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Church founder Hattie Bostic dies at 76

Elder Hattie L. Bostic, co-founder and pastor of the Mt. Olive Apostolic Original Holy Church of God in Menlo Park, recipient of doctorate degrees in divinity and theology, and a member of the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame, died Friday, Dec. 9. She was 76.

From her home in 1963 in the Belle Haven neighborhood, Elder Bostic and four others founded the church in her living room. Mt. Olive's first home was a storefront on Newbridge Avenue, but members later built a church on Hamilton Avenue that in 1992 was rebuilt as a larger church and community center.

Elder Bostic served as "cheerleader, chief fundraiser, contractor and bricklayer," the story said.

Matt Henry, former president of the Belle Haven Homeowners Association and a former Menlo Park planning commissioner, said at the time that he "(could) not say too much about" Elder Bostic in praise of her work and presence in the community.

Life in Belle Haven and how to make it better was a passion for Elder Bostic and Mt. Olive's membership of some 200. The church took on challenges common to low-income neighborhoods: lowering the crime rate, improving the schools, making housing more affordable, finding shelter for the homeless and helping those with substance abuse problems.

"She helps," Mr. Henry said at the time. "She always does."

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