Staff Reports
May 14, 2009 10:03 pm
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MOULTRIE — Grant Chapel A.M.E., 318 W. Central Ave., will have a Fellowship Program on Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Maurice E. Evans.
Evans was born and reared in Umatilla, Fla., and spent many years with his grandparents. He was the eldest of his siblings and now he and his wife, Felicia C. Evans, have four children of their own, Maurnicia, Mariah, Makayla and Edward Jerome.
After becoming a Christian in April of 1993, he became a member of St. John A.M.E. Church in Quincy, Fla., under the pastorship of the Rev. Matthew Bryant. In October of 1996, he “recognized his spiritual gifts” and accepted “the call to ministry.”
In November of 2000, the late Presiding Elder Lonnie J. Walker, elder of the Quincy/Monticello District of the 11th Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Church, appointed Evans to serve as pastor of Shiloh A.M.E. Church. It is one of the oldest African Methodist churches in the Miccosukee community of Leon County. Having served two years at Shiloh A.M.E. Church, he then became a member of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Havana, Fla., under the pastorship of the Rev. William Maxwell. He was ordained an elder and served as an associate pastor.
In 2002, Evans decided to further his educational goals and attended Tallahassee Community College to pursue a degree in business administration. Ultimately, he completed his studies at Smith Chapel Bible College, earning an associate’s degree in theological studies. He is currently attending The Center for Biblical Studies pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theological studies.
After moving to Tallahassee, Fla., in December of 2004, Evans joined Christian Heritage Church under the leadership of the Rev. Richard Ledford and was later assigned as an elder of the church responsible for the spiritual leadership of four deacons and 238 families.
Earlier, in 1996, Morningstar Missionary Baptist Church was destroyed by fire. The chairman of the deacon board enlisted the services of a very young Evans, owner of Evans Masonry & Construction, to help rebuild the church. Unbeknownst to Evans, in 1996, he helped physically rebuild the church that he would be called to pastor approximately 13 years later.
He became only the third pastor of Morningstar M.B. Church in the last 45 years.
The Rev. Martin Kohn is the pastor of Grant Chapel.
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