Pastor Antonio R. Hawkins is the founder and pastor of Exciting Faith Alive @ Mount Silla. He was born and raised here in Tampa, Florida and has been serving the people of God since the tender age of 4. Pastor Hawkins was licensed into the ministry by the Church of God in Christ in 1997. He was licensed into the ministry by the late Rev. Moses Anglin into the Baptist faith in 1998. He was later ordained to serve in the capacity of an Elder in the year 2000. Pastor Hawkins became the Senior Pastor of New Mt. Silla M.B. Church in 2004 after the demise of his spiritual father. After just a short tenure as Pastor, he resigned and founded Faith Institutional Church (Faith Alive) in that same year. Through his gifting of teaching/preaching and building up the body of Christ the ministry in which he founded/pastored grew tremendously. In September of 2010 Pastor Hawkins led the merge of New Mt. Silla and Faith Alive. Through his continued faithfulness he was able to bring these two bodies together as one-thus the name “Exciting Faith Alive @ Mount Silla.”
Pastor Antonio R. Hawkins
Through the vision of Pastor A.R. Hawkins, Faith Alive is one of the fastest growing churches in the Tampa area. This is made possible through the foundational principles that support this diverse ministry. These principles include, but are not limited to: Love, hope, faith and endurance. With the Spirit of Excellence Pastor Hawkins has been instrumental in bringing hundreds to Christ throughout his tenure as Pastor. We are excited to announce that we are yet experiencing remarkable growth!
Pastor A.R. Hawkins has attended both FAMU and St. Petersburg College where he studied Elementary Education and is currently enrolled at Saint Leo University where he is studying Educational Leadership. He is married to the beautiful April Hawkins. They are the proud parents of six beautiful children.