Pastor Carl Small, Sylvia Small thanked for 30 years of service to Second Baptist Church

ELYRIA — On Saturday, the Rev. Carl Small celebrated his 30th anniversary as pastor of Second Baptist Church in Elyria, and from the energy and emotion on display at the event, it was clear that his impact in that time has run deep. Second Baptist congregants and Small's fellow faith leaders held the dinner in honor of him and his wife, Sylvia Small, at the church on Chapman Lane where he first came to preach in 1996. Throughout the event, many attendees praised from the crowd, a few cried and all of them laughed loudly and frequently as they recounted their three decades being led by the Smalls. "Pastor Small has carried the responsibility of leadership through many seasons; good times, difficult times and everything in between," Shateka Fields said. "Ministry is not easy, and being called to lead people takes strength, patience and faith. Leading Lady Small has stood beside him with grace and strength, supporting not just her husband, but also his church family in ways both seen and unseen… Together, pastor and leading lady have helped shape the heart of this ministry and the legacy of Second Baptist Church." During the event, Elyria City Council President Donna Mitchell and Vice President Brenda Davis read a proclamation from Mayor Kevin Brubaker honoring and thanking Small and his wife for their service to the city. The keynote speaker for the event was longtime friend to Small and fellow faith leader the Rev. John Ribbins III, of Calvary Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Cleveland Heights. Ribbins spoke about how rare it was for a pastor to remain in one place for as long as Small had, saying that the average Baptist pastor was only at a church for 3 to 7 years. He said Elyria was lucky to have found a pastor who committed himself to his community for so long. At the conclusion of his speech, which veered frequently and powerfully into sermon, Ribbins said that a gifted preacher has the ability to read the Bible, and in sharing its message they could "make the book talk." "My brothers and sisters, we come on Sunday morning because we want to hear the one that can make the book talk," Ribbins said. "I don't care how many programs you can put together, I don't care how much money you can come up with. I don't need no fancy lights behind me, I need to get up on Sunday morning and make the book talk. Because as long as I can make the book talk, I can help somebody, I can make it through to somebody who will be able to live that was on their way to die. Somebody will keep on that was ready to give up. And so, Pastor Small, for 30 years you have been making the book talk. I tell you, my brother, don't stop now. Keep on making the book talk." When Ribbins finished his speech, he, Carl Small and Small's brothers Anthony and Michael — who are both also church leaders in Northeast Ohio — led the audience in a rendition of "Amazing Grace." Sylvia and Carl Small both spoke as well, saying that they were amazed by the support they received not just on Saturday, but for all of the past three decades. "This is the hardest part, how do you say thank you for 30 years of love, dedication, fellowship and friendship," Sylvia Small said. "So I just first wanted to say, to my husband and pastor, thank you for your leadership and your obedience to God. I thank God for the excitement, when he brought us back to Ohio. I don't always thank you (God) for the weather, but I thank him for bringing us back so that we can be with our family, that we can make new family, we can make new friends and we can feel the love of God through each and every one of you." After his wife spoke for a few minutes, Carl Small took the podium and promised that he, too, would be brief. The statement, and long pause that followed, elicited no small number of laughs from the crowd and a few scattered shouts of "Amen!" Though Small did break no less than three times to promise he was nearly done, he enraptured the crowd and drew a plethora of praises and shouts from them, as he has done from the pulpit for each of the past 30 years. "I just want to say thank you to all of you," Small said. "I know you are getting ready to talk about the great fish — not the whale — tomorrow morning, amen. And so we just want to say thank you. Because the same God that prepared that great fish is the same God that empowered us to stand and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in this great city, in this great place. And we just want to thank God for all of you. I thank God for Second Baptist and this is, I am in my house, I want to thank God for the greatest church this side of the rapture." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.