Our History
The Mount Carmel Baptist Church was organized in 1876. The congregation was made up of 275 former members of Second Baptist Church. Those members, led by the Holy Spirit, worshipped at several locations in the Northwest section of Washington, D.C., including the Old Columbia Law Building on Fifth Street. In 1914, under the leadership of Reverend Dr. William H. Jernigan, the Mount Carmel members marched from Fourth and I Streets, NW, to 901 Third Street, NW, where it has remained.
Mount Carmel has had eleven pastors during its rich history. Four pastors served during the formative years from 1876 to 1892: Reverend J. W. Rhone, Reverend H. Plummer, Reverend S. G. Lampkins, and Reverend G. Gray.
The fifth pastor, Reverend Dr. William P. Gibbons, served 20 years from 1892 to 1912 until his death on February 16, 1912. He was installed on the fourth Sunday in March 1892. The church was stabilized under Reverend Gibbons’s leadership. When he became pastor, he used his personal funds to start a program to remodel the church. Several clubs were organized during his pastorate. He was a beloved community leader.
Reverend Dr. William H. Jernigan became the sixth pastor in 1912, guiding the church with distinction for 46 years until his passing on February 18, 1958. His accomplishments were numerous, including the founding of several institutions, one of which was the Washington Baptist Seminary.
Reverend Jernigan led the church on a campaign of unprecedented success and accomplishments. Soon after he assumed the leadership of Mount Carmel, a new era of progress was begun. In 1913, Reverend Jernigan influenced the Mount Carmel congregation to purchase land at Third and I Streets, N.W. (current location) from the Central Presbyterian Church, where the late President Woodrow Wilson once worshipped. In 1916, he was elected vice-president at-large of the National Baptist Training Union (BTU) Congress, and in 1926 he became president of the Congress.
Under Reverend Jernigan’s pastorate, Mount Carmel was the first African-American church in the District of Columbia to employ a paid social worker. Reverend Jernigan was the first to advance the idea of “Junior Church” in 1923 and the integration of the youth into regular church service in 1934. Under his pastorate, Mount Carmel hosted the National Baptist Convention, which has been called the largest Black body in the world. On June 4, 1947, Reverend Jernagin was one of three clergymen designated by President Harry S. Truman to receive the Certificate of Merit for outstanding fidelity and meritorious conduct in the aid of the war effort. At this time Mount Carmel stood fourth among the 1,621 churches contributing in foreign missions through the National Baptist Convention.
Reverend Rossie L. Patterson, Mount Carmel’s seventh pastor, served for 27 years from 1959 to 1986 until his passing on August 28, 1986. Among his many accomplishments, the most important were his efforts in the building of the church.
On October 19, 1980, the membership celebrated a newly built edifice constructed during Reverend Patterson’s tenure, with a service of reentry and dedication. Thanksgiving and the Laying of the Cornerstone service was held on September 12, 1981. We were blessed to burn the mortgage on November 2, 1986.
Through the years, Pastor Patterson directed numerous fund drives and as well as the rebuilding program and presided over church membership increases. Various church auxiliaries were formed through preaching, teaching, building the membership and community. His faith led him to establish the Carmel Plaza Corporation—a 183-unit housing complex with the Bush Corporation, Attorney Marjorie Lawson and Mount Carmel Baptist Church.
Reverend Patterson served as dean of the Baptist Educational Congress of Washington, D.C and dean of the Congress of Christian Education of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; president of the D.C. Baptist Convention, where he organized the W. H. Jernagin Scholarship; and president of Stoddard Baptist Home. He also served on the executive board of the Baptist Convention of Washington. Reverend Patterson was one of the founders of the Foreign Mission Bureau of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Mayor Walter Washington appointed him to the Washington, D.C. Health Commission. Before he became pastor, Reverend Patterson served as director of Christian Education at Mount Carmel from 1951 to 1955. In 1959, he returned to Washington and succeeded the late Reverend Dr. William H. Jernigan as pastor.
Our eighth pastor, Reverend Albert Gallmon, Jr., served from 1987 until 1993.
During his pastorate, two first-time events took place: Reverend Lesa D. Cheathem was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 1988, becoming the first female to serve as a minister at Mount Carmel; and Reverend Ernest A. Hickerson was made the first salaried assistant pastor. Also, the Young Disciples for Christ—a ministry for young adults—was founded. Ministers Adrian Backus and Nolan Williams Jr. were licensed to preach the gospel.
For several seasons, Pastor Gallmon hosted a weekly radio program, “What’s Your Perspective?,” heard on WOL-AM 1450. The talk show format addressed topical issues of local, national, and international importance at the time.
Also in 1988, Mount Carmel financed a sanitation project in the Rwerere Village of Rwanda, Africa. It was the first in a series of efforts the church funded through its Department of Missions in partnership with the nonprofit organization Africare.
1989, the Brotherhood established Horizons Unlimited, an outreach program for young boys in the community. In 1990, the Young Disciples for Christ undertook a new ministry, SHARE, which distributed groceries from a central warehouse managed by the Catholic Diocese of D.C.
In 1992, Mount Carmel purchased five lots of land on Third Street, with a long-term goal of cleaning up the neighborhood and revitalizing the community. Reverend Gallmon stepped down as pastor in August 1993.
The church operated under the leadership of Reverend Hickerson and the Board of Senior Deacons from September 1993 until January 1995. The Mount Carmel Light newsletter began its publication during this time.
Reverend Charles W. Green served as the interim pastor from February 1995 to April 1996. He provided spiritual leadership by teaching and preparing Mount Carmel to receive a new pastor and for entry into the 21st century.
Our ninth pastor, Reverend Dr. Albert A. Avant, Jr., served from May 1996 until his death in July 2000. He was installed on Sunday, September 2, 1996. During his pastorate, the church was reconstructed into six ministries and departments. In 1997, three members were licensed to preach the gospel of Christ: Ministers Sharon L. Avant, Gloria Bland, and Keith L. Magee. Minister Laverne M. Hicks was licensed to preach in 1998, and Minister Sharon L. Avant was ordained.
The church operated under the leadership of the Board of Senior Deacons, assisted by the Board of Trustees and Department Heads, from July 2000 until September 2001. During this period, the church maintained unity by embracing the theme of love derived from 1 Corinthians 13.
On June 1, 2001, Reverend Dr. Joseph N. Evans was selected as the 10th pastor of Mount Carmel. He began his pastorate on September 9, 2001 and was formally installed on Sunday, November 4, 2001.
Under Pastor Evans’s leadership, Mount Carmel adopted the 20 percent solution, a five-year plan designed to increase the holistic life of the church by 20 percent in every flexible area. Mount Carmel experienced growth in several aspects. The annual budget was stabilized. A website was developed (www.themcbc.org) and new ministries were added—the Joshua Generation for young adults, Mentors for New Members, and Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery program. Also, Reverend Marquez D. Ball, minister for youth and young adults, was added to the ministerial staff.
Reverend Evans, a chaplain in the Army National Guard, was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2006 and returned from that period of military service in March 2007. In his absence, we were blessed to have Reverend Clary L. Brown serve as pulpit supply.
During Dr. Evans’s tenure, the Lord blessed Mount Carmel to enter into an economic development partnership—MQW LLC—with Quadrangle Development Corporation and The Wilkes Company. MQW LLC acquired prime real estate in the general community valued at more than $7 million. This partnership proceeded to construct private residential units and parking. The project serves as an economic model for the revitalization of downtown Washington, D.C.
After December 31, 2016, Dr. Evans departed Mount Carmel to fulfill his new calling as dean of the Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta, Georgia.
From January 2017 to August 2017 the church operated under the leadership of the Board of Senior Deacons and four ministerial assistants—Minister Adrian Backus, Reverend RoShawne B. Harrod, Reverend Gerald H. Hesson, and Reverend Dr. James D. Ross.
Reverend Gerald H. Hesson served as the interim pastor from September 1, 2017 to October 9, 2018. He faithfully provided spiritual leadership by preaching and defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ while preparing the church to receive a new pastor.
From October 10, 2018 to October 2019, the church operated under the leadership of the Board of Senior Deacons and three ministerial assistants—Minister Adrian Backus, Reverend RoShawne B. Harrod, and Reverend Dr. James D. Ross.
In September 2019, Mount Carmel called Reverend Dr. Paris L. Smith, Sr., as its eleventh pastor. Dr. Smith began his pastorate in November 2019 and was formally installed on December 15, 2019.
In his first year as undershepherd, Dr. Smith recommitted the church to community missions and outreach. Mount Carmel invested more in ministering within its neighborhood and helping people who are homeless and otherwise economically disadvantaged.
In the midst of a historical global COVID-19 pandemic that shut down much of the nation for nearly a year and prevented in-person gatherings, the church partnered on several initiatives with organizations such as the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District and Pathways to Housing DC.
Pastor Smith strengthened and updated the church’s IT (information technology) capabilities and extended its reach, launching “Mount Carmel Everywhere” via virtual meeting applications and social media. A daily conference call prayer was instituted to keep members connected, as we remained physically distant. In November 2020, Minister Tammy Wise was licensed to preach the Gospel.
The Serving People’s Immediate Needs Now (SPINN) ministry was formed to coordinate and distribute groceries in the community on a monthly basis.
The Deacon Board had been established with the church in 1876. The Deaconess Board was founded in 1913. In November 2021, under the pastorate of Dr. Smith, Mount Carmel ordained eight women—all of whom had served as Deaconesses—as Deacons for the first time in the church’s history.
In Spring 2022, Mount Carmel, along with the Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., saw the official opening and occupancy of Liberty Place, a building of affordable apartments constructed on land donated by the church through its economic development partnership entity, MQW. It represented completion of a goal some 20 years in the making, dating back to the pastorate of Dr. Evans.
In July 2023, Dr. Smith resigned as senior pastor of Mount Carmel to accept a new assignment. The church operated under leadership of the Diaconate in cooperation with the Board of Trustees until November 1, 2023, when Mount Carmel’s eighth pastor, Reverend Albert Gallmon Jr., was welcomed back from his retirement to serve as interim pastor.
In 2024, Pastor Gallmon instituted a new theme, “The Year of Miracles,” and Mt. Carmel immediately began praying to recognize and receive God’s awesome blessings. The ministerial staff stood at six: Minister Adrian Backus, Minister Nicole Davis, Reverend David Harrod, Reverend RoShawne Harrod, Reverend Waldo Johnson, and Minister Tammy Wise.
The Cantata, the newly finished apartment building (at 801 Third Street, NW) in which the church’s partner organization, MQW, shares ownership, opened its doors to Mt. Carmelites for a tour of units and amenities. Several dozen new parking spaces belonging to the church became available, in keeping with the partnership agreement.
In addition, guided by Reverend Gallmon’s inspiration, the church undertook a major giving campaign, “Building Hope,” in order to repair and/or replace some of the physical church building’s aged infrastructure, i.e., electrical panels, and heating/ventilation/air conditioning. We raised more than the goal of $50,000, in addition to our regular tithes and offerings, by the end of 2024.
In August 2024, Minister Nicole Davis was licensed to preach the gospel. In September, two ministers were ordained—Reverend Adrian Backus and Reverend Tammy Wise.
On March 4, 2025, Mt. Carmel named Rev. Albert Gallmon Jr. its senior pastor emeritus. Rev. Gallmon licensed Brittany Croom to preach the gospel, increasiing the ministerial staff to seven.
Mt. Carmel called its 12th senior pastor on March 15, 2025, in a historic unanimous election. Reverend Dr. T. Ashby Banister, III of North Carolina accepted the call as pastor-elect.
The election was historic in several ways: First, voters unanimously supported Dr. Banister. In addition, for the first time voting was conducted hybrid-style via several platforms—in-person ballots, virtually by Zoom survey, and by telephone.
The church maintains its affiliations with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., the Baptist Convention of D.C. and Vicinity, the D.C. Baptist Convention, the Mount Bethel Baptist Association and the Council of Churches of Greater Washington, D.C.
We’ve come this far by faith, steadfastly trusting God’s Holy Word, believing anew in miracles and “Celebrating God’s Promise for Our Future.”