Outstanding Leadership in Queens
2014 Honoree of the Queens Federation of Churches

The Reverend Calvin Rice

Rev. Dr. Calvin Rice serves as the Senior Pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jamaica, New York. Over the last nine years he successfully led the effort to complete a nine million dollar construction project that began under the pastorate of his predecessor Rev. Dr. James C. Kelly. In addition to completing the church building project which doubled the size of the facility, the membership and attendance also doubled.

Dr. Rice is the founder and CEO of the Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School, a K-5 publicly funded institution housed in the lower level of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church. He served as a member of Mayor Bloomberg’s Economic Development Task Force and Staten Island Borough Presidents Anti-Bias Task Force. He received recognition from The New York Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators for his Community and Economic Development. Most recently Dr. Rice was granted his seminaries highest alumni award, “The Vernon M. Dougherty Distinction in Ministry Award.” He has also received countless proclamations from the governor of New York, three NYC Mayors, two US Senators and five NYC Council persons.

Dr. Rice has held more than 16 Board positions and served as chairman of four, he has been featured in more than fifty newspaper and magazine articles and has received more than 75 awards and honors for his work, including the coveted “Living the Dream Award” from American Broadcasting Company (ABC). In 1994 Dr. Rice was inducted into the Staten Island College “Hall of Fame” and was the first living African American to have a New York City street in the Borough of Staten Island named in his honor. He has preached throughout the north and southeastern states of America as well as in the Middle East and South Africa.

He has licensed and ordained 29 sons and daughters in ministry, including seven who currently serve as senior pastors. Dr. Rice is a NYS certified chaplain and serves as Protestant Chaplain at South Beach Psychiatric Center, Staten Island. Pastor Rice’s academic achievements include a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Economics from the College of Staten Island and a Master’s of Professional Studies from the New York Theological Seminary. He completed graduate studies at the National Theological Seminary of Baltimore and The Postgraduate Center for Mental Health of NYC in conjunction with Hebrew Union Seminary. He has also attended The Catawba Bible College of Rock Hill, SC and holds a certificate of study from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel.

He is married to the former Willie Mae Rogers and they have three children and four grandchildren. He is a proud native of Union, South Carolina and lives in Staten Island, New York.