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The Next Chapter: The Rev. Tim Mitchell To Retire; Served As Voice For The Needy
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| The Rev. Tim Mitchell
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By JULIET WERNER
On Aug. 11 Ebenezer Baptist Church in Flushing will host a banquet in honor of The Rev. Timothy Mitchell’s retirement. Mitchell has been a member of the Church for 50 years and its pastor for 46. The ceremony will mark the end of an era for Queens and for Ebenezer – and a new beginning for Mitchell.
Tim Mitchell’s Roots
In order to get a sense of Mitchell’s career, simply consider the titles he has held over the years: Reverend, Chairman, Founder, President, President Emeritus. His religious life has never strayed far from Ebenezer. It’s where he was baptized and ordained to the ministry in 1957. Mitchell’s father, the Rev. James B. Mitchell, pastored at Ebenezer for 17 years. And three of Mitchell’s five siblings currently serve in various leadership roles at the Church.
Mitchell received the majority of his education in New York. He attended elementary school in Flushing, leaving New York for his high school years, and then returning home to receive a B.S. in religious education from New York University. In the 1980s, he earned both a Masters and Doctorate from the New York Theological Seminary.
In 1958, one year after he married the former Judith Edith Lawrence, Mitchell left New York to serve as the pastor at the Hopewell Baptist Church in Hartford, Conn. He headed north with the goal to “save as many souls as possible.”
The newly married couple brought their oldest child, Magdalana, with them and one year later, they had a son, Timothy Immanuel. The ministry in Hartford only lasted three years, and in 1961, Mitchell was invited to pastor at Ebenezer.
Mitchell has fond memories of the homecoming.
“It was very encouraging and challenging,” he said, “because there was a real need for a pastor.” Back in Flushing, the Mitchells celebrated the births of son James Herbert and daughter Judith Alyson.
Good Vibrations
Mitchell’s congregation grew along with his family. He practiced the same “Ministry of Reconciliation” that he had practiced in Hartford and watched membership increase from 300 to 1,000.
Mitchell was instrumental in building a new church edifice and acquiring an entire block for the church that’s valued at more than $1,500,000. Mitchell then established the Martin Luther King Memorial Day Care Center in the former church building. He points to this shift as his proudest accomplishment.
The new building at 36-12 Prince St. became not only a house of worship, but a home for a senior citizen program that serves 700 people. Mitchell thinks of Ebenezer as a “seven-day” a week church. It feeds 200 people daily, has helped thousands with housing problems, placed many senior citizens in New York City housing and offered a free lunch programs.
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| Tim Mitchell’s presence in the community has been strong. Top: He speaks out against the construction of a housing project in the 1970’s. Middle: A few years later he brings his message to the community, which at the time included a young Frank Padavan. Bottom: Mitchell marched with Rev. Al Sharpton trying to increase racial unity in 1986.
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Community Leadership
Throughout his career, Mitchell has used various roles within the church as a springboard for social action. Dedicated to improving educational opportunities, Mitchell has served as President (now President Emeritus) of the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Departments of the Eastern Baptist Association.
As Chairman of the Commission for the Elimination of Racism for the Council of Churches of the City of New York, Mitchell has fought tirelessly for the rights of others. During his time in that role, he rallied behind a hate crime victim who used a gun in self-defense. The man was acquitted. When Mitchell organized demonstrations against the NYPD following the murder of Clifford Glover at Shea Stadium, his voice was heard.
The Rev. Floyd Flake, head pastor at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, explained Mitchell’s impact on his community.
“[M]any of the changes that have occurred in Queens certainly were because of him,” Flake said.
Also very active on a national level, Mitchell became involved early with the Civil Rights Movement. He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Georgia Freedom Movement in 1961, which ultimately resulted in his going to jail with King. In 1968 Mitchell was selected to serve as the Queens Chairman of King’s Poor People’s Campaign.
Kenneth Cohen, the Senior President of the NAACP Northeast Queens Branch as well as the regional director of all NAACP branches in New York City, came to admire Mitchell the instant the two met in 1964 through Ebenezer’s youth corps.
“Reverend Mitchell’s style is one of commitment,” Cohen said. “As a pastor he is a very dedicated to God and the teachings of God and has delivered his message for many years. As an activist he’s not backed down from anybody.”
Beyond The Church
Mitchell’s youngest son, James, followed in his father’s footsteps. He currently serves as an Elder for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The only of Mitchell’s four children to move out of New York, James Mitchell lives in the DC area, preaches regularly, and works to support small, largely minority-owned businesses.
“My memories with my father are more of things that he was doing for the community,” James Mitchell said. “I understand now that indirectly he was doing those things for me. Even if they weren’t individual acts the implication was that it would improve the community for me.”
Although James Mitchell remembers attending church as a child, he says it was more of a “Sunday routine,” and believes that the marches and protests he attended with his father as a young person had a more profound affect on his worldview.
“I think the biggest thing is you come to the realization that only the things you do for others are things that will be remembered,” he said. “The things we do for ourselves no one remembers. The things we do for others are really what our purpose is. What you do for God will last. I saw that in my father in terms of the sacrifices that he made. Obviously he had many opportunities to go into business and serve in the administrations of people he got into office, but he chose to stay in the community and work with people.”
James will join his family on Aug. 11 to honor his father’s unparalleled contribution.
A Lasting Impact
Mitchell’s influence has been felt by his congregation, community, family and by those who have worked for him. Florence Salgado is Mitchell’s secretary and the lead administrator at Ebenezer. She says she has “grown spiritually” by watching how Mitchell interacts with others.
“He has patience. He’s a teacher,” she said, adding that she feels grateful for the people he has introduced her to. “There are many faces I’ve never seen, but I’ve talked to,” Salgado said.
A severe stroke several years back left the Reverend severely debilitated, but not entirely off the pulpit. Once formally retired, he’ll have time to travel with his second wife Mabel and write a memoir. According to Salgado, a search committee to find Ebenezer’s next pastor is meeting regularly.
“We’re looking for someone that’s really into people as much as spreading the word of the gospel,” she said. “Of course we’ll never find another Timothy Mitchell.”
Cohen of the NAACP will attend the banquet to reminisce, eat the Dante’s catered meal and honor his old friend. He’s not thinking of it as a farewell.
“People as dedicated as Revered Mitchell has been throughout the years do not go away,” Cohen said. “They just relax a little bit.” |
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