Elmira church celebrates 125 years(article from the Elmira Star Gazette By Jeff Murray)
Monumental Baptist invites former pastors back for celebration events
Monumental Baptist Church on East Clinton Street continues to grow and attract new members even after 125 years in Elmira.
Church members celebrated the 125th anniversary over the weekend by inviting several former pastors back to help mark the occasion.
The celebration was capped with a special Sunday afternoon service featuring a sermon by the Rev. Frank Raines III, pastor of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in 
At a time when other churches are losing members, Monumental Baptist Church continues to thrive, said church administrator Beverlie Jones, who organized the anniversary celebration.Â
But the church has had its ups and downs over the years, said Jones, whose husband James is Monumental Baptist's 29th pastor.
"We have about 150 members. When James Jones came in 2004, we were down to 30 or 40 active members, so it's grown tremendously," Beverlie Jones said. "Most of our members at that time were elderly. Now we have a lot of younger members. I would attribute that to a younger pastor who is full of fire. People are drawn to him and his message."
Over the years, Monumental Baptist Church has been active in community affairs and that practice continues.
The church supports numerous organizations, including the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, John Jones
Church members helped victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and victims of the recent Haiti earthquake.
In addition to Raines, former pastor Gregory Jackson, who now leads Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, N.J., was the guest speaker at a 125th anniversary banquet Saturday.
Monumental Baptist Church has survived and flourished because it engages its parishioners, said longtime member and deacon Mary Hargrave.
"Forty-two years ago, I came here as a young person looking to find direction in my life. I was a wild person," Hargrave said. "What affected me the most was the singing of the choir. They sang such beautiful songs, I immediately joined the church."
Brian Mitchell, chairman of the church's board of deacons, has only been a member for about five years but said he always felt at home at Monumental Baptist Church.
"This is where my wife and I were married. I've always felt welcome here. There's always been a lot of love here," Mitchell said. "When I decided I needed some direction in my life, there is where I came back to. The church is going in the right direction."
With any luck, Monumental Baptist will still be vibrant another 125 years from now, Beverlie Jones said.
"I've been at this church since I was 3. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly," she said. "When I was a kid, it was the second-largest church in Elmira. Then it dwindled and grew, and dwindled and grew again. We're still growing, still going strong."
