Our Pastor

Rev. O. Jermaine Simmons, Sr.

Rev. O. Jermaine Simmons was born in Waycross, Georgia to the Rev. Dr. Perry Simmons, Jr. and Elaine Griffin Simmons. He accepted Christ at the age of four, and was baptized at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey where his father serves as Pastor. Rev. Simmons received his early childhood and secondary educations in the Newark Public School System. After graduating from the University College Preparatory High School in Newark, Rev. Simmons was accepted to Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon arriving at Morris Brown, he declared a major of Early Childhood Education, specializing in grades K-5. He received his B.S. degree in the spring of 2001.

In 1999, while still in college, Rev. Simmons accepted the call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In August of that year, he was licensed to preach by the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Rev. Simmons was guided and trained under the watchful care of the Rev. Dr. Cameron M. Alexander, Pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta, Georgia during his first few years of preaching. There he was able to grow in his preaching gift and used his musical talents for the glory of God. After five years of service at Antioch, Dr. Alexander saw evidence that Rev. Simmons was ready to be examined for ordination. He was ordained to further carry out the work of the ministry in June of 2004.

In August of that same year, Rev. Simmons relocated to Tallahassee where he served as the director of Youth, Children and Collegiate Ministries at the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. R. B. Holmes, Jr. He also instructed the 5th graders at the Bethel Christian Academy.

In December of 2005, the Lord saw fit to relocate his servant again. This time it was about a five mile move to pastor the Jacob Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida. In only a short time, the Lord has blessed the Church with exponential growth in membership. Under Rev. Simmons’ leadership, the Jacob Chapel family has welcomed over 1000 new members under their Christian Experience and Candidates for Baptism. 

In addition to saving souls, Rev. Simmons has implemented several community outreach efforts and ministries to serve the “least of these.” Such efforts include:  middle school mentoring programs, annual back-to-school outreach, clothes closet and food pantry operation, door-to-door witnessing, weekly preparation and delivery of hot meals to senior citizens, visitation to the pediatric ward, prisons, homeless shelters and nursing homes, community road clean-up and other on-going outreach efforts. The Tallahassee community as a whole has been blessed by the church’s model of doctrine, stewardship, fellowship, and evangelism.

Aside from being a gifted Pastor, teacher and musician, Rev. Simmons is a devoted husband and father. He married the former Elise A. Hodge in June of 2002 and to that union, one son, Orinthius Jermaine Simmons, Jr. was born in May of 2004.