From a Louie Street House to Dayton's West Side

The history of Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church begins in the early 1930s, when Deacon Willie Washington, Nancy Martin and a handful of Christian neighbors gathered for prayer in a house on Louie Street. The group called itself Sunlight Mission. Three years later the gathering formalized as a regular Missionary Baptist church and called Rev. W.A. Banks of Pittsburgh as its first pastor.

Under Rev. Banks, the small body moved to 649 Groveland Avenue and adopted the name Mount Calvary. When Rev. Banks returned to Pennsylvania, his assistant, Rev. Heath, took the pulpit. In 1940, Rev. D.D. Mundy, then pastor of New Zion Baptist Church in Lebanon, Ohio, was chosen as the next pastor. He served Mount Calvary until his death in 1957, and during his tenure the Missionary Circles, usher boards, choirs, men's chorus and other organizations were formed and grew.

Rev. Samuel N. Winston was called in May 1958. Within a year the Groveland building was too small, and the membership purchased the larger location at 3300 W. Third Street. In September 2004, Rev. Winston, Sr. passed the leadership of the church to his youngest son, Pastor Samuel N. Winston, Jr.

Pastor Winston, Jr. and a 1,200-Member Family

Pastor Samuel N. Winston, Jr. is the fifth successive pastor of Mount Calvary. His own ministry journey began in 1990 as an apprentice musician. He went on to direct the church's youth choir, which grew to more than 60 young people who sang locally and traveled across the country. From 1998 to 2004 he served as Worship Pastor, overseeing music, ushers, greeters and the audio team.

Today he leads a 1,200-member congregation. Under his guidance the church has awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships to support higher education. He chairs the board of Unk's Place, a group home for children in the foster care system, serves on the Board of Directors of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and is President of the Ohio Baptist General Convention, the state's oldest and largest historically Black Baptist organization. A graduate of the University of Dayton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with double majors in music and political science, Pastor Winston also received a Doctor of Divinity from Zion Hill Baptist Theological Institute. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

His wife, Chanel Burks Winston, works at the University of Dayton as Director of the YESS AmeriCorps Program, where she recruits and trains volunteers who serve several local homeless shelters. Together the Winstons have three children.

Mission, Vision, and Core Values

Mount Calvary's mission is to transform lives to reveal the glory of God's Kingdom. The vision statement pictures a community of spiritually mature believers unified in Christ, speaking one language (the Word of God) and living one lifestyle (Holiness).

Five core values shape the life of the body.

• Love. Rooted in John 13:34-35: the new commandment to love one another as Christ has loved.
• Diversity. Anchored in Revelation 7:9: everyone is welcome.
• Excellence. Drawn from Colossians 3:17: doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus and exceeding expectations.
• Prayer. From Jeremiah 33:3: praying without ceasing.
• Integrity. Out of Proverbs 20:7: congruent living, doing what God says even when no one is watching.

What MCMBC Believes

The church holds to eighteen Articles of Faith, all grounded in the Bible, which the church describes as written by men divinely inspired and a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. Some central convictions:

• One true and living God, infinite and glorious, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• The salvation of sinners, wholly of grace, through the mediatorial work of the Son of God, received by faith in Him.
• Justification by faith, with the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed freely to the believer.
• Regeneration by the Holy Spirit, evidenced by repentance, faith and newness of life.
• Sanctification as a progressive work carried on in the believer's heart by the presence and power of the Spirit and the Word of God.
• The perseverance of the saints: real believers endure to the end, kept by the power of God through faith.
• Christian baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, a prerequisite to church membership and the Lord's Supper.
• The Lord's Day as the Christian Sabbath, set apart for worship, the means of grace and rest.
• A visible church of baptized believers, gathered by covenant, governed by Christ's Word and served by pastors (or bishops) and deacons.

Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Nights

The signature Sunday gathering is Morning Worship at 10:30 a.m. Before the service, the Adult Church School meets from 9:15 to 10:00 a.m. for Bible study.

Wednesday nights are set aside for deeper study. The Adult Bible Study runs from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., offered both in person and virtually. The Wednesday Night Men's Bible Study meets at the same hour on the GoTo Meeting platform. Bible study notes are posted online, and recordings of each session are available after the live class.

Worship is livestreamed on YouTube and broadcast weekly on the DATV Spiritual Channel, where Mount Calvary has become one of the most-watched programs. Sermons are available on the church's YouTube channel and as a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Ministries for Children, Youth and Women

The Children's Ministry (MC Kids) provides a safe, faith-filled environment where children learn about God's love through engaging lessons, activities and age-appropriate worship experiences.

The Youth Ministry welcomes young people into a community where they can grow in faith, and the Women's Ministry gathers women of all ages around the promise of John 14:26, the Holy Spirit who teaches and reminds. Its stated mission is to grow, empower and prepare all women to live in their God-given purpose.

Adults looking for ongoing study have the Bible Education Ministry, which equips believers across age groups through teaching, study notes and online resources.

The Ministry Fair

Twelve teams carry the work of the church week to week. Volunteers at the annual Ministry Fair can sign up for:

• Benevolence: assisting members and neighbors in need.
• Bible Ed: teaching and applying God's Word across ages.
• BJW: a Bible-focused program for young people.
• Children's Ministry: faith formation for kids.
• Culinary Ministry: preparing and serving meals, supporting events and fellowship gatherings.
• Deacons: the ordained servant-leaders of the body.
• Facilities: cleaning, setup and maintenance of the campus.
• F.A.S.T. (First Aid Support Team): immediate care for anyone who becomes ill or injured during gatherings, with follow-up beyond the service.
• Greeters and Ushers: welcoming and seating the congregation.
• Solace Ministry (Bereavement): walking with families through grief, including periodic grief seminars.
• Women's Ministry: empowering women to walk in their God-given purpose.
• Youth Ministry: mentoring and discipling young people.

Local and Global Outreach

Mount Calvary extends well beyond its walls. The annual Holy Convocation feeds thousands from the community, and the Mount Calvary Community Festival reaches even further into the neighborhood. Recent domestic missions work has included a trip to Flint, Michigan, and the church provides ongoing support for missionaries around the world.

Through Pastor Winston's leadership, Mount Calvary continues to invest in broader Dayton. He chairs the board of Unk's Place, a group home for children in foster care. First Lady Chanel Winston, through her role with the University of Dayton's YESS AmeriCorps Program, recruits and trains volunteers who serve local homeless shelters.

Worship, Music and the New Facility

Music has always been central at Mount Calvary. Choirs and a men's chorus were founded during the 1940s and 1950s, and under Pastor Winston, Jr., himself a trained musician with a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Dayton, the church has carried that tradition forward with youth and adult choirs, contemporary instruments and a strong streaming presence.

The congregation recently completed the purchase and ongoing renovation of a new worship facility valued at more than $1.2 million, all without incurring debt, and the address is now 3375 Pastor S. N. Winston Way (formerly Siebenthaler Avenue).

Getting Connected

Sunday Morning Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. The Adult Church School meets at 9:15 a.m., and the Wednesday Adult Bible Study and Men's Bible Study run from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The main phone line is 937-268-6737; the Minister on Call line is 937-603-4126. Anyone wishing to accept Christ or to pursue membership can follow the Pathway to Discipleship links, and volunteers can sign up for any of the ministries through the online form.