Calvary United Pentecostal church - Jayess

In 1958, a group of believers under the leadership of Willie Pleas Osborn began services under a Brush Arbor in Lawrence County, Mississippi, on one acre of land donated by Hulon and Nanny Ballard. The Ballards also donated the first $100 to start the new church. The original name of the church was Ballard’s Chapel. Services were held under a brush arbor while a block church building was being constructed.

Being a rural area and little opportunities for jobs except farming and cattle farms, most of the converts were local people. It was not uncommon in a rural setting for pastors to come and go often. So, it was with Ballard’s Chapel. Pastor Osborn remained for two years and this time the first block church building was completed enough to hold services inside before the winter set in. Due to winter approaching, the congregation began having services in the block building even while there was still dirt for a floor and before the concrete was put in place for the permanent flooring.

Upon the resignation of founder Osborn, there were several other pastors who came and went after a year or two including: M.O. Martin Sr., Jack Langston, Clyde Wilson, David Fleetwood 1967-1968, Donnie Cooper 1969, Roy Dykes 1969-1972, Darrel Wilson 1973-1974, J.S. Hoyt 1975-1979, and Mark Dooley1979-1980.

God was preparing a man who would spend the remainder of his ministry in Mississippi. The man was L.R. Bowling, who resigned the church in Farmington that he pastored for seven years and moved to Springhill, Louisiana, to assist his former pastor, Gerald Trammell, from Festus, Missouri. They helped the Trammells until May 1981, when God moved upon Ray Bowling to answer the call of God and make his way to Lawrence County to the little church named Ballard’s Chapel, in Jayess, Mississippi. He was elected pastor on May 3, 1981, with his wife Tonya and three children: a son, Randy, and daughters, Kathy and Karen. They came with a burden to preach the Gospel and see lost souls converted.

The congregation began to grow, and many souls were added to the Kingdom. In 1982, a parsonage was built for the pastor and family to live near the church. About the same time, the congregation changed the name of the church to Calvary UPC. In 1990, a new church building was erected. From 1993 thru 2012, the church operated Calvary Christian School, with grades 1-12, as the new church had ample space to accommodate a school. In 1999, a gymnasium was built to accommodate the many youth activities of the congregation.

During the 38 years of leadership of Pastor Ray and Sister Tonya Bowling, God has blessed their ministry and the church is seeing great things continue to happen.

The Bowlings decided it was best to place the leadership of this great church into the hands of a younger pastor. Thus, it was that on July 29, 2019, the church congregation bestowed the title of Bishop upon Ray Bowling and elected as pastor, Elliot and Jocelyn Rutland. Under the Rutlands’ leadership, the church continues to experience great leadership and growth.