Seymour Venson Adolph, Jr., was born April 6, 1954 to Seymour and Barbara (Jackson) Adolph.  Lovingly, he was nicknamed Sonny by his mother, a nickname that has followed him throughout his life.  Having been born into a family loaded with Baptist preachers, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of seven, and he was baptized by his father.  As a small child his maternal grandmother read the Bible to him, and as she aged it became his joy to read the Bible to her.

Sonny attended the public schools of Houston, TX.  Having to grow up in rather tough neighborhood, he adopted the son of a neighborhood pastor as his role model.  His role model, the Rev. F. D. Sampson, Sr., went on to pastor his father’s church, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of Houston, TX.  After graduating from high school, Sonny attended Texas Southern University.  An internal struggle with his call to ministry and ongoing debates with an atheist professor ultimately led to him leave Texas Southern, accept his call to ministry, and he became a student at Union Bible College and Seminary.  He would later graduate from William Carey College, and pursue graduate studies at the University of Mobile.

With hand of Lord upon him, Sonny entered the ministry in 1974.  He was called to pastor his first church in 1979.  He now pastors the First Missionary Baptist Church of Gulfport, MS, where he has served since 1990.  He has served a term as Moderator of the Gulf Coast Missionary Baptist District Association, and he now serves as President of this organization’s Congress of Christian Education.

He is blessed to have at side his wife, the former Miss Virginia Carmelita House, who is a Licensed Certified Social Worker, and an extraordinary help in ministry.  He is blessed to have two adult daughters, Seymoura and Sameisha, along with two grandchildren Shemar and Olivia.

Sonny is a lover of gospel music.  And, while he has written several songs himself, his favorite song remains his life’s theme, “If I Can Help Somebody…”  The prayers of the saints are requested, as this servant of God continues his Journey with Jesus.