The Rev. Dr. Mark E. Whitlock Jr. returns to Los Angeles on Sunday, April 16, to preach at the 10 a.m., worship service at Ward AME Church, located at 1177 West 25th St. in L.A.
Whitlock, who accepted the invitation from Ward’s new pastor, the Rev. Dr. Barry Settle, told the L.A. Sentinel that he’s looking forward to reconnecting with west coast friends during his visit and sharing a sermon entitled, “Do You Remember?”
While Whitlock has served the past four years as pastor of Reid Temple in Glenn Dale, Maryland – one of the largest churches in the AME denomination – few people can forget the huge impact he made during his long career in Southern California.
For 20 years, he was the spiritual leader of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine where he established multiple ministries and outreach services, collaborated across ecumenical lines, and was an outspoken advocate of social justice and human rights. Also, he served as executive director of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement and as director of Community Initiatives at the USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
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Considering the breath of his experience, most people assumed that he could easily helm Reid Temple, a megachurch with a membership exceeding 18,000. However, Whitlock said the transition to the east coast required significant adjustments that elevated his relationship with God.
Recalling his early days at Reid Temple, he said, “I was ministering to people who did not know me and didn’t have any idea of my background or the things I accomplished in Los Angeles. Also, I followed a ‘Cecil Murray-type’ – Dr. Lee Washington, who was extremely gifted.”
Whitlock was well-aware of ‘Cecil Murray-types’ since the Rev. Dr. Murray is his father in the ministry and Whitlock worked closely with Murray for many years. A legendary theologian, Murray is heralded for his 27 years as pastor of the historic First AME Church of Los Angeles where he led thousands to Christ, implemented scores of outreach ministries, built affordable housing and guided Angelinos through the pain of the 1992 civil unrest.
Despite his expansive background, Whitlock encountered different types of challenges at his new church. Reid Temple operates 80+ ministries, an elementary school, a private college, a 266-unit apartment building and an edifice in Laurel, Maryland. The sanctuary on the main campus spans 140,000 square-feet.
“We have thousands and thousands of people. We have members that are government employees working at the White House, Congress and the Senate. We also have many blue-collar and a senior population of over 1,000,” Whitlock said.
“Our responsibility is to touch every person, so I had to really learn to minister on a different level to serve God’s people,” he noted. And then, seven months after he and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Mia Shegog Whitlock, arrived, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down everything.
“The pandemic closed the church, but it never closed ministry. It never muted the message,” insisted Whitlock, who explained, “God gave me a vision to have an online worship service everyday that airs on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and all platforms.”
That move resulted in more than 13,000 online members that continued to tune in even after in-person worship resumed. Also, Reid Temple purchased 200 laptop computers so senior members could access online worship and the local school district donated 500 more, enabling the church to distribute 700 computers. In addition, the church operated a clinic where more than 35,000 people of all ethnicities received COVID-19 vaccinations.
God continues to bestow blessings upon Whitlock’s ministry at Reid Temple, but he is not relaxing or taking anything for granted. In fact, he is committed to keep learning and adapting to meet the needs of the people of God, especially in three areas that he considers vitally important.
“The church must focus on social justice, spiritual development and economic prosperity for our community. As we move towards the presidential election [in 2024], we are duty bound to educate our members about voter education and challenge voter suppression,” he said.
“We must develop jobs, support Black-owned businesses and teach the Word – in season and out of season,” added Whitlock. “We must be reminded that greater iis He that in within me than he that is in the world.”
