Curtis Walters
Carlos Medley
Curtis Walters
Curtis Walters
Curtis Walters
Curtis Walters
Curtis Walters
When James R. Doggette, D.Min., senior pastor of Patmos Chapel Church, Apopka, Fla., stepped into the pulpit to preach his last sermon as Patmos’ pastor on August 22, 2026, the Well Activity Center auditorium overflowed with nearly 1,000 parishioners, pastors, former students, colleagues, public servants, family members, and well-wishers.
The celebration culminated 44 years of pastoral ministry and academic leadership. After serving 10 years as senior pastor, Doggette will exit pastoral leadership and join the School of Theology at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., where he previously served for 20 years. Among other duties, Doggette will be tasked with setting up a Doctorate of Ministry program curriculum.
A Special Day
Among the many highlights of the event was Nicholas Nesta, Apopka mayor, who presented Doggette and his wife, Erin, with a proclamation honoring their ministry and their service to the community. The proclamation recognized his long service as pastor in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas, and for his teaching ministry at Oakwood University.
The proclamation highlighted Patmos’ work in community engagement, including the church’s mobile food giveaway and community pantry, which started in 2020. These services provided help to more than 1,200 households each month, assisting 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 its residents,” said Nesta. “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 contained many tributes and affirmations for Doggette’s visionary leadership, teaching excellence, and community service. In one of many video tributes, MyRon Edmonds, a former student currently serving as a men’s life coach, said his former teacher was a role model for a generation of pastors.
“I don’t know if there are enough words in the English language to express Dr. Doggette’s impact on me,” said Debleaire Snell, Oakwood University Church pastor and Breath of Life Ministries speaker/ director. “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.”
Shea Crockett, recently appointed as Patmos’ interim lead pastor, thanked Doggette for the help he gave when Crockett was a sophomore at Oakwood University, and for the ministry opportunities he provided Crockett at Patmos.
Savoring the Memories
To commemorate Doggette’s ministry, Andrew Lampkin, Ph.D., head elder, announced that the church loaded a time capsule with memorabilia. “We absolutely appreciate your 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. We thank you for what you have done. We’re going to find a place for [the capsule]. We’ll open a wall for it. In a decade we’ll come back and break it open and remember what God has done.”
Responding for the family, Erin Doggette, Ph.D., 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 am crying when we’re leaving. We just want to sincerely say, ‘Thank you.’”
A Final Thought
In his last message as Patmos’ pastor, Doggette stressed the importance of reflecting God’s love as members 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 [1 Peter 2:9, KJV] fully, you are called of God, a special people, a royal people, a holy nation. You’re supposed to be the blessed of God. You cannot strive to be normal.
“Normal is comfortable. Regular is comfortable, but when you’re going to be great in what God called you to, He’s going to make you a little bit different. My biggest fear is that when you step out on faith, and have seen God move, that you’ll let others pull you back into normalcy, looking like everybody else. If you want to be normal, this is not the place for you.
“This church was not called to be normal; we’re called to be supernatural. We’re called to do things others are not brave enough to try. Don’t adopt systems designed to keep you normal and relegate your ability to thrive, grow, and spread your wings. Be wise in the decisions you make moving forward.”
The Road Less Traveled
The Doggettes began their ministry at Patmos in 2016 when the church was located in Winter Park, Fla. Doggette succeeded Samuel Dade, pastor. Not long afterward, it became clear that the church building was deteriorating and repairs were impractical. By 2018 the congregation relocated, first to a high school in Orlando, and then to Orlando West Ministries, a church in the Pine Hills neighborhood.
In August 2019, the congregation took possession of an active community athletics center. The 107,000-square-foot structure housed basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, and gymnastics programs. As soon as Patmos assumed ownership, the church became a landlord, and its doors were now open seven days a week. Doggette named the facility the Well Activity Center, a nod to the biblical story of the woman at the well recorded in John 4. The idea behind the name was that the Well would bring physical and spiritual renewal to the 25,000 people who passed through its doors every month.
The congregation held its first worship service inside the Well, but then COVID hit and the services went exclusively online. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Patmos began holding live services in the parking lot, while the worship space was being renovated.
In 2022, after COVID, church services finally moved indoors, with meetings held in the gym. And in March 2023, the church held grand opening services in the newly renovated sanctuary, called the Worship Hub.
Among the many highlights of Doggette’s ministry was the start of the mobile food giveaway and open food pantry in 2020. The initiative grew rapidly and became one of the larger distribution centers in Orange County. The “Kids at the Well” summer camp, started in June 2024, expanded and reached 160 campers in 2026. “Patmos en Español,” which started in April 2025, has led to 16 baptisms thus far in 2026.
What’s next for Patmos? Where does the church go from here? Only God knows. But as Doggette explained, “This church has not reached its apex yet. There are heights to be scaled. And, it’s going to require boldness that needs people who are full of faith — because God wants to take you places others have not been!”
Southeastern | October 2026
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