Hubert Yates, pastor of Wess Chapel Church, Louisville, and interim disaster relief coordinator in the Men’s Ministry Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB), will assume the role of full-time disaster relief consultant in that department effective Jan. 1.
Yates, a native of Philadelphia who also serves as the convention board’s COVID-19 coronavirus response coordinator, has an extensive background in emergency services that includes certified fire fighter; senior instructor and curriculum developer at the Miss. Fire Academy in Pearl; certified emergency medical technician; and president of the Miss. Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters.
He was the volunteer operations officer for the Winston County Emergency Management Agency after an F-4 tornado struck Louisville in 2014, and also program manager for Samaritan Purse’s disaster rebuild ministry after that tornado.
Yates was baptized at the age of 11 at First Church, Philadelphia. He was licensed to the Gospel ministry in 1993 and ordained in 1996. His ministry background includes:
— Bivocational associate pastor/youth, associate pastor/education, and senior associate pastor/education: Emmanuel Church, Pearl: 1993-96.
— Interim and supply pastor for Sardis Church, Philadelphia; East Philadelphia Church, Philadelphia; and Bond Church, Philadelphia: 1996-97. Bivocational pastor of Bond Church: 1999-2006.
— Bivocational pastor, Macedonia Church, Louisville: 2006-15.
— Interim pastor and pastor, Wess Chapel Church, Louisville: 2016-present.
— Bible instructor, Grace Christian School, Louisville: 2010-present.
In his resume’ submission to the MBCB executive committee, Yates said, “I seek to serve God through the gifts, talents, abilities, and training that I have been blessed to receive through the opportunities and experiences that God has provided to me.
“Understanding my primary gift to be as a pastor/teacher, my ministry seeks to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Gal. 4:12-13).”
“I’m thrilled to welcome Hubert Yates to the MBCB team,” said Shawn Parker, MBCB executive director-treasurer. “His vast experience in disaster relief and his years as a local pastor make him the right man for our needs. I would encourage everyone to remember him and his wife Tracey in prayer as they make the transition in the coming weeks.”
Barri A. Shirley, MBCB associate executive director for business services and Yates’ future supervisor, said, “We are delighted that Hubert Yates will be joining the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board as our full-time disaster relief consultant, starting Jan. 1. Bro. Yates is highly qualified, not only based on his expertise and experiences, but more so his desire to glorify God by helping people during times of need. After all, that is what Miss. Baptist Disaster Relief is all about.”
Don Gann, pastor of First Church, Oxford; former director of the MBCB Men’s Ministry Department; and current member of the MBCB executive committee, wrote a recommendation for Yates. “Hubert brings unique skills to this position. He has a pastor’s heart and has served Mississippi Baptist churches in that role. He is bold in sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. Hubert is tech-savvy. He is also an excellent writer.
“He uses these skills to communicate to Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers in training and response. I think Hubert Yates will effectively lead Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief in expansion and needed changes for the good of the ministry and the benefit of God’s Kingdom.”
“The effects of disasters and crisis situations open doors to the hearts of the suffering that are not normally open. You are granted opportunities — to help, to share, to speak the hope of Jesus into those who are hurting and aware of their needs, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, going in His name.”
Hubert Yates
Yates said after his name was presented to the convention board meeting at Garaywa Camp and Conference Center in Clinton on Oct. 26, “The effects of disasters and crisis situations open doors to the hearts of the suffering that are not normally open. You are granted opportunities — to help, to share, to speak the hope of Jesus into those who are hurting and aware of their needs, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, going in His name.”
For more information on Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief, contact dvail@mbcb.org.
