Church History
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In 1947, the Late Pastor O.P. Smith organizer the Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. The original location of the church was 1784 – 7th Street, Oakland, CA. Reverend O. P. Smith, who was dedicated to the ministry and preached the uncompromising Gospel. In 1949, the church body moved to 1136 – 34th Street, Oakland, CA. And, on August 31, 1956, in order to accommodate its membership the church body moved our current location of 1520 – 8th Avenue Oakland, CA. Under Pastor Smith’s leadership extensive renovation occurred, which included redesigning the choir stands, pulpit and new classrooms. Also, under Pastor Smith leadership, Bible Fellowship became known as the “Holy Ghost Headquarters”. On May 16, 1971, Reverend Smith’s beautiful life came to a close and he went home to be with the Lord.
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In December 1971, Reverend Adam Quincy West who served as an Associate Minister was called to Pastor the church. Under his guidance the church continued to grow and many souls were saved. New auxiliaries evolved, the church sanctuary and kitchen were remodeled, and the church purchased two mini vans. After thirty years of faithful service, Reverend West retired. On April 21, 2006, the Lord called him home to glory.
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In September 2001, God led Reverend Timothy Hawkins to our church, by the invitation of Pastor A. Q. West, he stepped into a supportive role as Pastor West’s assistant. On November 17, 2002, Reverend Timothy Hawkins was installed as the third Pastor of our church. Under the leadership of Pastor Hawkins various new ministries have been established to utilize spiritual gifts and serve the congregation, which include: Junior Deacons, Junior Brotherhood, Greeters, Sisterhood, Praise Team, Mime, Audio and Visual, Singles and Marriage, and Mime. In addition, we have established weekly AWANA Children and Youth Bible Study. We were blessed to: pay off the van ahead of time; upgrade and add new computers to our offices; renovate the sanctuary, baptismal pool and install new doors; created a theater that includes a sound system and theater style popcorn machine; completely renovated the Ladies’ and Men’s Bathrooms and made accessible for those physically impaired. We have significantly expanded our outreach through media and evangelism. Furthermore, we have expanded our youth ministry with a dedicated Youth Pastor, Reverend Matthew Hawkins. Many souls have been saved and new members added to the ministry. From August 2009 through August 2010 our church has received sixty-seven members in which thirty of those individuals were candidates for baptism.
Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church’s archives are filled with examples of how God’s Hand has been on this ministry and worked through our Pastors, three great men of God: the Late Pastor O.P. Smith, the Late Pastor A.Q. West, and the current Sheppard, Pastor Timothy Hawkins. We are thankful for our spiritual heritage and we look forward to remaining “Steadfast the Faith” as a ministry. “To the only wise God our Savior, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.!” Jude 1: 25