Monticello Live

Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church of Wilmar has elected the Rev. Shay Gillespie of Monticello as it’s new pastor. This, according to the Rev. Michael Binns, Sr. chairman of Mt. Tabor’s pulpit committee. Gillespie currently serves as an associate minister at the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church of Monticello, where Rev. D.J. Buffington is pastor.

“On behalf of the Mt. Tabor pulpit committee, as their chairman,” stated Binns, “I feel that we have made a great start at choosing Rev. Shay Gillespie as our pastor. We worked hard and diligently trying to seek a pastor, and after much hard work and consideration, it was felt unanimously by the board that Rev. Gillespie was one of our first choices. And now that the elections have been held, we are not only expecting great things from Rev. Gillespie, but much like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we know that he will lead us to the Promise land.”

In addition to his duties as associate minister at Morning Star, Gillespie also serves as a trustee and member of the choir. He served as youth minister for five years before resigning that position last December. On the Southeast District level of the Baptist Church, Gillespie is also a boys and young men’s teacher. In addition, he is producer and host of a one-hour broadcast ministry each Sunday morning on Southeast Arkansas Radio.

Gillespie and his wife of 28 years, Sherrie, are owners of Head of the Class Childcare and Learning Center of Monticello. They have served in that capacity since 1998. Their business was named Drew County Business-of-the-Year in 2008 and in 2009, they were named Man and Woman-of-the-Year.

For the past nine years, Gillespie has served as chairman of the African-American Alumni Association working in conjunction with the University of Arkansas at Monticello. A 1978 graduate of UAM, Gillespie also has a scholarship endowed in his name by the University.

With a long history of leadership and community involvement, Gillespie served on the Monticello City Council from 1991-1997, and was founder and advisor of Young People Thinking Ahead (YPTA) for nearly 13 years.

He is a member of Bartholomew Masonic Lodge #28 of Monticello and a graduate member of Phi Beta Sigma National Social Fraternity, Inc.

“I am elated that the officers and members of Mt. Tabor have entrusted me with leading them as their pastor. I am confident that we will make great strides together. The members of Morning Star have been a blessing to us throughout the years, and there will always be a special love and fellowship. However, the Lord has called us to a new mission. Sherrie and I are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that await us in this endeavor. We’re ready to get to work.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 11:10 am and is filed under Announcements, Church. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.