Guest Preacher
THE CELEBRATION OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2025
9:30 AM ACT OF WORSHIP
CALL TO WORSHIP & INVOCATION*
Pastor Richie
MUSICAL SELECTION
SCRIPTURE*
Brother Gary Scruggs
CALL TO THE OFFERING
Deacon Maurice Cowan, Jr
MUSICAL SELECTION
LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY**
PASTORAL PRAYER*
INTRODUCTION OF PREACHER
MUSICAL SELECTION**
THE PREACHED WORD
The Reverend Dr. Melvin Owens, Pastor
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Lafayette, Alabama
President, Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention
INVITATION TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
BENEDICTION* PARTING SONG
Sweet, Sweet Spirit (Akers)
Reverend Dr. Melvin Owens is the pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in LaFayette, Alabama. He has been actively involved in the preaching ministry for over forty years, serving in various roles at the local, district, state, and national levels. When he accepted the call to preach, he showed great enthusiasm and a strong commitment to leading lost souls to Christ, promoting spiritual growth and a closer relationship with God through sharing the gospel.
Melvin was born in LaFayette, Alabama, to the late Morris Griggs and Mary Owens-Lyerly. Melvin was one of the first Black students to integrate Eastside Elementary School in LaFayette. He is an honors graduate from LaFayette High School. He earned an undergraduate degree
from Faulkner University in Montgomery and postgraduate degrees from the University of Alabama and Andersonville Theological Seminary. He is presently continuing his studies at Selma University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, VA.
Melvin is married to the former Deborah Lynne Bell, and they are the proud parents of one son, Kelvin Brian, and his wife, April Owens. Pastor Owens was licensed to preach in 1983 and has served two other congregations before coming to Mount Zion. He served as Pastor of the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Camp Hill (1985 – 1995) and the New Elam Baptist Church, Kellyton (1988 – 1991). In 1991, Pastor Owens was called to the pastorate of Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Pastor Owens currently serves as Vice President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and President of the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc. He is president emeritus of the Alabama Baptist Northeast District State Convention, former moderator of the East Alabama Union District Association, and a member of the Board of Directors for the National
Baptist Convention USA, Inc., the Congress of National Black Churches, and the Trustee Board of Selma University. He has previously served as president of the East Alabama District Congress of Christian Education and the Ebenezer District Congress of Christian Education. Additionally, he is a former president of the Alabama Chapter FBINAA.
Pastor Owens’ powerful and uncompromising preaching and teaching inspire others to pursue a closer walk with the Savior. He believes our assignment is to lead others into a saving and redemptive relationship as disciples of Jesus Christ. As we live by Christ’s example, we empower others to follow God’s commands. We aim solely to serve as God’s servants, acting as agents of healing and wholeness in a wounded and fragmented world.
Pastor Owens has membership in the following organizations: NAACP, 100 Black Men of Greater Auburn–Opelika, and FBINAA.