WS Chronicle

Dr. C.E. Gray has been the pastor at Mt. Olive Baptist Church for 41 years

There’s an old adage that says “Give me my flowers while I can enjoy them,” and last weekend the congregation at Mt. Olive Baptist Church did just that when they recognized longtime pastor Dr. C.E. Gray by renaming the fellowship hall in his honor.

During the special ceremony held on Sunday, March 8, several members spoke highly of Dr. Gray and his 41 years of service to the Mt. Olive congregation. Reggie Moore, a longtime member of the church, said although he wasn’t there when the fellowship hall was built, he was there for the restoration process, which was led by Dr. Gray, Moore and others. According to Moore, a pipe burst inside the church and caused major damage to the fellowship hall.

Most of the original fellowship hall had to be replaced – walls, the kitchen, bathrooms, furniture and most of the floor. The only thing that could be salvaged was a panel of the floor that reads, “Let God Be God,” which is the motto of the church. 

“When we came in here, we were ankle deep in water and all of this had to be replaced,” Moore continued. “The kitchen, the bathrooms, all this had to be replaced and repainted. This is even a new floor that we’re on, except for the middle part that says “Let God Be God” is still there. So we thank you (Dr. Gray) and today we honor and praise him and thanking God first of all, allowing him to be here.”

Rev. Stimpson, who serves as an associate pastor at Mt. Olive, also thanked Dr. Gray for his vision to see the project through. She said, “Today Dr. Gray, we honor you and we thank God for the vision that you followed through to make this place where we will not only come to worship God, but have fun, food, and laughter.”

After unveiling the wordage on the far wall that reads “C.E. GRAY FELLOWSHIP HALL,” Dr. Gray sat down with The Chronicle. Gray said several church members wanted to honor him by renaming the fellowship hall years ago, but he said he didn’t want any praise or glory for doing the work of God. 

“I didn’t want any glory coming to me,” Dr. Gray said while sitting in his office. “I said I didn’t want anything named after me, I wanted Jesus to get all the glory. And then as it got down through the years, the Lord said, you’ve been working in the vineyard, so give honor where honor is due.”

When asked how it feels to go into the fellowship hall and see his name in bold letters, Gray said, “I just look back and say the God I serve is a marvelous God, because he can take somebody off the streets, off of drugs, and midnight rambling and take them and make them somebody if you just turn your life over to him. 

“Not saying that I’ve dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” but God is a merciful God.”

Mt. Olive Baptist Church is located at 1301 C.E. Gray Drive in Winston-Salem. For more information, visit www.letgodbegod.org or visit “Mount Olive Baptist Church – Winston-Salem” on Facebook.