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Blessings In Abundance

Tribune photo by KELVIN MA

Mount Olive AME Church's 8,000-square-foot church opens with a cornerstone celebration this afternoon and a sanctuary dedication on Sunday. The new facility will allow the church to expand its educational offerings and food and clothing distribution programs.

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

WEST TAMPA - The Rev. James Givins is sentimental about the 99-year-old church he is leaving behind.

The congregation welcomed him and his family about three years ago to Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1747 W. LaSalle St. It is the first Tampa church he has led.

But he's looking forward to moving into the new 8,000-square-foot church and sanctuary, cater-cornered from the current location.

The church is holding its cornerstone celebration at 2 p.m. today and will dedicate the new sanctuary at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"I am happy to be on this side," said Givins, sitting in the new sanctuary this week as workers applied finishing touches. "That way we can do more ministries. We were cramped because of the square footage. It the old church can't be more than 3,000."

The new location, 1902 W. LaSalle St., is a striking building painted in jade, olive and ivory. It has a large white steeple with a cross. The 450-seat sanctuary has a chandelier, cushioned pews, carpeting, an oak pulpit and altar, and a choir loft at the rear.

Its stained-glass windows have center seals representing biblical stories.

The building, which is accessible to those with disabilities, also has a pastor's office, Communion preparation room, classrooms and conference rooms. At the rear are the fellowship hall and a commercial kitchen.

Givins said the new facility, which cost an estimated $1.5 million, will allow the church to expand its educational offerings and food and clothing distribution programs. "It puts us where we ought to be," he said.

Longtime members said they are pleased with the new church and the extra space.

"I am very happy because the need has been around for years," said Robert Wright, 71, a church steward and lifelong member. "We have outgrown the present location."

With 400 members but room for only 179 in the old sanctuary, the church sometimes had to offer multiple services on Sundays.

The old sanctuary's future is uncertain. Givins said the ongoing expansion of Interstate 275 has caused cracks in walls and shifted the floor in the rear of the building. A Florida Department of Transportation spokesman said the church is talking with a project contractor to resolve the issues.

Yvette Ballard-Sims has attended Mount Olive since she was 5. At 54, she is the church's administrative assistant. She has wonderful memories of the old sanctuary. It is where she got married and where services were held when her parents died.

She didn't think the day would come when Mount Olive would relocate but thinks it is for the best.

"The way the community is constantly growing, we are going to need that space to accommodate the worshippers that are on their way," Ballard-Sims said.

"I am the kind of person who rolls with the flow and likes to see progression," she said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Mount Olive AME Church's cornerstone celebration and dedication of the new sanctuary

WHEN: Celebration at 2 p.m. today; dedication at 4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 1902 W. LaSalle St.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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