The
Jurisdictional Seal |
The Pennsylvania Keystone Ecclesiastical
Jurisdiction evolved from the Keystone District of the Pennsylvania
Western Jurisdiction 1st, under the late Bishop G.E. Vaughn in
1985.
In December 1953, Bishop George A. Williams
came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He preached his first sermon
in 1954 under the late Bishop Bruce Madison Oakley; and was ordained
to the Gospel Ministry in September 1958 by the late Bishop Ozro
Thurston Jones, Sr.
Bishop George A. Williams was appointed the
District Superintendent of the Keystone District in April of 1973,
as a Superintendent in Philadelphia, an eastern Pennsylvania city.
He helped to purchase church buildings for Pastor’s starting
new ministries. There was the geographical constraints of location
that caused the Eastern based district not to be centralized with
the Western Pennsylvania Headquarters Jurisdiction. Bishop Williams
became the Administrative Assistant to Bishop Vaughn in August
of 1978. As the district continued to grow and more churches were
being added in the east, Bishop Williams made application to the
late Presiding Bishop J. O. Patterson, Sr. to be certified as
a jurisdiction.
In 1985 Bishop Williams was appointed to the
office of Bishop by the late Presiding Bishop J.O. Patterson and
the General Board of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis Tennessee.
The Jurisdiction is headquartered at the Rehoboth Temple Church
of God in Christ, 1210 West Wyoming Avenue, Philadelphia, PA.
Since being at this location, by the divine will of God, Bishop
Williams is now Prelate of the Keystone Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
of Pennsylvania Church of God in Christ. In 1987 an additional
50 x 70 feet was added to the existing building. On Sunday, July
10, 1988, our former presiding Bishop Chandler D. Owens dedicated
the new facilities to the Lord. In July 2003, an additional 7
X 35 feet was added at the church to provide a three-story elevator
with indoor-outdoor ramp access to assist the senior saints and
handicap to have greater access to the entire church facilities,
along with a new stairwell.
Bishop Williams selected Mother Marlene D.
Talley to be the Supervisor of Women’s Department for the
Jurisdiction. Mother Talley was at that time a National Evangelist.
She was selected to be a member of the Advisory Board by our previous
General Supervisor of Women, Mother Emma Crouch. She is also now
a member of the Executive Board of our General Supervisor of Women,
Mother Willie Mae Rivers. |
