was an air of expectancy and excitement the morning of April 18, 1948. Something profound and wonderful was about to happen to change the lives of a handful of people. The day was warm and clear and God had blessed the event about to occur. Rev. A. L. Moore had a vision and shared it with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Perry, and Mrs. Nettie A. Garrett. These five people met together in a one room building at the corner of Tampico Street and Hirsch Road for the purpose of organizing a church for the Lord. The organization went very well and each person knew there was a lot of great work toone. They began by having a full week of prayer service, keeping themselves reminded that prayer is the key to the kingdom and faith the ingredient to unlock the door.The name of this great new church was to be New Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church. The Sunday following the organizational service and the week of prayer service, Rev. Moore preached his first sermon from a makeshift pulpit that had been blessed by God. The Scripture – Psalm 121. On Sunday, April 29, the church organized and held its first Sunday School class with the same five persons. Five was the total membership at that time.
New Mount Carmel worshipped at this location for a while. But deep in the hearts of Rev. Moore and all the others, there was a desire to relocate. There became a need for larger, more permanent building. The members prayed and waited, and prayed and waited some more. They had faith that the Lord would hear and answer their prayers. He did! On August 15, 1948, that great answer came. The lot at 4301 Weaver Road was found and purchased. New Mount Carmel had only a few members then and everyone knew that all had to pull together to make things work. The trustees then were Rev. A. L. Moore, Bro. Flannigan and Sis. Nettie Garrett. There was one deacon – Bro. W. C. Perry. Working as one unit, those few people built a small sanctuary and had their entrance service in January, 1949, and added five new members soon afterward. The church began to grow. Laboring in sweet fellowship the church family continued to increase but not without some difficulty and heartache. On January 4, 1957, a tremendous tragedy struck. The church building burned beyond repair. It was a gut wrenching pain for this small but growing New Mount Carmel family; but this was a family of faith and trust in God. A new structure was soon begun. The work was long but very fruitful. By the advent of the ninth anniversary of this great church family, over one hundred members had been added to the fold.
On Sunday, October 25, 1959, the church entered a new edifice. Rev. B. J. Lewis was there to cut the ribbon and Rev. G. N. Buckner delivered God’s message for this great ceremony.
Pastor Moore had seen the fruition of a dream. He had watched this little church of five original members grow to more than one hundred. He had seen tragedy strike and a new life be reborn in a new sanctuary. Pastor Moore had labored long and hard and he could seed that it was good. He could see that God had smiled on the efforts of just a handful of people gathered in His name. The time had now come for Pastor A. L. Moore to pass the baton. On May 3, 1963, at 1:20 a.m., Pastor Moore went from labor to reward. On May 12, 1963, he was laid to rest in Brookshire, Texas.
The church carried on for a while after Pastor Moore died, but there was always the realization of the need for new leadership. The membership extended a call on July 26, 1963, to one Rev. Claude A. Berry. He graciously accepted. We are grateful that he did. The first sermon preached by Rev. C. A. Berry as pastor of New Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church was titled “The Touch that Heals” with the scriptures St. Mark 5:25-34, and St. Matthew 9:20-22.
There has been continued growth and flourishing progress while Pastor Berry was our spiritual leader. Many physical improvements came about to the old structure. Even with all the physical improvements, none were as great as the blessing of souls coming to Christ. The New Mount Carmel family continued to grow. In this growth it became very evident through the years that the old structure, even with all its improvements, was bursting at its seams. A new sanctuary was needed.
Many possibilities were discussed and rediscussed. Other possible locations were considered. In the end, we decided to build a new structure where the church was already standing. Many years passed where there was prayer, preparation and fundraising, then more prayer, preparation and fundraising before the dreams and visions of Pastor Berry and the church membership could become realities. But it happened!
On a warm and wonderful Sunday afternoon, Rev. E. Stanley Branch was there with Pastor Berry and the New Mount Carmel Church Family to turn the first spade of dirt. This church was blessed to have one of its own, Dea. J. E. Middleton, as general contractor for the construction of the new edifice. Members watched with new vigor when the foundation was laid. There was much joy when the structural beams went up. Excitement was in everyone when the bricks and mortar began to stair-step around the foundation perimeter and the roof was completed. But there was still the need for the interior to be finished. New furniture and equipment to be purchased. New carpets needed to be laid.
While we were in the process of building our new edifice, the church was still going about doing the work of the Lord. Our Youth Department and the church at large visited many parts of the country. We went to Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Phoenix, Arizona(where Rev. C.A. Berry preached for the National Baptist Convention of America; and Jacksonville, Florida( where the Sanctuary Choir were guest singers for the Tent Revival for the National Baptist Convention of America).
We continued to crowd into the old building now made smaller by construction of the new one. Our family kept increasing and our seams kept stretching. New Mount Carmel knew that something was bound to happen if the church prayed. So, the church prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more. The Lord soon answered those singular and collective prayers. The things we needed had been purchased and installed. Then we were ready!
Expectancy was in air that Sunday morning in May, 1990. Members had been at New Mount Carmel throughout the week working to get everything ready. Late into Saturday night the finishing touches were completed. When Sunday morning dawned, we all knew that something glorious would happen. It was very warm and there were no ominous clouds in the sky. It was a day the Lord had made, and we knew we were going to rejoice and be glad in it.
On the first Sunday morning in May, 1990, that we had Sunday School in our new sanctuary for the very first time, that our ushers directed members and visitors down the new carpeted aisles to sit upon the new pews for the first; that our choirs sang from the new choir loft using the new public address system of microphones for the first time; that our pastor, Rev. C. A. Berry, preached in our brand new sanctuary from a brand new pulpit surrounded by brand new pulpit furniture for the first time. As he preached, he could look out into a congregation sitting below him on the ground floor and high into the balcony above. Our hearts were swelling with joy. The evening of the same day, we partook of the Lord’s Supper for the first time in our new sanctuary. There was so much excitement in everyone that even after the blessing of the benediction there were those who could not seem to go home. We just continued to sing and praise the Lord, and thank Him for allowing us this great blessing. We were truly grateful. And all this was to the glory of God. What a fitting and proper way to end the day. Every person present knew that it was a day that would live in each heart forever.
Pastor C. A. Berry revamped the brotherhood, missionary society and youth department—creating the Men’s Ministry, the Women’s Ministry, and the Youth Ministry. New directors and advisors have been appointed and the departments are continuing to grow and prosper in God’s Word and in the community.
January 1, 2001: Pastor C. A. Berry passed from labor to reward. He was laid to rest at Houston National Cemetery on January 8, 2001. The 37-1/2 years he served this church family will live in the hearts of all the members here. The baton once again has been passed. God prepared a new shepherd right here within our midst so that we would not have to go out to find one.
January 7, 2001: We called our own beloved son Rev. Harrell R. Berry to be our spiritual leader. On Sunday, March 25, 2001, we installed Rev. H. R. Berry as our new pastor. We are grateful for this new leadership and know that if we let God lead us we will continue to be a great church family.
Through the years, New Mount Carmel has suffered its share of troubles and losses. There are many members who have indeed gone on to glory, some of whom we lost in 2005. But there are also some who have been here almost since the birth of this great church in 1948. Sis. Nellie Thomas, Sis. Effie Harris, Sis. Hershie Lee Willis, and Sis. Lizzie Carter have all been present to see New Mount Carmel grow from just a handful of members to the wonderful mass that we have today. These Christian soldiers have watched us go from a one-room building that does not exist anymore to a structure that is valued at more than two million dollars. They have seen us as a church where as many as five generations of families worship together each Sunday year after year. They have worked along with each new generation throughout the entire time.
September 23, 2001, the installation of the cornerstone for our new structure was leveled by: St. James Lodge No. 429 A. F. & A. M., Ill. Floyd D. Hopkins 33° W. M., Bro. Tommy Callier 32° Secy., Working Under United Most Worshipful Scottish Rite, Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Texas, Inc., R.W. Terry Howard 33° Grand Master
April 28, 2002, we burned the mortgage note that we carried for many years on this sanctuary. Assisting in this effort were many of the remaining early members of the church, and Mr. John Scroggins, then Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank, playing a major part in the financing of our sanctuary. This symbolic act was an expression of our gratitude for the blessings that God has bestowed upon this church family.
April 10, 2005, four men were ordained into the brotherhood of deacons.
September, 2005, we opened a Food Pantry to help serve the needs of the community.
September, 2007, We started Internet viewing of Sunday morning worship(www.nmctv.org) and broadcasting our church activities on KROI, 92.1 FM Radio.
February 23, 2008: Four more men were ordained as Deacons—-John Chambers, Anderson Jones, Langston Randle, John Toliver.
June 2008 and December 2008— Deacon John Toliver and Deacon Willis White, respectively, passed from labor to reward.
July 10 2008 : Fellowship United District Association of Texas was formed at a meeting in Temple, Texas and Pastor H.R. Berry was chosen as the first Moderator.
New Mount Carmel has Learning Resources Center with an active library and two computer labs. The church offer free computer classes to the community at large and free tutorial sessions to help students with their schoolwork and help to prepare for college.
The New Mount Carmel Education Department has provided over $50,000 in scholarships for students seeking a higher education. In addition, the Education Department continues to work with various entities and individuals preparing to make our Weaver Place Family Life Center a reality. We are dedicated to the development of the Weaver Place Family Life Center and complete enrichment for our church family and the community.
We have made great progress since 01-01-01 following the leadership of Pastor H. R. Berry. But there is still much work to be done. We must continue to work together promoting the growth and well being of our church family. We know that God will see us through and all our needs will be supplied. It is our firm belief that we will accomplish our goals and continue to praise the Lord higher and higher. We will always be eternally grateful for everyone’s prayers and steadfast support for us in our Christian efforts. Please keep on praying.