The History of Mt. Olive Church of Plano
Mount Olive Church of Plano was originally founded as Mount Olive Baptist Church on January 3, 1993 by Bro. Woody and Sis. Lorine Burrell. The Burrell’s believed that God was ready to begin a new work on the West side of Plano.
The first worship service was held at the Haggard Library with the following congregants: Rev. John and Delores Murray, and Sis. Brenda Hill. As weeks passed, other families attended the services…Harold and Gloria Carter, Carl and Anita Sanders, the mother of the first baby of the church (Malika Sanders), Pat, Joy, and Clarisa Murphy, Carolyne and Kayla Thomas, Curtis Jackson, Roxanne Newbill and Joseph and Jessica Fluce. The church remained at the Haggard Library for three years. Though never being installed, Dr. Vernon Busby served as the pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church for approximately three months.
On April 24, 1994, the LORD sent the Rev. Samuel L. Fenceroy to lead the Mount Olive Baptist Church. Rev. Fenceroy was installed as the first pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church on August 21, 1994.
In December of 1995, Mount Olive Baptist Church moved to a new location, 3231 Independence Parkway in Plano. It was then Pastor Sam addressed the members about removing “Baptist” from the name of the church because of the vision God had given him…the vision to Unite the Body of Christ. So we became Mount Olive Church of Plano (MOCOP).
On New Year’s Eve in 2001, Mount Olive Church of Plano moved to 740 Avenue F. It was at this location that our membership began to grow. So much so, that in October 2005, MOCOP acquired an additional building on the same campus with 3,000 square feet to accommodate our children and youth ministries. The church then occupied 10,000 square feet at this location. Our need for additional space continued and on July 20, 2007 after much prayer, God miraculously blessed us with our current 40,000 square foot edifice.
In February 2008, Comunidade Cristã Brasileira, a Brazilian church, under the leadership of Pastor Julio Pinto united as one with Mt. Olive. In the beginning the idea was for the church to develop a ministry that would influence the unification mainly of races in the United States. Today our vision is worldwide. We continue with the idea of the unification of the Body of Christ in the United States, but this also includes people from other continents. The MOCOP banner has flown in India, Africa and South America. During every mission project, more of the vision is fulfilled. We believe that this vision will grow and more MOCOP members will become instruments in the hands of God for the unification of the Body of Christ throughout all the earth.
In February 2009, the MOCOP School of the Arts for ages 18 months to 5 years officially opened. The school was licensed to take care of seventeen children. Initially there was one caregiver Christine Aminisaber, six children (Paris, Eyan, Nakayla, Cameran, Jayden, and Colby), and one director Pastor Sam Fenceroy. Classes were held in the nursery of the church. Over the past five years, God has blessed the MOCOP School to grow into a thriving, educational facility that has fifty-eight enrolled students, five full classrooms, eight staff members and two directors. We are trusting God that in the next two years, we will increase our total enrollment to one hundred and eight students.
Mt. Olive also allows growing churches of different ethnicities to use its facility for their weekly services. Currently Grace Generation Church which is composed of an Indian American congregation holds its weekly services at MOCOP.
Mt. Olive Church of Plano has grown over the last twenty-two years and with God’s blessing, we will continue to see the vision of our great church manifested.
Mount Olive is “Dedicated to Uniting the Body of Christ.”