The Sanctuary - Pascagoula

The First Pentecostal Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi, began in 1942, as a tent revival, by Oscar E. Lamb, a traveling evangelist. Rev. Lamb, with his wife, Katie, and their children, Edna, Shirley, Halbert, and Barbara, answered the call to go to Pascagoula. In 1943, the small group erected a church building. The Mississippi heat was brutal without the benefit of air conditioning, making it necessary to open all windows. Therefore, everyone in the surrounding neighborhood heard the plan of salvation preached.

Rev. Obie Ramsey arrived in Pascagoula in 1948 with his wife, Dorothy, and his three children, Helen, Evelyn, and Jerry.  A few years later, Bonnie, the youngest daughter, was born in the old hospital, which is now a nursing home. There were a few members in attendance besides the Ramsey family in their first service at First Pentecostal Church of Pascagoula.

Pastor Ramsey was a hard-working pastor who made many improvements during his tenure as pastor. He began with spiritual issues by asking the church to fast every Tuesday and every Sunday until afternoon. Many adopted this practice, and there are written records of some continuing this practice for over 38 straight years! Pastor Ramsey also began to add to the small existing structure and turned it into Sunday School rooms, with the new addition serving as the auditorium. This structure exists today and is still used for Sunday School classes and a fellowship hall.

The Ramsey family departed in 1956 to begin a church plant in Florida. Ironically, Rev. Buford Miller, Bro. Ramsey’s brother-in-law preached the new building’s dedication service, and he was the next pastor. Rev. Buford Miller arrived in 1956 and continued as pastor for 25 years (minus nine months when he did full-time district work). Bro. Miller’s family consisted of his wife, Lucille, and children, Peggy, Betty, Billy Ruth, and Kenneth.

Elders in the church tell us that “everyone” loved Bro. Miller! They recall that he treated everyone with equal respect, regardless of position or station in life. Bro. Miller also oversaw the building of the current building that houses the sanctuary and a parsonage. During this time, there was a fire that severely damaged the older building. He spent many hours working with his own hands in the clean-up and restoration of that structure.

Pastor Miller led in tremendous spiritual growth as well. Many ministers and pastors went forth from under his ministry. In one revival, while Bro. Miller pastored, they saw more than 50 born of the water and the spirit. Under the leadership of Bro. Miller, a Christian school was founded and operated for several years.

Rev. Lonnie Marcus served as pastor of the Pascagoula church for the nine months (Dec. 1970 – June 1971) that Bro. Miller served full-time as District Superintendent with the Mississippi District.

The congregation elected Rev. Curtis Spears pastor after the sudden passing of Pastor Miller in 1981. He added the large prayer room to the church. Pastor Joe Dueitt, his wife, Alice Fay, and his daughter, Joy, served the congregation for a few years, reconstructing after Hurricane Elena.

Rev. Jerry Ramsey, son of Rev. Obie Ramsey, spent a portion of his childhood living in Pascagoula when his father pastored the First Pentecostal Church. He arrived in Pascagoula again in 1988 as a seasoned church planter, having planted a thriving church in Deland, Florida. He had also spent four years as a missionary in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Pastor Ramsey’s family consisted of his wife, Jeanne, and his two sons, Jason and Jonathan.

During Bro. Ramsey’s pastorate, many families were saved and established over the years. Without any choice on his part, Pastor Ramsey’s ministry in Pascagoula was defined by two major hurricanes that did extensive damage to the church property. Hurricane Georges made landfall in 1998 and did tremendous damage to the church building.

In 2005, Pastor Ramsey struggled with his father’s advanced Alzheimer’s disease and Sis. Jeanne Ramsey’s stage-four ovarian cancer, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and redefined his world forever. Rev. Obie Ramsey became ill during the evacuation and passed away two weeks later. Sister Jeanne Ramsey was very weak and also passed five months later. With no wife, no father, no home, no church building, and the majority of his church scattered and relocated, Pastor Ramsey turned to his faith in God. God sent Hoyd Sanders, Pastor Ramsey’s brother-in-law, to supervise reconstruction.

Mike Bush, another brother-in-law, also came to supply the on-site workforce to reconstruct the beautiful church facility. In late 2006, Pastor Ramsey met and married Linda Edwards, and together they helped lead the church forward in rebuilding. During this time, the First Pentecostal Church became “The Sanctuary.”

Pastor Ramsey’s sudden passing, in December of 2013, caught many by surprise, but God had used Bro. Ramsey to lay a strong foundation upon which the church will be built and continued until the rapture.

The current pastor, Randy Pate, arrived full-time on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014. Though new residents of the area, they were not strangers to The Sanctuary. Pastor Pate’s wife, Jera, is the daughter of Pastor Jerry Ramsey, and thus, the family had been frequent visitors and speakers at The Sanctuary for over 25 years. The Pates purchased the home directly behind the church, and they, along with their 20-year-old son, Jared, and their eight-year-old daughter, Randa, began their ministry at The Sanctuary.

Pastor Pate completed major remodeling and updates during his first year. The church has had numerous baptisms, conversions, and beautiful families added to its community. The church continues to grow. While they celebrate their past, they believe the best is yet to come.