Rev. Raymonda R. Speller, has spent his life serving God and working faithfully in the Church of Jesus Christ. A preacher from a long legacy of preachers, he was initially licensed to preach the Gospel at the age of 13, and was ordained in 2013 by the St. Paul Community Baptist Church of Brooklyn, NY, at the hand of Reverend David K. Brawley.
A lifelong-learner, Rev. Speller has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Culture from Howard University and the Master of Divinity Degree from the Duke University School of Divinity. He has also done continuing education through the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching of Baylor University and has taken extensive graduate coursework in Leadership and Management at Amridge University.
Rev. Speller’s heart beats for ministry and he has been uniquely gifted by God to teach the Bible in a way that is understandable and encouraging, hitting home for folks of all ages and backgrounds. As early as high school he served as Youth Minister at the New St. Mark’s Baptist Church of Norfolk, Virginia and Youth Minister of Prayer and Praise Deliverance Temple of Portsmouth, VA. During college and seminary Rev. Speller continued serving God’s people, including working in youth ministry at the Calvin Presbyterian Church of Shoreline, WA and serving as Pastoral Intern at the historic United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church of Winston-Salem, NC.
In 2013 Rev. Speller was called to his first pastoral assignment, chosen from among seminary graduates across the country to serve as the very first Resident Pastor at the historic 3,000-member St. Paul Community Baptist Church of Brooklyn, NY under the tutelage of Rev. Dr. David K. Brawley.
In March of 2015, by the divine providence of God, Rev. Speller became the Senior Pastor of Community Congregational United Church of Christ in Montgomery, AL. In his first five years as pastor the congregation has experienced spiritual revival and renewed commitment to relevant, life-changing ministry in the local community. Some examples include: revamping traditional Benevolence ministries and creation of new justice and advocacy work including partnering with Faith in Action Alabama and Montgomery MultiFaith for educational and advocacy work; implementing L.I.F.E. (Lifting Individuals and Families to Empowerment) classes on topics such as Financial Literacy, Anger Management, Time Management, etc; housing the city’s first-ever continuous diaper and wipe bank as a partner of the “Express-O of Love” organization; strengthening partnerships in education by hosting promotion ceremonies, sending students from partner schools to camp for free, etc.; institution of daytime Senior Adult programming which offers local seniors nutritious food, fun, fellowship and loving attention from member volunteers several times each month; installation of state of the art sound board, cameras and screens to enhance worship and to enable the congregation to stream services online and to broadcast on television.
Rev. Speller’s greatest joy comes from being the husband and partner-in-ministry of Min. Krystle Speller and the father of Christiana, Christopher and Clayton. Most of all, the Spellers are humbled by and ecstatic about their assignment: “Preaching the heart of Christ from the heart of Montgomery!”
