Omega Psi Phi’s Bishop C.E. Glover- A portrait of service to mankind
Two outstanding Omega men — Bishop C. E. Glover, a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Chi Chapter , is pastor and spiritual leader of Mt. Bethel Baptist Church Fort Lauderdale, and former Grand Basileus Dr. Dorsey Miller.
Jeremiah 29:5 – Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Often one’s childhood experiences shape or influence his future accomplishments, endeavors and aspirations, especially those born of tacit observations from a youthful perspective. So it is in the case of Bishop C. E. Glover, founding pastor of Mount Bethel Baptist Church or as many in the flock affectionately refers to as “The Mount”.
Born in the small southern enclave of Vienna, Ga., Dr. Glover’s impact on the Broward community landscape is unparalleled, having created the Community Development Corporation, the New Horizons Development Corporation, Social Services Programs, the Mount Bethel Christian Academy, Negro Chamber of Commerce, developed partnerships with Broward County, the City of Fort Lauderdale, Home Depot, Lowes, Lennar Holmes and with concerned politicians like the late great Commissioner Carlton Moore to build myriad homes for first time home owners, even assisting with down payments up to $50,000 in some instances. Homes have been built along the Sistrunk Corridor, in Sweeting Estates, Oakland Park and the Dillard area.
By partnering with municipalities, the CDC was able to deed lots to clients and create classes for homebuyers which helped clients maintain property and stay in homes. Christmas programs were initiated to prevent clients from getting involved in debt purchases. The Christian Academy is another source of pride for “The Mount” family, especially Dr and Mrs. Glover. When their daughter was only three, she was reading fluently after attending a Christian school, fortifying their belief in a direct correlation between Christianity and education.
This spirit of altruism, self-reliance, political prowess, economic strategies, and Chris-tian faith was developed during Dr. Glover’s early childhood experiences. His mother, with only a high school education, was also his teacher, practicing her craft in a small one room edifice housed in the church that Dr. Glover describes fondly as being smaller than his pre-sent office. She taught primer through sixth grade.
His father, who had to quit school after the sixth grade, was a sharecropper who did his best to provide for the family. However, anyone with even limited knowledge of that system can attest to its dehumanizing and crippling economic effect on persons of color, a kinder, albeit gentler form of involuntary servitude. Once his father and family were dis-placed from the premises of a Mr. Holmes, his father vowed to never rent again. In hind-sight, Dr. Glover now views it as a gut-wrenching experience: moving from a safe haven to a strange place. He states quite emphatically: “The Oppressor never gives the oppressed the tools for liberation.” The move from Vienna to Montezuma, Ga. led to a chance meeting with Mr. Carlton West, an impeccably well dressed, articulate gentleman who became a role model, a hero in many respects.
At Union Baptist Church in Montezuma, Dr. Glover was influenced by a Mrs. Greene, his regular school and Sunday school teacher who assisted in his discerning a direct correlation between Christianity and education. In seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, he took courses in Christian Education and Liberation Theology which helped to crystallize his then developing ideology. Another powerful individual in his formative years was Rev. J. C. Hope, by no means a proto-typical man of God. Speaking the language of the young as well as the old, Rev. Hope was a political activist – local NAACP president. Knowing the importance of education, it was Rev. Hope who insisted that Dr. Glover, called to preach at the age of 16, return to Bethune Cookman College (B-CC) and get his degree. Dr. Glover began to see God as a God of the op-pressed, cementing his belief that He was concerned about every aspect of our lives: health, finance, politics, community et al.
In 1993, the Mount Bethel Human Services Received a $250,000 grant to work with at-risk youth. Called Team Alliance with Clergy, the intervention program dealt with young men who had committed non-violent crimes. Those meeting the standard would be directed to this program. The program’s success led to changes in the original target group – Black males – to include Hispanics and even females. Dr. Glover believes that government plays a key role in programs like this and is extremely proud of what was accomplished.
And there is much to look forward to in the future, including building projects along the Sistrunk Corridor, some of which is mixed use with marked improvement. There also are plans to build a new edifice in Fort Pierce on a 30-acre site to continue doing what God has called him to do.
Dr. Glover has been married to his lovely wife Beulah for 50 years; is the proud father of three daughters and five grandchildren, received a bachelor’s degree from then Bethune-Cookman College, a master’s degree in divinity from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., and a Doctor of Divinity Degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He was also honored by his alma mater with an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree. An ordained priest, Dr. Glover was consecrated to the office of Bishop at the International Bishop’s Conference, USA where Bishop Leroy Bailey, Jr. serves as Overseer.
When asked by our 35th Grand Basileus Dr. Dorsey C. Miller about his interest in and finally becoming a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Brother Glover responded that he had always wanted to join our brotherhood, having begun that quest as a second semester freshman at Fort Valley State. However, family and financial challenges forced his withdrawal, causing those dreams to be deferred. However, we are proud to count Bishop Glover among the number of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Zeta Chi Chapter – Fort Lauderdale – one that prides itself on Friendship guided by the principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance and Uplift.
