After 48 years of service to his church and congregation, Dr. Reverend Jim Holley announced his pending retirement this past Sunday and announced the building of a new senior citizen facility this spring. Holley’s retirement will be official New Year’s day 2022 which will end 50 years of pastoring and his church leadership.
In a letter to the church he reflected on his first coming to the city. “I remember moving to Detroit on January 1, 1969, after I was asked to come to this great city by my mentor, the late Dr. Benjamin Hooks, famed Civil Rights Leader, Executive Director of the NAACP, and Senior Pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church,” said Holley. “I was fresh out of seminary school in Chicago and was excited to serve under Dr. Hooks at his church. I was honored to join him on the critical pathways of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Holley went on to say, “today, with a membership of 1,500 and growing; Historic Little Rock Baptist Church is one of the greatest churches in America and beyond. And, we’ve done God’s business, not just on Sundays, but on the other six days of the week He’s given us. It has been my honor to serve such an outstanding church for 48 years. Yet, I could not have come this far without faithful and dedicated members, ministries and auxiliaries. We’ve seen good times, and we’ve seen not so good times, but through it all, we’ve leaned on Roman 8:28, which assured us that “All things work together for good for those who love God”.
Holley went on to say in the letter, “As we approach the day and time of my retirement together, I pray that I’ve built a spiritual legacy, not only at Little Rock, but throughout this community, city, state, nation and beyond. It has always been my mission to lead a “Ministry of Liberation”, focused on freeing God’s people through Salvation, Education and Economics (SEE). I hope and pray that my deeds and efforts have been appropriate in serving you, but we must give God the Glory for all successes that Little Rock and I have experienced together.”
Holley plans to break ground this spring on a senior citizen residential complex which will be completed prior to his retiring.
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