Saint Mary Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, with its genealogy impeccable in the heritage of the Wesleyan tradition through her founding fathers unimpaired participation in the Methodist ecclesia yet proclaims to be “One in the Spirit and One in the LORD.”
The Reverend J. T. Campbell, grandfather to the late Reverend M. L. Campbell, along with Bro, Jake Moore, Sr., grandfather to the late Bro. Jake Moore, lead a few persons to a brush harbor meeting where they organized the Saint Mary Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant, Florida. For many years, they met under a brush harbor, but on July 26, 1880, Henry Beach deeded two acres of land to the CME Church.
The first building was built on June 18, 1885. This building was the first place of worship until it was destroyed by fire in 1912. Sis. Mary Lou Barnes remembered that fire, and helped to carry the new lumber from the old building the day before the fire, as the new church was already under construction. The new building was completed in 1912, just a few feet from the old structure. The 1912 building stood until 1959, when the late Reverend Gus Salters led us into the building of our present sanctuary.
In May 1954, the denomination changed the name from the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church to the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Saint Mary remembers those pastors who gave leadership to her growth, survival and commitment to Christ through the years: Rev. J.T. Campbell (our first Pastor), Rev. Johnson, Rev. G.W. Grimes, Rev. Taylor, C.H. Cromattie, Rev. W. S. Pope, Rev. Browning, Robinson, Rev. Lowmac, Rev. Pew, Rev. Godwin, Rev. Lindsey (died in Mt. Pleasant), Rev. Curry Williams, Rev. P.J. Jefferson, Rev. Lowe, Slade, Rev. James Robinson, Rev. M.L. Campbell, Rev. Gladys, Rev. N. Slade, Rev. Harold L. Peterson (who led us into a complete renovation program in 1993), Rev. Lawrence Jefferson, Rev. Imogene Jackson-Rose (who led us into building the church parsonage), Rev. Anita Davis (who finished the church parsonage in 2000), Rev. Cloves Snowden, Rev. Dianne Blanks, Rev. O.R. Jackson (who lead us to pay off our parsonage mortgage in 2007), Rev. Eddie Allen, and our present Pastor, Rev. Andrew C.L. Archer of Nassau, Bahamas.
This year we celebrate ‘140 years plus’ with much praise to our Heavenly Father. We are proud of our roots in Methodism. We joyfully proclaim our servant-hood to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, whose redeeming love has been our theme and shall forevermore!
