunter in 1947,
depicting the history and development of Mt. Sinai.
In 1945, Rev. Alexander ordained Rev. Galvin R. Daughtrey, a son of the church, as his assistant pastor. Rev. Alexander retired from Mt. Si- nai Baptist Church in 1945, and served as Pastor Emeritus until 1948. Often described as a forceful and eloquent speaker, he was regarded as one of the most successful rural pastors in the Baptist church in Virginia and North Carolina.
Rev. Alexander was married to Miss Laura G. Wright, and they reared a family of nine children. When she passed away in 1941, he married Miss Lucy Lashly in 1942. Rev. Alexander departed this life in 1950 at the age of 85 in his home in Warren County, North Carolina.
While serving as assistant pastor to Rev. Alexander since 1945, Rev. Galvin R. Daughtrey was ultimately named as fourth pastor of Mt. Sinai. A native of Isle of Wight County, he was educated at the Nansemond County Training School. Rev. Daughtrey was a graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary and College, and attended Virginia
Rev. GalvIn R. DauGhtRey
Rev. Alexander, left, with Rev. Daughtrey, officiating a funeral service.
Union University School of Religion. He began his ministry in 1936 and had pastored several churches before accepting leadership at both Lakeview Baptist Church (Suffolk, Virginia) and Mt. Sinai.
Rev. Daughtrey served as coordinator of the Churchwide Institute of the Sharon Baptist Association and a member of the executive board of the Bethany Baptist Association. Additionally, he held memberships in the East Roanoke Association in North Carolina, the Virginia State Baptist Convention, and the Baptist Convention of America.
Mount Sinai was host to numerous conventions and meetings. An advocate for social justice, Rev. Daughtrey was always present to lend support. In the summer of 1954, a vast number of attendees throughout Virginia united at the church for the Women’s Bethany Baptist Con- vention. In collaboration with the Nansemond and Isle of Wight Sunday School Union, Mt. Sinai periodically hosted the assembly. Additionally, Mt. Sinai served as a rallying place for civic, social, and political mass meetings, which drew large crowds from the greater Holland commu-
Mt. Sinai ~ Celebrating 145 Years | 13