In 1995, Reverend M.O. Fort became the pastor of Virginia Street Baptist Church and he’s been preaching there ever since. Members of the church and community celebrated him and his wife, Lady Renee Fort, for their service at Friday’s 30th anniversary banquet.
Beyond serving Virginia Street Church, M.O. Fort is the president of the Hopkinsville College of the Bible and Renee Fort works as a registered nurse at Fort Campbell High School.
The banquet started with the pair making a grand entrance. Once they took their seats, church member Ruth Lynch welcomed the attendees and spotlighted the evening’s honorees.
Reverend Michael Rice, the moderator of the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky was the banquet’s keynote speaker. Rice is a longtime friend of M.O. Fort and talked about the role of pastoral leadership in the church. He reminded the audience that pastors are appointed to serve as leaders, not lords.
Afterward, a video presentation was played which featured the couple’s family and friends commending them for reaching such a momentous milestone. Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight was also in attendance, he congratulated the pair and presented them with a key to the city.
M.O. and Renee Fort concluded the evening by thanking guests for celebrating this anniversary with them. Renee Fort says 30 years is a long time, but it still seems like it was yesterday when her husband received the call to be the pastor at Virginia Street Church. She also recognized fellow pastor wives who were in the audience.
M.O. Fort gave out many thank yous to those who supported his pastoral journey and says he wishes he could extend a hug to everyone in the room.
The anniversary celebration is set to continue at the church’s Sunday service on April 6.
