You have seen him on the Word Network with his ‘powerful’ preaching, and next week, he will be in Lexington, Miss. He is Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, pastor of the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, and he will be in Holmes County, Dec. 16-17, for the consecration celebration of Pastor Raymon T. Carter as bishop of the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church.
Ellis, who is also Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW), Inc., will perform the consecration ceremony Saturday, Dec. 17, at noon at Mt. Olive M.B. Church, located at 53 Mt. Olive Road in Lexington.
The event is historic in that it is rare in Mississippi for a Pentecostal Bishop to consecrate a Missionary Baptist Pastor as Bishop. When asked why he decided to do this for Carter, Ellis told The Mississippi Link in a recent telephone interview: “He’s my friend. I have a great deal of respect for Pastor Carter. He has for the last five or six years been bringing buses of pastors and members of his congregation to our pastoral conferences here in Detroit – a conference which includes pastors from various denominations.”
Ellis explained that a Bishop is someone who oversees a religious work. “Some organizations use the term Bishop and some, Overseer,” he said. “It takes a Bishop to make a Bishop,” said Ellis. Ellis said he has been involved in five ceremonies, either as chief consecrator or assistant, in which the pastors being consecreated as Bishop were not of the Pentecostal denomination.
Ellis’ Detroit church has a congregation of approximately 6,500 members, while Carter pastors a congregation of 80-100 members. Carter considers Ellis as one of his mentors.
Ellis’ visit to bestow such an honor on Carter raised some concern among a few community members that this act might be some type of takeover of their “little country church.” The Mississippi Link asked Ellis about that concern, and his response was, “No, I’m not coming to be an Overseer of Mt. Olive Church. I have plenty on my plate in Detroit. I’m coming as a friend. I think the world of Pastor Carter and what he is doing with his ministry there.” He stated that he is not coming in his PAW authority.
He also stated that this is not his first trip to Mississippi; he has visited and worshiped with the late Bishop Phillip Coleman Sr. and his congregation of the Greater Bethlehem Temple in Jackson.
Carter, one of the youngest Missionary Baptist church pastor’s in Mississippi, was also on the conference call interview. He said he is honored that Ellis would want to do such a noble gesture. “I believe that if God has more for us, we should have it. In my ministry, I’m simply concentrating and focusing on the Bible from Genesis to Revelations,” Carter said.
Carter, a Chicago native who was reared in Holmes County by his late grandmother Marie Jones, has pastored Mt. Olive M.B. Church since 2000. He attended S.V. Marshall High School in Tchula, Miss., and attended Universal Technical Institute in Illinois, majoring in Auto and Diesel Mechanics. He also attended Midwest Bible and Moody Bible Institutes in Illinois, and served as associate minister at Broadview Baptist Church in Broadview, Ill. before returning to Mississippi.
Since arriving at, Mt. Olive, he has established a number of ministries, including an active prison ministry in which he and his congregation take their worship services to the Holmes County Correctional Facility each month.
“We have had those who were released from incarceration to come and unite with our church,” Carter said in a prior interview.
He said he might be viewed as a non-traditional pastor. Carter said he introduced his congregation to the “foot-washing” service. He also believes that God will use who He chooses (male or female) to preach and/or pastor. Carter’s congregation, like most rural churches in the area, consists of moslty women and children.
Ellis was also asked about his stance on women preachers and pastor. He said, “Many of our Pentecostal Churches were founded by women. We have always had women pastors and church leaders. In 2010, PAW opened its doors to a woman bishop.”
According to his biography, at Greater Grace, Ellis is known as a leader “with a heart for people.” The church is headquartered in its $36 million-dollar ministry complex known as the “City of David,” named after the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The state-of-the-art facility includes a 4,000-seat auditorium, and an elegant banquet hall and conference center. Under .Ellis’ leadership Greater Grace Temple now has over 300 ministries including the following, which extend beyond its religious mandate:
Over 100 Housing Units for seniors and families
2 Charter Schools (Grades K- 8)
Montessori Day Care Center
Print Shop
Television & Recording Studios
Travel Agency
Funeral Home
These ministries positively impact the Detroit community where he is a respected clergyman and civic leader.
The consecration celebration for Carter will also include a banquet at the Multipurpose Complex on Highway 12 in Lexington Friday, Dec.16 at 7 p.m. The tickets are $10.
“We are excited about this historic occasion,” said Deaconess Janet D. Clark, who serves on the planning committee for the event. “Bishop Ellis is so humble,” Clark said.
In making hospitality plans for his visit, she said, “He told us, ‘don’t worry. I’m coming because the Lord is sending me.’”
For ticket and more information, call (601) 940-9455.
Be the first to comment