Minister celebrates 60 years of leadership in the community
Ecclesiastical and civic leaders will gather Sunday to pay tribute to Dr. M.F. Brewster and his 60 years in the ministry.
The 50th Anniversary Service, which also will recognize Brewster's retirement as pastor of Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, will be 3 p.m. Sunday at the House of Refuge Church, 1707 W. Sixth St. Polly Chapel Baptist Church will be the special guest, and the Rev. Reginald Reid Sr. will be the featured speaker.
Mayor Bob Bruggeman of Texarkana, Texas, and Mayor Ruth Penny Bell of Texarkana, Ark., have proclaimed April as Dr. Mayfield Brewster month.
In addition to Dr. Brewster's 50 years of service to Greater New Hope, he has 10 previous years of pastoring in Texarkana, Ark., for a total of 60 continuous years in the ministry.
“Just to think about how long I have pastored, now I can say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for all things that you have done for me, and my church family,'” Brewster said in a prepared statement.
Dr. Brewster holds a diploma in pastoral training, a Bachelor of Theology and Religious Education, a Master of Education and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and United Theological Seminary in Monroe, La.; a diploma in Christian education from the Department of Christian Education of the National Baptist Convention USA; an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock; and a Doctorate of Divinity from Texarkana Baptist Seminary. He also is a certified as a Christian counselor by the International Institute of Faith Based Counseling.
Dr. Brewster was married to the late Lillian Faye Brewster. He has two daughters and two sons, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Upon marrying Bobbie Clay, he acquired a son, daughter, two grandchildren and one greatgrandson.
Dr. Brewster served for more than a decade as president of the Baptist Ministers Fellowship. He is president emeritus of Zion District Congress of Christian Education, which he led for 34 years, and a former president of Baptist Missionary and Educational Congress of Christian Education of Texas, which he served for 15 years. For the past 38 years, he has been on the Member Executive Council of Baptist Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention USA.
He also served 12 years each on the Texarkana Police Commission and the Texarkana Zoning Commission, in addition to his numerous civic projects.