The Brothers of Cyrene was started primarily for the purpose of fellowship. However, their mission and purpose today is to evangelize Black America by planting strong Independent Baptist Churches in their cities, towns, communities, and neighborhoods with aggressive emphasis on soul winning, teaching, preaching, praying, discipleship, and education.The Brothers of Cyrene, with the Lord’s help, desire to reverse the negative trends found in the home, education, drug and crime, incarceration, and high mortality.
Pastors James Richardson, Living Waters Baptist Church, Mobile, AL.; Samuel Mitchell, Bible Study Baptist Church, Moss Point, MS.; and Ira A. Walton Sr., Crenshaw Community Baptist Church, Luverne, AL., are all close friends, shepherding churches they planted, and active in their state’s fellowships.
Because these pastors were all bi-vocational, they never had time for any serious fellowship except when their paths would cross or they spoke on the phone. Two of these men and their wives would soon meet at a restaurant and have a time of fellowship. They quickly realized they shared and were experiencing some of the same problems and concerns in their ministries and in their communities. They discussed the urgency as well as the difficulties encountered in reaching Black America and how could they best evangelize and do it at a faster pace.
This was very exciting to Pastor Walton and he felt led of God to arrange for some type of permanent fellowship on a larger scale and with structure. He suggested that instead of meeting at a restaurant that the group should meet at someone’s church and invite other inner city independent Baptist pastors to be a part of the fellowship.
On August 9, 2007, Pastor Richardson was host of the Baptist Bible Alabama/ Northwest Florida Fellowship meeting and Pastor Walton decided at that meeting to engage the six Black pastors who were in attendance.
With a flyer in hand complete with an agenda, a date, time, and place for a larger fellowship, Pastor Walton went to work in inviting those pastors in attendance to a special fellowship meeting. The meeting took place at Living Waters Baptist Church in Mobile where Pastor Walton began to share his God given vision for the fellowship with all the pastors in attendance. In that first meeting they discussed structure, issues and concerns in reaching Black America, the need to plant more churches, and the need to assist and encourage other pastors.
On September 14, 2007, the fellowship began to organize and Pastor Walton would once again share the vision and go into greater detail as to the scope and magnitude of the fellowship and how to assist those independent Baptist pastors who are just starting their ministries in predominantly black neighborhoods.
On March 28, 2008, at Living Waters Baptist Church, the fellowship instituted rules to govern themselves, developed a purpose and mission statement and named the fellowship “BROTHERS OF CYRENE,” taken from Matthew 27:32, “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” The name of the fellowship originated in the heart and mind of Pastor Walton’s great friend, Pastor Chuck Ford, Community Baptist Church, Grady. AL.
During that March 2008 meeting, the fellowship voted in two officers, the moderator and secretary. Pastor Walton assumed the duties of moderator and Evangelist Isaiah Moore, Living Waters Baptist Church, Mobile, AL., was voted secretary of the Brothers of Cyrene. On March 19, 2009, Pastor Bill Fluker, Grace & Mercy Baptist Church, Jackson, MS., was voted in as secretary replacing Evangelist Moore, and on June 8, 2009, Pastor Mitchell was voted in as treasurer.
The Brothers of Cyrene are not of the opinion that the blacks must separate in order to effectively address the unique circumstances involving Black America. They desire and desperately need the help of predominantly non-black congregations to reach Black America and plant churches.
This organization, through its website, will serve as an information hub for Bible College graduates, laymen, church members, etc., who have been called of God to help evangelize Black America. The website will provide information and locations where pastors, youth directors, Christian school teachers, choir directors, etc., are needed. Additionally this site will provide a means by which believers of like faith will have the opportunity to search for and find independent Baptist churches in other cities and towns. The site will offer other opportunities as well.
The Brothers of Cyrene are affiliated with and work closely in conjunction with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI) and state fellowships in planting churches. They desire to work with other Bible-believing fellowships, mission’s boards and local churches in their efforts to evangelize their communities and neighborhoods.
The Brothers of Cyrene are pastors and laymen who are active participants in their state fellowships. They strongly desire the pastors of the state fellowships to truly embrace their vision by encouraging their members to pray and to get involved. The Brothers of Cyrene are ready and willing to “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23). They ask all those in the BBFI and in other Bible-believing ministries who already have productive and prosperous ministries, to help the Brothers of Cyrene to reach the unreached for Christ.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
If you desire to write us, send correspondence to the following address:
Brothers of Cyrene
c/o: Crenshaw Community Baptist Church
1607 Rutledge Loop Road
Luverne, AL 36049
www.brothersofcyrene.com/
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