Church places father and son team in the pulpit


 

From the pulpit of Mount Calvary Church in northeast central Durham, Pastor Raymond Boney’s voice echoes off church walls with a powerful message.

Youth Pastor Reggie Boney performs on the piano during a church service. Photo courtesy: Dennis Meeks

Youth Pastor Reggie Boney performs on the piano during a church service. (Staff photo by Dennis Meeks)

Pastor Boney dove into Christianity at a young age.

“I accepted the Lord as my personal savior at the age of 12 and I’ve been in church all of my life,” said Boney.

He has been on the pulpit since the age of 19. He preached his first sermon at his home church in Wilmington, NC.

Mount Calvary was established 24 years ago and is looking to expand to different cities and bring in more members to the current location. The church has “giveaways” that consist of donating toys, clothes and food. The most recent giveaway was this past Christmas when the church gave toys to the less fortunate families in the community.

“I would love to start a church in Wilmington,” Boney said. “I would love to go home and start a church there and also to different places where we don’t have Mount Calvary Churches.”

Boney will celebrate his 50thbirthday in June.

“Hopefully I can still mentor young pastors and young ministers,” he said talking about his age.

But what about passing the church down to his son Reggie Boney, the church youth pastor?

“It’s what the Lord says,” said Boney.

Reggie Boney started preaching in 2009, a year after graduating from N.C. Central University. In his first sermon he preached about God giving vision and healing to the blind.

“I knew I had a calling on my life my senior year in college,” he said. “After praying and stuff I just felt like that was the direction God was leading me in.”

All of this became clear when he found himself in a bad car accident one day.

“I got in a bad wreck and that’s when I knew it was time to stop playing and get serious,” said Boney.

It appeared to Boney that God wanted him to begin preaching and singing. He not only does sermons but also sings.

“I’ve been singing since I was a little boy,” said Boney. He plans on getting back in the studio within the next couple of months so he can put out some music.

Alan Harris, long time visitor of Mount Calvary Church said that these two are truly “like father like son” because of the way they preach.

“Both of these guys are loving and caring individuals,” Harris said. “Reggie loves to hear testimonies from others and Raymond loves seeing people prosper spiritually, naturally, and educational. The only difference between the two is that Reggie relates more to the urban side of the community and Raymond to older generation. That’s why they hold the positions they have now though.”

Not only is Raymond Boney the pastor and his son the youth pastor, but his wife Regina Boney is the church’s co-pastor.