Mount Calvary Baptist Church

Here follows an excerpt from the church's website:

Mount Calvary Baptist Church was founded on November 11, 1953 in a small rural community known as Spring Bank in Alexandria, VA, by the late Reverend William R. Burruss, Sr., and his wife, Sister Julia Burruss. The Reverend Mackley of the Mount Olive Baptist Church and the Reverend Wheeler of Antioch Baptist Church (Washington, DC) assisted in the organization of the Mount Calvary Mission. The founding members were the late Sister Mary Boulware, the late Deaconess Ora Scruggs, the late Deaconess Lonnie Bell Copeland, Julia Burruss, the late Deaconess Emeritus Vivian Boulware, Deaconess Georgia Vernon, and the late Minister Florence Wilkins.

The Mount Calvary mission was legally registered in Fairfax County as the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, upon the suggestion of Sister Mary Boulware. The first church building was built with the assistance of the late Deacon Albert Vernon and the late Brother William Boulware. The late Deacon George Williams, the late Deacon Nathaniel Copeland, the late Deacon Emeritus Robert Hill, the late Brother Harrison Quander, and the late Brother Curtis Wilkins built the second building. Reverend Burruss led this branch of Zion until 1958. Under his leadership, weekly bible classes and prayer meetings were instituted on Wednesday nights. Reverend Burruss, with the assistance of members, built a meeting place on the property across from our present Annex. Reverend Burruss made the first down payment to an adjacent lot build a larger facility.

In 1960, the late Reverend Isaiah Goodwin was appointed pastor. Under his leadership, the membership experienced a steady growth, a telephone was installed, floor tile was laid in the sanctuary, indoor bathrooms were completed, a communion table was given to the church, and new pews were installed. Pastor Goodwin resigned in 1967 to dedicate his full service to the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.

In May 1968, Mount Calvary was blessed when the late Reverend Dr. Albert A. Wilson was appointed as pastor. Under Pastor Wilson's leadership, the congregation continued to grow and many improvements were made to accommodate the current and new members. The mortgage was paid in full, new carpet was installed, county sewage service was acquired, construction was completed on the church's annex, air conditioning and new heating units were installed, and floodlights were installed around the exterior of the church.

In addition to the improvements mentioned above, the following ministries were implemented: Women's Ministry, Outreach Ministries, Volunteer Choir, Inspirational Choir, and Men's Chorus. Pastor Wilson ordained 3 Deacons and added 8 Trustees to the Trustee Board. Pastor Wilson remained a faithful and dedicated shepherd of Mount Calvary until his illness would not allow him to maintain the arduous schedule of a full time pastor.

In October 1992, Mount Calvary embraced its present pastor, the Reverend F. R. Kelly, Sr. Under his leadership, our church has been richly blessed. The installation of a new P.A. system, purchasing of a new organ, upgrading of office equipment and church computers, renovating of the sanctuary and annex, and revamping of Christian Education curriculum are just a few improvements made. Under the leadership of Pastor Kelly, Mount Calvary has purchased a video system, wide screen televisions, a new set of drums, and AC and heating units for our Education Building. The U. S. Patent Office granted approval in August 2010 for our church logo and we started a series of the RED Bible study curriculum class in September 2010. Since his inception as shepherd, Pastor Kelly has licensed 14 ministers, of which 3 have been installed as Pastors. Our pastor has added to the Deacon, Deaconess, and Trustee ministries. Also, many ministries were established.

Under Pastor Kelly's leadership, the Mount Calvary Baptist Church has embraced and built our online presence. Having started with our website, we now have social media, including X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We even provide a livestream of our services using Facebook, YouTube, and X (Twitter). This online presence has allowed us the ability to connect with others (Relationship), share the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Evangelism) and build disciples (Discipleship) beyond our local community.