Albany pastor makes ‘major difference’

• The Rev. Walter L. Ingram Jr. has increased participation since coming to Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

Cathy Higgins

ALBANY — Most of us can only hope to make a positive impact in the world.

But for the pastor at one Albany church, it’s more than an ideal.

“My pastor has made a major difference since coming to Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Albany,” Mary Sims of Albany wrote in her Faces of Faith nomination of the Rev. Walter L. Ingram Jr.

That difference has been based on core virtues that Ingram follows when dealing with his congregation of 250.

“Treat everyone the same,” the pastor said in a recent interview at the Newton Road church. “Show forgiveness, love and acceptance of all people.”

With those precepts in mind, Ingram has inspired active participation from Mount Pilgrim’s members.

“Attendance in church school and Bible studies have increased,” Sims wrote in her nomination.

That attendance boost has stemmed from Ingram’s focus on two key groups in the church.

“Youth and what we call the Seasoned Saints — senior citizens,” Ingram said.

Mount Pilgrim’s youth ministry includes youth sleepovers and taking the church’s teenagers on trips to such locales as the Atlanta Aquarium and the World of Coke.

“And I have the vision to take juniors and seniors on campus tours of colleges in coming years,” Ingram said.

That interest is reaping results, as more than a third of those attending Sunday morning worship services are teenagers.

“It may be anywhere from 75-100 (youth) in the congregation,” Ingram said.

For the church’s senior church members, Mount Pilgrim presents a weekly noonday Bible study.

“That has become a great outreach for our Seasoned Saints,” Ingram said.

But that’s not the only contribution the bivocational pastor is making in Albany.

“I also work as a paraprofessional at Lamar Reese School of the Arts,” Ingram said. “There, I work with special-needs children.”

The 41-year-old came to Mount Pilgrim in August 2005 from north central Georgia.

“I served as assistant to the pastor in Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Bogart,” Ingram said.

Ingram’s career in ministry, which dates back two decades, includes serving in churches in his native Atlanta.

“In November, it’ll be my 20th year of ministry,” he said.

But Ingram’s draw to the ministerial service actually came much earlier.

“I was called in high school,” he said. “But I did not respond until 1988.”

One reason for Ingram’s hesitance may have stemmed from the fact that he knew what he’d be getting into.

“I’m a preacher’s kid and my mother was a church clerk,” the middle of three children said.

But it was while attending Mercer University that Ingram committed his career to ministry. So after graduating from the Atlanta college in 1989, he went on to study at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y.

When Ingram made his way to the Good Life City three years ago, he became the 13th pastor to serve at Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

The church’s own history dates back almost a century, as it was founded in 1920 in a small wooden house on Society Avenue.

“The church moved to Jefferies Avenue in 1952,” states a copy of Mount Pilgrim’s record of history.

Ingram took over the pastor’s position just as Mount Pilgrim’s new building at its current location was nearing completion.

Looking toward the future, Ingram hopes to implement such outreach ministries as afterschool programs, a daycare academy, senior housing and day programs for senior citizens. And he hopes they become outreach programs that take off at Mount Pilgrim.

“So we can supersize them,” the pastor said.

Faces of Faith are generally nominated by members of the community. If you know of a Southwest Georgian of faith who you think should be profiled, e-mail your nominee, their contact information and reasons they’d make a good profile to SouthView at southview@albanyherald.com.