“For the preaching/message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

Reverend Kenneth Cole was born in Washington, D.C. on August 5, 1968. He is a product of the Prince George’s County Public School System, and a 1986 graduate of Suitland Senior High School in Suitland, MD.

Reverend Cole was raised in a Christian home and credits his mother for his Christian upbringing. At the age of 17, while attending the Tabernacle Baptist Annual Youth Retreat, he accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. In 1997 he received the call to the Gospel Ministry and was licensed to preach the Gospel on April 8, 2000, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. under the leadership of Pastor William B. Stroman.

For 18 years, he has served in many capacities of leadership including the Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Singles Ministry to name a few. His love for Jesus Christ and the people of God have led him to speak and preach at numerous Youth, Young Adult and Singles workshops, retreats, seminars, conferences, and revivals.

Reverend Cole is a graduate of Washington Bible College in Lanham, MD where he received his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies. In 2006, he had the distinct honor of serving as the Washington Bible College Student Body Chaplain. He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Arts Degree in Ministry Leadership at Capital Bible Seminary also located in Lanham, MD. During his educational pursuits, God has afforded him the wonderful opportunities of becoming an employee of Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary operating as Director of the Office of Church Relations, as well as Director of the Adult Degree Completion Program, and also an instructor for the college’s Old and New Testament biblical studies classes.

Remarkably, Reverend Cole is also working as a Research Assistant in conjunction with Morgan State University’s Pastors in Disasters (Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Readiness) project. This project is designed to teach Pastors on how to educate their congregations, and prepare their churches in the areas of emergency preparedness and disaster readiness. The project was funded by Homeland Security and the American Red Cross.

Reverend Cole is the son of Sandra B. Hart, and the devoted father of an 18-year-old daughter, Asia. His primary goal in ministry is to “change the world one soul at a time.”

Minister Lora E. Crews was born in 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1971, she married Howard Crews and joined him as he served in the Army the following year. The couple has a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, three grandsons and a great-grandson.

Minister Crews gave herself to God at an early age and was baptized by Reverend Saunders Burgess at Community Baptist Church in Baltimore. She began serving the Lord praising him in song and spirit as a child. She was a junior usher, choir member, and worked on numerous programs to benefit the church. Her service continued as she followed her husband to various duty stations in Europe and America.

In 2001 Lora joined First Mount Olive Baptist Church in Leesburg, Virginia. She began to take Equip classes, and she also completed the Master Life course. As she grew in the Lord, she served as President of the Usher Board, President of the Christian Women's Fellowship Ministry, Co-Chair of the Couples Ministry, provided leadership for the Young Women's Ministry, taught Sunday School to the youth and served as a Deaconess.

Minister Crews accepted her call to ministry and after a period of mentorship, she became a licensed minister under the leadership of Reverend Harold S. Stinger. Having retired from the Army Air Force Exchange Service in 1997 and Loudoun County Schools in 2014, she is able to fully dedicate herself to serving God and spreading His word.

Reverend Teresa Harrison was born in Leesburg, Virginia on May 7, 1957, to Henry Eugene and Doris Elizabeth Whiting. She attended Loudoun County Public Schools and graduated in June 1975 from Loudoun County High School. As a product of Loudoun schools, she resolved to make a difference. In 1992, she became the first At-Large African American woman to serve on the Board of Loudoun County Public Schools.

She is married to Larry Jerome Harrison and together they have two sons, three daughters, and nine granddaughters.

Reverend Harrison accepted her call to preach in 2000, and she was initially licensed on September 3, 2001, by Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Lincoln, Virginia under the leadership of Pastor Billy Williams. She has since returned to First Mt. Olive Baptist Church with a desire to serve at her home church. She preached her initial sermon on October 12, 2014, and received her license on November 2, 2014, under the leadership of Pastor Harold Stinger.

Reverend Harrison has designed and developed training materials, facilitated seminars, workshops, and retreats for various churches throughout Northern Virginia. She has served as Sunday School Teacher, Bible Study Facilitator and Director of Vacation Bible School. She served in various positions in the Baptist Ministers Conference of Northern Virginia; the Northern Virginia Minister’s Wives and Widows Fellowship; the Ministers, Deacons and Layman Union; the Northern Virginia Baptist Association, the Northern Virginia Sunday School Union and BTU Convention. Prior to accepting her call to the Ministry, she served in the Young Adult Ministry, Usher’s Ministry and the Music Ministry—singing in both the Senior Choir and the Gospel Chorus. She also became a member of the Metro Mass Choir of Northern Virginia using her gift to sing praises.

She attended the Virginia University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Virginia and received her Certificate of Religious Studies in May 2003. She is currently enrolled in the Equip Program of Lancaster Bible College.

Reverend Harrison is grateful to God for His goodness and mercy and it is her desire to always be available to and for God and for the people of God. Her favorite Scripture is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” Without Christ, she feels she would be lost and could do nothing.

Reverend. W. Pierce Smith is a native born Virginian. He accepted the call to the Gospel Ministry in 1953. Reverend Smith studied at the Washington Baptist Seminary under the tutelage of Dr. J.L.S. Holloman; later, matriculated at the Washington Bible College and Northwestern College.

He pastored 10 years at Saint Paul Baptist Church (now in MD), 34 years at Faith Baptist Church (Capital Hill, and served as Interim Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Alexandria,VA and Providence Baptist Church, Orlean, VA.

Reverend Smith has been active in many community and civic organizations. He served as a member/delegate to the Progressive National Baptist Convention upon its inception in Cincinnati, Ohio under the leadership of its first president - Reverend Gardner C. Taylor. He is currently a member of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Washington, DC & Vicinity, and the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Northern Virginia & Vicinity.

He has traveled extensively (inclusive of Israel in 2008) and uses all his experiences in his preaching.

Reverend Barbara Wilson was born in Loudoun County. She grew up on a farm outside of Purcellville. She was the seventh of eleven children born to Ollie and Mary Craig King. She attended Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hamilton, Virginia, and she accepted Christ at early age and was baptized by Rev. Isham Williams. She graduated from Douglass High School in Leesburg, Virginia.

She received her calling to the Ministry under the Pastorship of James and Jean Flanagan at Nothing Impossible Fellowship in Reston, VA. She united with First Mount Olive Baptist of Church of Leesburg in the fall of 2001. She became a licensed minister on December 22, 2001 under the leadership of Rev. Harold Stinger. In addition to preaching, she serves the Lord as a Church School Teacher on the 4th Sundays at First Mount Olive.

Rev. Wilson is a mother of three and the grandmother of three. After working with the federal government for 38 years, she is now retired from a civilian position as a secretary for the Department of Defense. Her retirement allows her more time to serve the Lord, as well as spend more time with her family. She uses her talent of singing to minister to others with two of her sisters in a group called the “King Family”. She completed the MasterLife Class of April 2011 at First Mount Olive Baptist Church.