The History of Mount Olive Ministries

Mount Olive Ministries (MOM) originated in the home of Tony C. Duckworth and then into the project located in Mt. Olive, Mississippi in 1993. MOM was founded by Tony C. Duckworth, a Mt. Olive native. He was raised in a single parent home as a child in Robinson Subdivision (known as the jungle). He was able to design a ministry aimed directly at the youth of the inner-city. MOM began as Mr. Duckworth’s way of giving back to the troubled community where he grew up.

The Call

In 1987, while Mr. Duckworth was still a senior in high school, he accepted Jesus as Lord of his life. Four years later, he accepted God’s call to the preaching ministry. He immediately started sharing his faith on the street where God took him off.

In 1993, the community was concerned with the terrifying conditions faced by the poor community in this rural Mississippi area. The program evolved from the many requests in meetings in churches, and among community organizations for something to be done to address the issues of gang violence, drugs, school drop-out, burglary, truancy, teen pregnancy, and undisciplined behavior among our youth.

Theological Education

Mr. Duckworth found himself working and paying his way through theology school at night. God blessed him to complete 96 hours before he started having car trouble. Meanwhile, he was able to complete his Biblical Counseling Certificate (a two-year course) from Christian Research & Development in Upper Darby, PA in 2000. This course was offered in Mendenhall, MS by Pastor Artis Fletcher, pastor of Mendenhall Bible Church. Mr. Duckworth was able to complete his Associate of Arts Degree in Bible (2002), Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration (2004), his Bachelor of Science Degree in Bible (2004) from Southeastern Baptist College in Laurel, MS, and his Master of Ministry Degree (2010) at Temple Baptist Seminary in Chattanooga, TN.

Helping Young People

MOM is helping young people break away from street life, involving such things as gangs, drugs, and being a school drop-out. Since 1994, MOM has raised up ministries to provide solutions to current problems and prevention programs to deal with problems in their early stages. Some of these programs are:

• Leadership Development Ministry
• Kids Zone (after school program)
• Juvenile Advocacy Ministry
• Family Development Ministry
• Summer Enrichment Ministry
• ACT Preparation Conference
• Leadership Development Conference
• Family Budget Conference