From Lawanda Wright
The Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church at 1600 Shady Grove Road, Jefferson, Texas, wishes to announce that they have recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their new leader the right and Reverend M. Phinus Duffie. Duffie a native Jeffersonian and life member of the church took on the role of leadership over a year ago. Duffie has deep roots and family ties to the church and the Shady Grove Community as his maternal grandparents helped to organize and build the historic church where he now pastors. Duffie preached his very first public message at the church over 22 years ago while attending East Texas Baptist University and the Shreveport Bible College. The Shady Grove Church at that time was being pastored by the Reverend Lynn Ward. Duffie has served the church from the days of his youth in almost every capacity from door greeter to fine arts and music director, men’s ministry leader, Pastoral Care Pastor, as well as First Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor and now Senior Pastor.
While being well traveled and University trained Duffie attributes much of his training and ministerial dexterity to the leadership of his late father the very scholarly Brother Warren Duffie Senior. His very first pastor the late Reverend E. T. Conwright, the renowned Reverend Chris Holt a former pastor of the church and again the dynamic Lynn Ward. The late Reverend Cecil Smith Senior the sagged and seasoned long time pastor of the historic Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church of Dallas. Pastor Smith also served as a great mentor and influencer for over 30 years for the Reverend Duffie according to church officials.
A spokesperson for the church went on to say that we are excited about the future of the ministry. We know that if it can be resurrected Reverend Duffie can do it; as he loves the Lord with all his heart for the people of God and even more so for the unsaved souls. Even though the church has not been fully opened for regular worship and much of the ministry has been conducted electronically and or one-on-one the Lord has already added 10 new souls and two candidates for baptism. Which in spite of the pandemic is the greatest growth that our church has seen in over 10 years. So again we are supercharged and excited about what God is doing in this present season and what he is going to do. Stay tuned for live worship opportunities and special events.
We want the community to know that even though regular in person worship services are to be announced the church under our new leadership is ready and willing and able to serve you. Our doors are open for funerals, weddings, counseling, prayer and the like. We want our church to become a ministry again and not a museum. It is the people’s house and we want to serve them. All of them. Please feel free to call our prayer line as well at 214-555-1212.
In an earlier statement Pastor Duffie said I see this as much more than a job it is a charge that I must keep for a Time such as this. So I am determined to stay on the wall. It is a must for me. Even though the obstacles may be many and there may be rough days ahead. I know that God is able and this ministry is a debt that I owe so whatever great or small contribution that I make it is simply a seed that I must sow. I just want to try and bring integrity back into the ministry; there is enough bullying and belittling and hatred done in the world. I am praying that we can just make everybody feel important and equal. As that is how Christ sees us. As I think of the old patriarchs and matriarchs who paved the way and poured so much into my personal life I count all this as not a light affliction but actually as an honor and a joy.