History, Their story, Your story

In 1950, at the annual General Convocation, church minutes recorded that a church was located on W 7th Street in Richmond, VA. Little other information was given. The pastor at that time was Bishop M. P. Gaye. The reports also recorded the names of some of the membership that lived in Richmond, VA.

We have no other records until the year 1979, when Evang Sallie Mae Winston and Evang Cora Bishop opened a church under the umbrella of The House of God, where Bishop Randolph Ragin was the State Superintendent and Bishop S. P. Rawling was the Chief Apostle. The location of the church was 900 St. James Street.

In May 1980, Evang Winston and Evang Ragin decided to separate. Evang Ragin opened the doors to the location she found at 522 N. 3rd Street. Now there were two churches in Richmond.

In 1982, Evang Winston relinquished her position as pastor, and the two churches united as one. That year, Evang Ragin was united in marriage to Bishop James Bishop. He was appointed as pastor at the General Convocation in 1982.

In Nov. 1983, under Bishop James’s leadership, a building was purchased at 1601 Stockton Street. Richmond Va. The Lord continued to witness his presence amongst us, as the membership continued to grow. For 23 years, Bishop Bishop served faithfully as pastor until his health began to fail. At that time, Elder Oscar Palmer was appointed as the Assistant Pastor. In 2004, the property on Stockton St was sold, and we moved to 911 E 36th Street, a rental property that Elder Palmer had found. On May 1, 2003, Bishop Bishop passed away, the next day after the seven days of Unleavened Bread were completed.

In 2005, Elder Oscar Palmer was appointed Pastor of the Church in Richmond. The Lord continues to allow us to find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. On July 26, 2019, Elder Palmer was ordained Bishop at the General Convocation. In 2021, the Lord inspired Bishop Palmer with a vision that it was time for us to purchase our own building. With much fasting, praying, and seeking guidance from the Almighty, the campaign called Project Cannan was established.

For years, funds were raised. The favor of the Lord was evident; the saints, as well as other people, caught hold of the vision and willingly contributed. A building was found in Hopewell, VA. And in September 2024, the vision was fulfilled, and the church was purchased and paid in full. To God be the glory! Not only was the building purchase made, but many of the renovation has been completed. Under Bishop Palmer’s leadership, the church has come into compliance with the State and Federal ordinances.

The church administration has been established and redefined. We now have the capability to hold virtual meetings using platforms like Zoom and Facebook Live. Since moving to Hopewell, the Lord has added six new members ur church family. We are excited about all that the Lord has done and anticipate him doing ever greater things as He continues to write our Church History.