Marketplace Fellowship Cathedral
When the Lord considered the possibility of Stanley Maurice Butler, He knit into his fiber every bit of gifting and talent, every grace and kindness, every force and ability that would be needed to bring him toward God's expected end for the Apostle.
In that same workmanship, God engraved, name by name, every man and woman to be touched by the Apostle's ministry - so that when he looked at the homeless, he'd see homeowners; when he looked at the unemployed, he'd see entrepreneurs; when he looked at the lonely, he'd see purveyors of hospitality; when he looked at the broken, he'd see Holy Ghost completion in every soul.
Only the Lord knew what would be needed to prepare him for the journey. What education, both formal and life lessons; what joys and sorrows, what mountains and valleys would be the source and focus of his story and his song.
His formal and ongoing education has taken him from the public schools in Baltimore to study at Harvard University. He was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Fort Wayne Theological Seminary and Bible College in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
His love for the word of God is unmatched and he dispenses it with a unique sensibility to the move of God in the historic moment. Three points are more than he needs to light up a sanctuary with an explosion of revelation, to bring a house to its knees or to draw out the resistant heart and lead it to the altar.
His love for the people of God compels him to the scenario of redemption in the lives of those society has tossed aside.
His love for the things of God include the timbrel and harp, cymbals and high sounding cymbals, tambourine and washboard, the latter for which scripture proved challenging. He holds a particular regard for high church, its rituals, its regalia and its process, which would seem to be in conflict with the dance, the shout and drum, but not so.
Ministry began for him with licensing and ordination at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore under the leadership of the esteemed Rev. Dr. Harold A. Carter Sr. He delivered his first sermon, "Don't Jump Down," from Luke 9 on September 27. 1970.
While the traditional pastorate he began at Union Bethel Baptist Church in King George County, Virginia offered a sound beginning, he could not rest contented.
Teaching under the auspices of the Southern Baptist Convention in England, Ireland, Japan and Scotland brought a great deal of satisfaction, but there was something more to be realized.
His spiritual survey of Randallstown led him to respond to what he perceived as a need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached with a passion. This he did at Christian Life Fellowship Baptist Church which he planted August 3, 1980, and in which he labored with a thriving congregation, including many young people who also brought their families, for eight years- three services every Sunday and twice during the week.
Growing pains within the church and within its pastor made him restless to accomplish more.
Too many still lingered outside the church house; still unsaved, still unhealed and still undelivered.
The sight of them would not leave him be. Thus west Baltimore was blessed with Temple House, the transitional housing program that offered a stopping place for countless men. Working alongside him for 15 years was the young minister known as “Loving Jesus,” for that was always Elder Clifford Knight’s response to “How are you doing?” Together they worked, sun up to sun down, on abandoned buildings that seemingly had nothing to offer but yielded to the craft of the determined duo. And when one of the Temple House residents observed that the place was like a sanctuary, the companion ministry was born; Sanctuary Church.
In this place there would be bread for the body and bread for the soul. In this place there would be communion as well as groceries at The Lord's Table. In this place there would be extravagant hospitality for all who entered in.
One of his greatest gifts is his ability to see the light of God in others, which has led him to license and mentor many Sons and Daughters. Along with his vision for ministry in the city, it has also blossomed into the 21st century ministry embracing the highways and byways of life, MarketPlace Fellowship and Churches. This fellowship presently includes, in addition to administrators and leaders, 13 pastors and churches in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland and has expanded into the Urban Ministry Institute and Training Academy.
He is celebrated in ministry by his wife of 38 years, Lady Glenda Butler and his 4 children, 13 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Lady Butler is happy to have been a part of a ministry that focuses on giving more than receiving. For her, it's a joy to see God mightily bless the lives of those they serve. For her, those blessings make the personal sacrifices they've made more than worthwhile.
For many years now, Apostle Butler has issued the ongoing call and promise, "Come with us and we will do you good," out of Numbers 10:29. And for no lack of his own intention and the Lord’s intervention, whatever ministry to which he has put his hand has done just that.