Our
Story
Get to Know Us
Our Story
Ebenezer Baptist is a small church in a beautiful rural setting in northern Florida, just 30 minutes east of Tallahassee and ten minutes south of Monticello. We are also about 30 minutes south of Thomasville, GA. The church was established in 1828; and the first permanent Missionary Baptist Association, forerunner of the Baptist State Convention, was organized here in 1843. Ebenezer is very action oriented, participating in local, state, national, and global mission projects. We are aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at the state and national levels.
Our Mission
Our mission is to share Christ with as many people as possible; to commune with God through worship; to seek God’s leadership; to minister unselfishly to the community and to the world; to grow in the knowledge of God and man and help others grow in this way; and to live with Christ as our model. We pray that we may live our words and be faithful to Christ, who gave everything for us. At Ebenezer, every member is a minster. It is our desire that Ebenezer be a place of fellowship, love, and grace; a place where everyone feels at home.
Meet Our Pastor
The Reverend Phil Miller-Evans
Phil previously was the pastor of The Church of the Beatitudes for 20 years and has been an ordained pastor for 36 years. Out of the urban ministry of Saint Petersburg Phil and his wife Janel developed Micah Center*. They were briefly field personnel for CBF Global Missions 2014-2016 and continue as commissioned home missionaries for American Baptist Churches to this project. Santa Claus contributes between $2000 and $6000 a year to the children’s ministry at Micah Center.
Previous to The Church of the Beatitudes, Phil was an associate pastor on staff at large United Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Florida. And he began his pastoral ministry at two small Baptist churches in upstate New York (Coldspring and Latham). He was ordained as an American Baptist Churches, USA pastor in 1987 at Cold Spring, NY after graduating from Colgate Rochester/ Bexley Hall/ Crozer Theological Seminary, Rochester, NY - Degree of Master of Divinity.
Phil has been married to Janel for 37 years. Janel is an ordained pastor and has a full-time counseling practice as a licensed clinical social worker. They have two grown sons. Elder son, Ian, lives in South Korea with his wife Young Eun. They created, own, operate and teach at the English STEM School. Younger son, Trevor, works management for SunStar Emergency Service in Pinellas County, FL. He is married to Sarah and this year they gave Mom and Dad the first grandbaby, Tristen (8 mo.)
Phil is the current Moderator of the Representative Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida and the Caribbean and has previously served a number of terms on the Representative Assembly.
Outside of church activities, Phil is an avid member of Kiwanis International.. He has served his local club as President twice (President of Sunshine City Kiwanis October 2013 – October 2014 and 2020-2021).
Phil and Janel have two service dogs, Rosie and Reeses.