The Mariners’ ministers welcome you!
Min. Lenore Sterling
Minister of Cancer Support Ministry
Min. Lenore is a native New Yorker. She is a graduate of C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University with a BA in Health and Public Services; and New York University with a Masters in Social Work. She is a graduate of New York Theological Seminary, with a Masters of Divinity Degree. Minister Lenore was licensed in 2014 by, the Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter.
Rev. Sheila D. Grimes
Minister to Elders, Church School
In 1982 Reverend Sheila Grimes was baptized at the Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church, under the pastorate of the Rev. Neville C. Braithwaite. In 1987, she answered the call to Ministry and was licensed to preach the Gospel on March 6, 1988, under the pastorate of the Reverend Dr. Suzan D. Johnson (Cook), distinguishing her as the first woman licensed to preach at this historical American Baptist Church. She was ordained at Mariners’ Temple in 2014 under the pastorate of Reverend Dr. Henrietta Carter. Trained in Church Administration under the tutelage of the Rev. Dr. Johnson Cook, Rev. Grimes’ servant leadership mission evolved from a part time position as Church Office Secretary, to Church Administration, to Chief of Staff, and ultimately into a Ministry of Church Administration. She has also served in the ministry to Children and Youth, the Elders Ministry, the Music Ministry and as the spiritual advisor to numerous ministries and auxiliaries including the Church Anniversary Committee and the Women’s Ministry. Currently she serves as the Minister to the Elders, the Usher Board, and a Church School teacher. She was instrumental in re-establishing the MTBC Mothers’ Board and she serves as their Spiritual Advisor. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Psychology from the College of New Rochelle, Master of Divinity Degree from New York Theological Seminary, is a graduate of the Counseling Enhancement Program and the Pastoral Care and Counseling Program at Blanton Peale Graduate Institute, as well as a graduate of the New York State Chaplaincy Task Force. Rev. Grimes has been married to Deacon Douglas E. Grimes, II, for over 40 years, and she is the proud parent of four children and a host of grandchildren.
Rev. Sonja A. West
Reverend Sonja Anita West
Minister of Christian Education
Rev. West received Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior as a young adult and was baptized under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Suzan D. Johnson Cook. After accepting her call to ministry in 2001, she waslicensed to preach the Gospel in 2003. In 2016, she was ordained to the Gospel ministry by American Baptist Churches Metropolitan New York. Rev. West graduated cum laude from Yale Universitywith a B.A. in Art. In 2010, she graduated with honors with distinction from Alliance Theological Seminary (ATS), earning a Master of Divinity degreewith a concentration in Theological Studies. Since2011, she has served as an adjunct lecturer at ATS and Nyack College. Rev. West also holds a full-time position in the Children’s Books division of HarperCollins Publishers. Her favorite Scripture is Jeremiah 33:3: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Rev. Wanda D. Brown
Sacred Arts Ministry, Public Relations Reverend
Dr. Wanda D. Brown was born in Macon, Georgia, to the late Johnny M. and Ms. Carrie Mae Carter Brown. She is married to her childhood sweetheart, Deacon Clyde M. Brown. They have three children and a growing number of grandchildren. Rev. Dr. Brown joined Mariners’ under the leadership of the late Rev. Neville C. Brathwaite, was later baptized by Pastor Suzan D. Johnson, accepted her “call to serve God and proclaim the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” in 1982, and was Licensed into the Ministry at Mariners’ Temple by Pastor Henrietta Carter in 1999. In 2007, she joined Bronx Christian Fellowship, under Pastor Johnson Cook, and was ordained locally in 2009. A few years later she returned to Mariners’ and she currently serves as the Minister to the Sacred Arts Dance and Drama Ministries, Landmark Committee, Public Relations, Newsletter and Thursday LHOP Prayer Ministries. In 2018 Rev. Dr. Brown was ordained through the American Baptist Churches. She earned a Business Administration Certificate from Crandall Business College (Macon, GA), a BA in Psychology and Religious Studies from the College of New Rochelle, the Master of Divinity Degree, Master of Arts in Religious Education and Doctor of Ministry Degree from New York Theological Seminary. Her diverse work history includes the Department of Education, Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church and other churches throughout New York.
REv. Robin wilkins
Pastor’s Support and Soul Care Ministries, Trustee
In January 2004, while serving her pastor, Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter, the Lord whispered “ministry” to Robin Wilkins. After a few knockdowns, she accepted the call and was licensed as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on December 6, 2009.
Robin has been a member of Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church for 20 years, and has served as a Trustee, a Church School Teacher, and a Lay Minister. An initial member of the Pastor’s Support Ministry, she currently serves as the ministry’s President and the Pastor’s armor-bearer. In 2012 she launched the Bereavement, now Soul Care Ministry.
Min. Wilkins has an Associate Degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Education, with a focus on Special Education, from the City University of New York, and the Master of Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary.
Rev. percy Perdue
Men’s Ministry
A native of Andalusia, Alabama, Rev. Percy J. Perdue, Sr., is ordained by God and a true steward of service. He received his License to preach the Gospel on December 6, 1981 and Certificate of Ordination April 18, 1993. He was the Assistant Pastor of Colossian Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York, from 1993 through 1996. In the fall of 1989, between jobs, Rev. Perdue enrolled full time at Pace University, where he completed his studies in Information Management Systems. He resumed his higher education in the fall of 2003, enrolling at Trinity College of The Bible and Theological Seminary, where he was a candidate for a BA in Biblical Studies with a concentration in Theology. Rev. Perdue is an elected Grand Trustee and statewide officer of The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York State, where he also serves as Financial Secretary of the Board. In 2014, he was elevated to the 33rd Degree of Scottish Rite Masons, the highest degree of Mason of the United Supreme Council. He is also a member of the board of the Prince Hall Foundation, Inc.; Village East Tower, Inc.; and the Prince Hall Sportsman Club. Rev. Perdue has been married to Deacon Ruby Mitchell Perdue for over 50 year. They have three children and are devoted grandparents.
Rev. DeSeree Newkirk Graham
New Disciples Ministry, Follow-up Ministry
Rev. Dr. Graham was saved at the age of 12 at the Evergreen Church of God in Christ, where she received her spiritual foundation. In 2013, she was Ordained at Mariners’ Temple under Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter, and she serves as the minister to the New Disciple Ministry and Follow-up Ministry. She proclaims that she has been called by God to do more than just hold a title--she has been called to bring disciples into the kingdom. Dr. Graham is a Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and she is currently the Pediatric Charge Nurse of Beth Israel Medical Center’s Phillips Ambulatory Care Center. With over 30 years in Pediatric out Patient Practice, she has been honored with the Maria Tornin Award from Beth Israel Medical Center Pediatric Department for the most dedicated employee of the year. Dr. Graham has an extensive academic background—believing that God has called His people to be people of excellence. Thus, it is essential to be just as prepared in the spiritual world, as it is to be prepared in the secular world. She has a Master of Science in Nursing and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree from Hunter College and a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Fordham University Graduate School of Education. She is happily married to Mr. Johnnie Graham.
Rev. Sondra Booze Bailey
Ministry of Music
Rev. Sondra Boozebailey is a native of Welch, West Virginia. She has lived in New York City all her adult life, and she absolutely loves it! Reverend Boozebailey is acutely aware that her primary assignment from God is the instilling of the gift of EXCELLENCE into those God has entrusted to her care, as well as the Ministry of Music at the Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church. In 1960, Rev. Boozebailey was escorted into the Family of God under the anointed ministry of the late Bishop Rodrick R. Caesar, Sr., Senior Pastor of Bethel Gospel Tabernacle, and in 1991, she was ordained by her Pastor, the Rev. B.J. Whipper, Jr. Rev. Boozebailey graduated from the College of New Rochelle with her BA degree and from Princeton Theological Seminary with her Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees. Rev. Boozebailey knows that it is in God that she moves and breathes and has her being. Every day, as she goes forward in God, she is determined to be God’s Woman of Excellence!
Rev. Pamela Chisholm
Ministry of Evangelism & Outreach
In 2002, Reverend Pamela Chisholm received her call to ministry and upon graduating the College of New Rochelle with a Liberal Arts & Religious Studies Degree in 2003, she entered the Master of Divinity Degree Program at New York Theological Seminary, where she graduated in 2007. She was licensed to preach the Gospel on Pentecost Sunday in 2005 and ordained in 2015 at Mariners’ Temple by Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter. Rev. Dr. Chisholm serves as the Minister to Evangelism and Outreach and says her passion for community service is expressed and birthed through many challenges she had to overcome. She strives to be a witness of the Gospel and prays that those she encounters will come to know the awesome love of God. Dr. Chisholm served as the Institution Chaplain at the Bowery Mission Women’s Center, where she worked on the front lines with women who are challenged with addictions, prostitution, homelessness, abuse, and illiteracy. She was also a Housing Specialist with Volunteers of America, ministering to over 200 homeless men. In 2016 she earned the Doctor of Ministry Degree from New York Theological Seminary. Her favorite scripture is 2 Timothy 4:5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Min. CyNthia GArdner-Brim
Minister to Children & Youth and Food Pantry Minister
Cynthia Gardner-Brim was licensed into the Ministry at Mariners’ Temple under Pastor Henrietta Carter in 2011. Her faith walk began as a child at Neely Grove C.M.E. Church in Waynesboro, GA, and in 1980 Cynthia joined Mariners’ Temple and was baptized by Pastor Neville C. Brathwaite. She has engaged in numerous church, community-based and national urban missions/ministries throughout her life and accepted the call into ministry in 2002. Since returning to New York in 2000, she has helped to launch and serve in various ministries at Mariners’ including as the September 11th Outreach Program Coordinator, the Community Food Pantry Coordinator, Advisor for several Ministries, the Children & Youth Ministry Director/Minister and a Church School Teacher. Cynthia is a graduate of Benedict College, with a BA in Journalism and a graduate of the Ohio State University with a Master in Public Administration Degree. She currently serves as the Director of Alumni/ae Affairs at New York Theological Seminary, where she has engaged in Master of Divinity courses.
Min. Perceline mcclain
Women’s Ministry Minister
Percelene MCLain is a native of South Carolina. Although she was raised in the church, as a young adult she accepted Christ as her personal Savior and became serious about her faith walk. In 2014, she was licensed into the Ministry of the Gospel at Mariners’ Temple by Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter. A former member of Living Word Community Church, where she served in various ministries, Min. MCLain taught small groups and discipleship classes, lead prayer meetings, coordinated and ministered noon service gatherings, participated in outreach events, coordinated conferences and retreats, and served as Director of The Women’s Leadership Committee. In 2013, following the Lord’s guidance, she joined Mariners’ Temple under Pastor Carter, who is also her mentor. Passionate about ministering to women, she has served as Co-Chair the Women’s Ministry, where she enjoys bringing women together and witnessing relationships established, women empowered, lives restored, and new hope given. She believes that God has given women the natural ability to heal one another; they only need opportunities to experience it for themselves. Minister MCLain holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master in Social Work degree. She works as an Administrative Coordinator/Student Adviser at Nyack College where she has been employed for over thirteen years. Nyack College is not only a place of employment for her, but also a place of ministry. She was married to her best friend, the late John MCLain, for 14 years, and she is the mother or two wonderful children, Michael and Lauren, and two beautiful granddaughters, Serenity and Jalaya.
Min. Maria Gonzalez Lee
Co-Teacher, Young Adult Church School and Evangelism Team Member
Minister Maria Gonzalez-Lee is a native of the South Bronx. On June 30, 2019, Minister Gonzalez-Lee was licensed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter. Minister Gonzalez-Lee is devoted a member of Mariners' Temple Baptist Church for approximately 20 years. Her service began as an Usher in the Senior Usher board (along with Rev. Grimes) and has progressed so that she now serves at Outreach/Evangelism, and Prayer, R.E.A.C.H (along with Rev. Dr. Chisholm). Church School Teacher for the Young Adults, Soul Care/Bereavement, and the Flower ministry (along with Minister Wilkins), involved in varies ministries as needed. Minister Gonzalez-Lee carries out her duties with a tremendous passion for God’s word, compassion for all community members, love for God’s people, friendly humor combined with deep faith and commitment. She has been accepted to the New York Theological Seminary Doctor in Ministry program starting on November 4, 2019. Minister Gonzalez-Lee is dedicated also to her immediate family that consists of two daughters Sade' and Shakyra, son Raymond, grandson Jace and devoted husband Kevin M. Lee.
Rev. Rena White
Women’s Ministry and Community Outreach
Reverend Dr. Rena C. White is an ordained A.M.E elder. She earned a BA degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1991 at the age of 48, while continuing her career in the Department of Probation as a clerical supervisor. Rev. White was converted in 1981 and answered her call to preach in 1991. Her ministry began at Praise Temple A.M.E. Church under the leadership of Reverend Shirley R. Dowling, and she was ordained in 1994.
Rev. Dr. White ministered to single parents and children for 18 years, during which time she attained her Master of Divinity (2002) and the Doctorate in Ministry (2008) degrees from New York Theological Seminary. She is also a graduate of the A.M.E. Institute of Religious Studies and Blanton Peale Graduate Institute (Pastoral Counselor Care Specialist). Serving as Pastor in her community, she ministers to the homeless in parks and subways and to physically challenged women stricken with cerebral palsy near Chinatown.
In 2001, Rev. Dr. White helped to develop an international ministry in Sierra Leone, Africa, for women and their children. She is an entrepreneur of modern African art. She is the matriarch of her family, which consists of two adult children, Carmen and Ray; granddaughter, Imani; and her new great grandson, as well as a host of other relatives for whom she is grateful. She is presently serving as part of the ministerial staff of Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Henrietta Carter. Her favorite scripture is Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”