By Carlos Medley, Patmos Chapel
In Summary:
Hundreds gathered to celebrate Pastor James R. Doggette Sr. as he delivered his final sermon as senior pastor of Patmos Chapel. Mayor Nick Nesta presented Doggette with the Key to the City and proclaimed August 22 as Dr. James R. Doggette Sr. Recognition Day. Doggette will join Oakwood University’s School of Theology, where he will help develop a Doctor of Ministry curriculum.
*****
When Pastor James R. Doggette, senior pastor of the Patmos Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church, stepped to the pulpit to preach his last sermon as Patmos’s pastor on Saturday, August 22, the Well Activity Center auditorium overflowed with pastors, parishioners, former students, colleagues, public servants, and family members.
Related: Tiny house villages are increasingly responding to the homeless crisis in America’s fast‑growing cities.
The celebration culminated 44 years of pastoral ministry and academic leadership. After serving for 10 years as senior pastor, Doggette will step down from pastoral leadership and join the Theology School at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, where he previously served for 20 years. In addition to other duties, Dr. Doggette will develop a Doctorate of Ministry curriculum.
Among the event's highlights was Apopka Mayor Nicholas L. Nesta, who presented Dr. Doggette and his wife, Erin, a proclamation honoring their ministry and community service. The proclamation recognized their long service as pastors in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, California, and Texas, as well as his teaching ministry at Oakwood.
The proclamation highlighted Patmos’s community engagement, including the church’s mobile food giveaway and community pantry, which started in 2020. The services provided more than 1200 households each month, and assisted more than 8,000 households in the first seven months of 2026.
“Dr. Doggette has left an enduring legacy within the City of Apopka by enriching the spiritual, educational, and physical well-being of residents,” Nesta explained. “His lifelong commitment to serving others has strengthened families, inspired future leaders, fostered hope, and demonstrated the transformative power of faith in action, leaving a positive impact on the Apopka community that will be remembered for generations to come.”
Nesta also proclaimed Saturday, August 22, 2026, as Dr. James R. Doggette, Sr. Recognition Day, and gave Doggette Apopka’s Key to the City.
The worship service included many tributes and affirmations for Dr. Doggette's visionary leadership, teaching excellence, and community service. In one of many video tributes, MyRon Edmonds, a former student who is currently a Men’s life coach, said Dr. Doggette was a role model for a generation of pastors.
“I don’t know if there are enough words to express Dr. Doggette’s impact on me,” says Debleaire Snell, Oakwood University Church Pastor and Director of Breath of Life Ministries. “As I embraced my call to ministry, Dr. Doggette was one of the most influential people (on campus). I probably took every conceivable class that he taught. One year I took three or four classes from him in one semester. But it’s not just what he taught. It is what he modeled and the way he led.”
Pastor Shea Crockett, who was recently appointed as Patmos’s Interim Lead Pastor, thanked Dr. Doggette for the help he gave when Crockett was a sophomore at Oakwood, and for the ministry opportunities he provided for Crockett at Patmos.
To commemorate Doggette’s ministry, Head Elder Dr. Andrew Lampkin announced that church members loaded a time capsule with memorabilia. “We absolutely appreciate the leadership that you’ve provided for the last decade,” he said. “You’ve inspired us, you’ve encouraged us, you pushed us, and you’ve developed us, so we thank you for what you have done. We’re going to find a place for {the capsule}. We’ll open up a wall for it. In a decade, we’ll come back, break it open, and remember what God has done. ”
Responding for the family, Dr. Erin Doggette said, “We want to thank you for the past 10 years. For the friends that we’ve made, for the loving relationships that we’ve garnered, for so many laughs, so many giggles, even through the ups and downs we’ve had a beautiful experience in Florida. We are going to miss Orlando. I cried when we moved here. Now I'm crying when we’re leaving. We just want to sincerely say, thank you.“
In his last message as Patmos’ pastor, Dr. Doggette stressed the importance of reflecting God’s love as they go about their life. He noted that love is the foundation of the Christian’s walk with Jesus. He also explained, “We (followers of Jesus Christ) are not normal, and we need not strive to be regular. That’s not a goal to be reached. Peculiar means different. And if you read the text fully (1 Peter 2:9 KJV), you are called of God, a special people, a royal people, a holy nation. And you cannot strive to be normal.
“Normal is comfortable. Regular is comfortable, but when you’re going to be great in what God’s called you to, He’s going to make you a little bit different. My biggest fear is that when you step out in faith, you’ll let others pull you back into normalcy and make you look like everybody else. Don’t adopt systems designed to keep you normal and relegate your ability to thrive, grow, and spread your wings. This church has not reached its apex yet. There are heights to be scaled. And it’s going to require a boldness that needs people who are full of faith. God wants to take you places others have not been.”
Later that day, the church organized a community black party, instead of a traditional banquet. The event brought several hundred people back to the campus. The event featured Patmos’s praise team and other artists, along with three youth drum corps.
Key Points:
- Doggette served as Patmos Chapel’s senior pastor for 10 years.
- His career spans 44 years of pastoral ministry and academic leadership.
- Nesta presented Doggette with Apopka’s Key to the City and issued a proclamation honoring him and his wife, Erin.
- Patmos Chapel’s food programs serve more than 1,200 households each month and assisted more than 8,000 households during the first seven months of the year.
- Doggette will return to Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, where he previously served for 20 years.
