Saginaw pastor faces challenge from COVID-19: ‘How do we move forward?’

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Pastor Chevez D. Marshall, 35, is seen here at his grandfathers 32nd Pastor's appreciation program.

Courtesy of Pastor Chevez D. Marshall

Pastor Chevez D. Marshall, 35, of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Saginaw said he was fortunate his congregation had started streaming services in January 2020. When the pandemic shut down church services a few months later, “I told myself I can still get God’s word across.”

On March 23, 2020, Michigan’s governor issued a stay-at-home order in response to an exploding pandemic of a new variant of the coronavirus. Almost everything, including churches, shut down.

“Immediately my thought went to how do we move forward?” said Pastor Chevez D. Marshall, 35, who suddenly faced his largest challenge since he was named pastor at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Saginaw in 2016. “I’m thankful that in January I had started a Facebook page where we had started livestreaming our service on Facebook.

“Once they shut down everything that fourth week of March, I told myself I can still get God’s word across.”

Marshall said 50 to 100 viewers would watch live, and the church’s new Facebook page quickly grew to 338 followers. Members who didn’t have access to social media, were able to dial into service through the churches’ conference call line.

“Even though there was no singing, there was no morning hymns, all we come to do is pray and get the word,” he said.

Marshall was born and raised in Flint and for the past 16 years has lived in Saginaw, where he shares a home with his wife of 12 years and their three children.

Marshall grew up in the church under the leadership of his grandfather, who was his pastor.

“That started my biblical foundation, so God has always been a very integral part in my life from a young age,” he said. “I’ve been taught to lean on my faith.”

Sister Katherine Moore has been a church member of Mount Sinai for 40 years. She’s held many positions within the church and now serves as director of education and a Sunday school teacher. 

“I didn’t have no doubt or revelation about him being able to handle the job that he was called to do,” she said. “I also noticed that one thing impressed me was him being humbled. He has a humbled spirit, and I was thankful for that.”

Pastor Chevez D. Marshall talked with Spartan Newsroom reporter Danneisha McDole about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his congregation.

In 2013, Marshall was ordained as a deacon in the church at TrueVine Missionary Baptist Church in Saginaw, where he was a deacon for a year and a half. 

He accepted his call to preach in 2015 at TrueVine, where he preached for a year until his first assignment at Mount Sinai.

“I had no time to prepare,” he said. “I had to put my feet to the ground and just run and see how far I could get.

“I’m still here and it’s not because of who I am but it’s because of who God has been with me.”

Deacon Leon Pritchett has served as a member of Mount Sinai since about 1979. He works in the finance department and sings in the male and gospel choir. 

“I respect him as a pastor,” Pritchett said. “Because of the way I’ve been raised, I had a brother that been on the deacon board way before I was. He’s a believer of working with the pastor and that’s the way I try to do it.”

While still adjusting to the new normal of the pandemic, Marshall said he’s certain the church will be able to continue operating in a successful and safe manner. 

“When we look at it in totality, the one thing that remains the same is change and this is a change that will allow us to eliminate some of the wasted space that church is experienced,” he said. “Whether it be unnecessary services, whether it be unnecessary portions of a worship experience — and we see now what’s important.

“It is going to be a collective effort and it’s going to take some people to be open-minded to change into doing things differently for us to be successful.” 

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