Church History

And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18.

The Church Of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of the Truth, 1218 Gladiolus Street, Wichita Falls, Texas was organized in Wichita Falls, Texas on Bonner Street in 1930.

During that same year, Elders Anderson, Lewis Flye, and Marion Bray served as pastors.

In 1931, Elder Jeff Taylor became pastor. Under his leadership the church was accepted into the General Assembly of The Church of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of the Truth with Bishop A.B. Williams as Presiding Bishop.

The church relocated to 602 Edison in 1933. Elder Taylor remained as pastor for over seven years.

The building was completed after Elder H.R. Knox became pastor.

In the proceeding years, there were other pastors, namely Elder Long, Elder Kelly, Elder Urias Jackson, Elder Albert Jackson, Overseer Lonnie Wilson, Overseer C.V. Brown, Overseer James Jefferson, Elder Nathaniel Mosley, and our present pastor, Overseer Leonard C. Jones, Jr.

Due to the Kell Freeway Expansion Program named “Wichita Willie,” the church was forced to moved from 602 Edison to 1218 Gladiolus Street.

It was through the blessings and guidance of God, the leadership of Overseer Lonnie Wilson and the cooperation of faithful members and friends, that our present facility was constructed in 1968 by Mitchell Walden Construction.

Dedication services were conducted on December 8, 1968 by Bishop A. H. Pigg of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The church mortgage was paid off on May 25, 1977.

The church experience loving fellowships and grew spiritually and financially. While Overseer Lonnie Wilson was serving as pastor, he and his family traveled from Fort Worth, Texas to Wichita Falls each Sunday for almost 20 years. Ill health led to his resignation.

The church was fortunate to receive Elder C.V. Brown following the resignation of Overseer Wilson.

Elder Brown became an Overseer while pastoring in Wichita Falls. He was instrumental in acquiring the property directly across the street from our church, initiated a tract ministry, organized a food pantry, purchased an organ, installed central heat and air conditioning, ceiling fans, and a security system.

His vision was to enlarge our sanctuary and our “Doll House” size kitchen. Before his dream was realized, he was assigned to Fort Worth Texas. He served from 1982 until 1990.

The Cornerstone Services were conducted December 16, 1984 by Bishop A. C. Armstead, Overseer Lonnie Wilson, and Overseer C.V. Brown, all of fort Worth, Texas.

Elder James Jefferson inhered the dreams of Overseer Brown. He came to us from Dallas, Texas.

In the spring of 1993, construction began on our cafeteria. it was completed one month shy of hs resignation Elder Jefferson, too, became Overseer while pastoring in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Our church was without a pastor for nine months after the resignation of Overseer Jefferson, but we were not without leadership and guidance. Rev. Leo Smith, Associate Minister of Saint John Baptist Church ministered to us during this difficult time from October 1994 to June 1995. Overseer Brown also returned to render service approximately one month in January 1995.

Elder Nathaniel Mosley came to us by way of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in July 1995. He embraced the congregation with love and humility. He worked to improved and beautify our parking lot. He moved to Wichita Falls, Texas in the fall of 1997.

In 1999, we purchased new choir seats, church pews, and new pulpit furniture–debt free. we purchased the property next door at 1216 Gladiolus Street in 1999.

The church history would not be complete without the mention of Elder Leroy Leak, who served faithfully as an Associate Minister and “Mouthpiece” for many decades until his death.

Our current pastor, Overseer Leonard Jones come to us in February of 2010 as Interim Pastor and officially appointed as pastor in February 2011. He is currently involved with the Minister’s Alliance and is very involved with projects pertaining to the redevelopment of the city’s East Side among other projects that the Alliance is intensely involved in.

The Pastor and members of The Church of The Living God, The Pillar and Ground of The Truth at 1218 Gladiolus Street, Wichita Falls Texas thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. God has truly been good during 93 years. We shall forever praise His name. We pray that God will continue to bless us such as He sees fit.

To God be the glory for all the things He has done for us.