The congregation of Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Turner Station stood, whooped, hollered and hugged in joyous defiance on Easter Sunday — just days after its pastor, Rashad Singletary, was shot and carjacked.
Singletary delivered a sermon to a packed sanctuary despite initial anxiety on the car ride over to minister to his Southeastern Baltimore County flock.
“He is a bulletproof God,” the pastor said. “I ain’t afraid of nothing.”
His godmother, Mercedes Sneed, declared there to be a miracle in the room as Singletary used a scooter to make his way to the altar.
The pastor’s foot remains in a boot after an assailant fired a 9-millimeter Glock at Singletary before stealing his wife’s car Wednesday night. The bullet went through Singletary’s foot, fracturing it, he said.
The cleric told his congregants and the public to forgive the young man who shot and robbed him.
“It’s OK to be upset, it’s OK to be frustrated, but by the same token, have mercy on individuals because you never know what drove them to that space,” Singletary said.
‘Characteristics of Jesus’
Carolyn Jones, known as “Elder CJ” among the congregation, has been attending worship at Mt. Olive her entire life.
The 77-year-old said she was still in shock after hearing Singletary was shot but was not surprised he showed up to preach on Sunday.
“He’s awesome,” Jones said. “He’s a devout man of God with all the characteristics of Jesus.”
Over the past five years, Singletary has grown Mt. Olive from a 14-person congregation to over 300 regular attendees — revolutionizing the historic Turner Station church.
During his sermon, the pastor referenced a passage from the Gospel of Matthew in which Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother, Mary, approach his empty tomb after he has been crucified but no one can find his body.
Singletary decried the hypocrisy of Jesus’ disciples, who did not believe the Nazarene had risen from the dead even as Roman soldiers stood sentry, afraid of his return.
The pastor used the passage as a metaphor, encouraging his congregation not to give their confidence so freely to people who don’t show up for them.
“Don’t try to put somebody in the space that they’re not qualified for,” Singletary said. “What you don’t realize is you sabotage your own future by giving somebody access to you who showed you they can’t be trusted.”
Singletary also emphasized that growth comes from adversity — an example set by Jesus.
“If you’re not going through any type of warfare, you need to question whether or not you are on the right team,” he said. “Because, if you are truly operating in the integrity of what God has told you to be, there will be warfare.”
History of violence prevention
For over a decade Singletary worked in violence prevention programs, dedicating much of his time to mediating conflict across Baltimore’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
During his career the pastor has worked with Safe Streets Baltimore and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, but he stepped back from his advocacy in recent years while building back the Mt. Olive congregation.
Wednesday’s shooting was Singletary’s first time falling victim to the gun violence he spent years trying to mitigate.
But the pastor spent more time reflecting on the root causes of gun violence than his personal misfortune.
“I’ve already forgiven that young man,” he told The Banner in an interview after the service.
He said people across Baltimore have to understand that young men like the one who carjacked him are struggling mentally and emotionally.
“Gun violence is not normal and we have to understand that, the individual who decides to operate in that activity, they’re looking for something,” Singletary said.
He hopes Baltimore will focus on filling that hole — whether it’s financial security, familial stability, education or any other social determinant. Singletary said he has recommitted himself to that goal.
“I don’t know what disparities, I don’t know, you know, what mental capacity [the shooter] was in, but at the end of the day, I’m glad it happened to me and not to someone else who might want to be revengeful, you know?” he said.
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Singletary’s fracture will heal, he said, and long after his foot is out of a boot he will keep helping heal the Baltimore community.
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