Elder Cleveland Bates
Elder Cleveland Bates
C leveland Bates is a native of Chesapeake , Virginia and a product of the Chesapeake , Virginia Public School System . After graduating from Great Bridge High School , he continued his education at Norfolk State University in pursuit of a degree in Business Administration . He continued his education sometime later , graduating from Nyack College in Washington , DC with a degree in Organizational Leadership . He is a graduate of Calvary Bible Institute , which is a three-year program under Greater Mt Calvary Church , Washington , DC . He is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology and Counseling at Regent University , Virginia Beach , Virginia .
He served 20 + years at the Greater Mt . Calvary Holy Church , Washington , DC . During his time at Calvary , he was very active in ministry . He served on Calvary ’ s Audio Ministry , song with the Male Chorus and the Voices of Calvary Choir . He , served as a Deacon Board Cell Captain and was the cofounder of Bended Knee Men ’ s Prayer Group , and was the Director of Men ’ s Ministry for 10 + years . In addition , he was a member of Calvary ’ s Evangelistic Board before accepting the pastorate . He has recently accepted the appointment of International Director of Men ’ s Ministry for the Mount Calvary Holy Churches of America organization .
Pastor Bates has served as shepherd and leader of the Rose of Sharon Revival Center , Norfolk , VA for the past eight years . Under his leadership , he has made a tremendous impact on the Park Place Community , Norfolk , VA . For the last six years , he has collaborated with the City of Norfolk to provide an avenue for the youth of the community . His collaboration provided opportunities for the youth to display their talents . He has brought empowerment to the community in various facets such as : voter registration , health screening and book drives and literacy programs . In addition , He unselfishly provides funding for community base youth activities and is an advocate and counselor to many . His leadership skills are that of a transformational leader and he continues to develop new leaders . He enjoys traveling and has had the opportunity to travel and preach in countries as : Israel , Lagos Nigeria , Nairobi Kenya , Barbados , Trinidad , Jamaica , St . Maarten , and the Bahamas .
In 2014 , one of the many highlights of this ministry was when “ Blessed Lifestyle Magazine ” chose him as one of the top 25 inspirational leaders in the Hampton Roads , Virginia area . Also , honor was bestowed upon Rose of Sharon to be nominated as “ Church of the Year .”
He is committed to serving people , whether in the pulpit or as an advocate of those who are disenchanted within the community . His commitment to excellence motivates him to always use every gift and resource God provides to him . His love for the people of God causes him to reach out and love those who are deemed by others to be unlovable . Pastor Bates never meets a stranger , but treats all people with dignity and respect . His favorite saying is “ people do not care how much you know , they want to know how much you care .” A kind word and a pat on the back are his trademarks . He consistently shows the love of God to all people regardless of where he finds them . He is an anointed deliverer of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and a teacher extraordinaire . His desire is to always be faithful to the task that the Lord has given him , to continue to grow in the knowledge of God and to always preach the unadulterated Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ .
He is the author of a phenomenal book titled “ BOOM : Busting out of Mediocrity . Even as this book continues to gain working on another manuscript with a goal to publish in the fall of momentum in sales , he is 2016 . God is working through and in this anointed humble serv