Our Pastor

Pastoral Statement
Pastoral Bio

Pastoral Statement It is a tremendous blessing to be part of the great work that God is doing in this “Living Epistle” that we call “The Ark”. I am as excited about our future today as I was seven years ago. Because I know that God has called us to make a difference in the world. As we celebrate this milestone in our journey, I take great delight in saying “thank you.” Thank you, for your commitment to spiritual growth through the application of his word. Thank you for faithful service and spirit filled worship.

Thank You for allowing God to use you as His witness to the world. Finally, thank you for demonstrated love.

Biblically, seven is the number of completion and eight the number of new beginnings. The past seven years have been a dress rehearsal for the “new” thing that God is about to do with us. Great things are ahead for we serve a great God, who does the extraordinary with ordinary people. Get ready to be blessed, for He intends to use us to bless others.

My family and I are grateful that God has knitted our lives together with yours so that we might support each other in “Building His Kingdom On Earth”.

Rev. Dr. Ben Jones,
Pastor

Pastoral Bio

Reverend Dr. Jones has served as Pastor of Little Ark Baptist Church since May of 1999. Each Wednesday night he leads an anointed bible study designed to help all participants to have a personal encounter with the word of God. He has instituted a discipleship ministry, which encourages scripture memorization and living the life of a true disciple of Christ. Under his leadership the church has begun its first Prison Ministry and Food Bank Ministry to touch the lives of those outside of our congregation, and he recently started a Church Endowment Fund. This Endowment Fund will mature when it reaches one million dollars. At that point the interest will be used to cover the operating expenses of the church. He serves as coordinator for the Dahlgren Site of the Evans-Smith Training Institute, which is an approved satellite location of the Virginia Union University, Samuel Dewitt-Proctor School of Theology.

Prior to being called to serve as Pastor of Little Ark Baptist Church, Dr. Jones served as the Minister of Missions and Community Outreach at the New Psalmist Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland. While at New Psalmist, he was responsible for the ministries that provided services in the areas of health, social action, economic empowerment, and evangelism. He has conducted numerous workshops and served as the retreat leader within the religious community.

Dr. Jones is a Vietnam veteran who holds a Doctorate of Ministry Degree at Virginia Union University School of Theology, a Master’s of Divinity Degree from Howard University, a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Brooklyn College.

In 1996, Dr. Jones became the first African American recipient of the David H. C. Read Preacher and Scholar Award. This national competitive award is given to a graduating seminarian that demonstrates the greatest promise as a preacher and a scholar. As a result of his selection, he was invited to preach at the historic Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.

Dr. Jones is married to Mary Parnell and they have two lovely daughters, Nia and Imani. The Jones’ are a family devoted to uplifting the name of Jesus.