About Our Pastor
Pastor Eddie M. Kirkland, born October 15, 1945, is the oldest of six children born to the union of the Late Curtis and Rozie Mae (Kirkland) Smith of Hazelhurst (Jeff Davis) Ga. Pastor Kirkland attended the Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Denton, GA, where he was baptized at the early age of 12 under the leadership of the Late Pastor I. H. Talton. The current Pastor is Rev. Stanford Anderson I, the Grandson of the Late Pastor I H Talton when pastor Kirkland was growing up there as a teen. While Pastor Kirkland attended the Piney Grove Baptist Church, he sang in the Jr. Choir, was very active in Sunday School, and served on the Jr. Deacon Board.
After graduating from Hazlehurst High School in May 1964, he later went to Canada for work. He left Canada to go into the US Army where he served from November 1965 until November 1967. Pastor Kirkland then relocated to Syracuse New York in August 1968 and joined the United Army Reserves 1209th USAG from 1972 until 1987 where he completed leadership and management training which instilled self-discipline and skills required in working together as a team. Pastor Kirkland worked at Bristol Myers Squibb in Microbiology and Pharmacology, retiring as a Veteran Science Technician in November 2003 after 32 years of service. Around 1970 he joined the Pentecost Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. I. B. Enoch where he served on the deacon board and sang in the choir. He later joined the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. C.E. Paige until his death in 1987. He helped with the young men department and with the Sr. Men’s department. He served as director, vice president and president of both the Gospel Choir and Male Chorus. He was very active in Sunday School. He served over 20+ years on the deacon board and more than 30 years as a trustee. After the death of Pastor C.E. Paige in 1987 Pastor Jimmie Lee McMillon, Sr. became pastor in 1989, and Pastor Kirkland served faithfully under him.
On September 13, 2003, Pastor Kirkland preached his first sermon. He was ordained April 24, 2010.
He is an active member of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., The Empire State Baptist Convention & Congress of Christian Education, and the Northeastern District Baptist Association. In addition, he is a certified instructor under the Sunday School Publishing Board, Nashville TN.
His favorite scripture is St. Luke 12:12: “For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say.”
In July 2016, Pastor Jimmie Lee McMillon, Sr. became seriously ill and Pastor Kirkland was asked to fill in for him. After a period of time, it was decided that Pastor McMillon was no longer able to serve as Pastor and in May 2018 Pastor Kirkland was voted in as Pastor. On July 19, 2018 Pastor Eddie M. Kirkland was installed as Pastor of the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, and came with the idea “We all can improve, nothing or nobody has to remain the same.”
He is married to Beulah Watts Kirkland. He is the father of five children with the oldest son and the oldest daughter being deceased. He is also the grandfather of 16 children, and great grandfather of five.
