The City of Senatobia is honoring a successful pastor, author and evangelist by declaring Monday, April 7 as Bishop Robert Earl Barber Day.
The proclamation was unanimously approved by the Board of Aldermen at its recessed meeting in March.
Barber has impacted the lives of many throughout his preaching tenure. He was appointed pastor of Gospel Temple COGIC in Senatobia in 1997 and the church constructed a new 500-seat worship center at 604 East Gilmore within three years.
Barber was born in 1960 to Rice and Laura Barber in Memphis and reared at St. Luke COGIC in Olive Branch under the leadership of Superintendent Walter Shannon. He served as YPWW President and Sunday school superintendent before being ordained as an elder in 1981.
As an elder at St. Luke, Barber developed “The Marching for Jesus” drill team including 50 members. Later, he developed a prison fellowship ministry. At its height, over 300 incarcerated individuals attended.
In 2010, Barber planted Higher Calling Ministries in Memphis. Following its beginnings in a local beauty shop, Higher Calling purchased three acres five years later and built a 450-seater worship center. He was consecrated as a Jurisdictional Bishop by The COGIC of Mississippi Northwest Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in November 2023.
Barber’s impact is felt outside of the church as well. He founded The New Dimension Community Project which meets the needs of the community by providing tutoring, mentoring, and food assistance for over 100 families a month. He also authored of the book “Go Tell That”.
Barber has been married to Malesia Barber for 43 years. They have three children – Erica, Tiffany, and Xavier.
