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It is not every day a
Connection that is over 200 years old opens a new church from the ground
up. In 1996, the bicentennial of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, Bishop Milton A. Williams asked Rev. Scot C. Moore to undertake the
work of establishing a new church in the Mitchellville area. At that time
the A.M.E. Zion Church did not have a strong presence in east-central Prince
George’s County, but that was about to change.
Scot Moore received a paper appointment at
the 167th Session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual
Conference. After much praying and thought, Pastor Moore settled on the name
Judah Temple, based on Psalms 76:1, "In Judah God is known." He looked to
the historical roots of Methodism and the A.M.E. Zion Church but also to the
growing irrelevance of denominational divisions.
On August 18, 1996, Judah Temple A.M.E. Zion
Church held its first worship service, in the cafeteria of Thomas Pullen
Middle School, and became “A Church With a Heart of Praise and a Mind To
Serve.” Pastor Moore pronounced, “This reflects the direction where God
wants us to go.” From that beginning, Judah has followed God’s desire to
give Him praise and worship.
Scot Moore was raised
in Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church, in Mt. Vernon, NY, where his older
brother W. Darin Moore now serves as pastor. In 1992 he had been appointed
National Praise Director of Young Adults in Christian Ministry in the A.M.E.
Zion Church. He preached his first sermon, known in church discipline as a
trial sermon, on October 6, 1994, at Full Gospel A.M.E. Zion Church, where
he led praise and worship.
Many of the initial congregation started with Full
Gospel, and became associate members of Judah Temple for one year. The
church started to grow as people from all over the Metropolitan area began
to join. By December 1996, our new church had over 120 active members.
The new church was nearly a year old when
Pastor Moore was ordained an elder on May 24, 1997, at the 168th
Session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual Conference. As an elder, he
received full authority to consecrate the elements for communion and perform
all rites and rituals within the A.M.E. Zion Church.
Rev. Lorenzo Lyons has had a close
association with Judah Temple from its first year. He preached his trial
sermon at Full Gospel A.M.E. Zion Church on the same day as Pastor Moore,
October 6, 1994. Rev. Lyons was ordained a deacon of the A.M.E. Zion Church
at the 171st Session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual
Conference, May 2000.
On July 15, 1997, Judah Temple purchased the
property at 14500 Mt. Oak Road, Mitchellville, MD, that we have named “The
Land of Judah.” At that time, the property consisted of one building and 23
acres of land. A dedication service for the property was held on Sunday,
August 17, 1997, after our morning anniversary celebration. With much
enthusiasm, Judah members praised God as construction of the sanctuary
began. On July 18, 2004, a host of well-wishers joined the Judah
Temple family and Bishop Milton A. Williams, Sr. in a dedication service of
the new sanctuary.
During the week of August 14-17, 1997, Judah
celebrated its First Anniversary, with the theme “Look at God!” We went all
out to celebrate our first year, and we haven’t had another quite like it.
The celebration activities started with a Family Day at Adventure World (now
Six Flags) Theme Park on Thursday. Friday night featured a concert starring
the renowned Daryl Coley and Kim Rutherford. Rev. Brian Moore served as the
Master of Ceremonies. Rev. Moore, our Pastor’s brother, brought his Abundant
Life Tabernacle Choir from Charleston, South Carolina to minister in song as
well. Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett was the guest speaker on Friday night, and Karen
Clark-Sheard was the featured singer at the Gala Banquet on Saturday at the
Sheraton-Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C. The First Anniversary
celebration culminated with Sunday morning worship, where Rev. W. Darin
Moore, Pastor of Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church and eldest brother of
our Pastor, served as guest
preacher.
The Fifth
Anniversary in August 2001 was a turning point in Judah Temple’s
development. Pastor Moore offered a message that Judah had become
comfortable with our own existence. By God’s grace (the theme of the
anniversary) we had gotten through five years very well. But, we had come to
depend on grace, and were coasting on it. The guest preacher for the
anniversary sermon, Rev. Kathi Brown of Spottswood A.M.E. Zion Church,
proclaimed fervently, “Now Is Not The Time For Toy Soldiers.”
At a membership meeting in January 2002,
Pastor Moore introduced a comprehensive reorganization of all church
ministries and departments. This reorganization continued the theme,
“ministry minded members.” Pastor Moore called for every member of the
church to be active in at least one ministry.
Stewards were appointed for the first time:
Brother Tony Thomas, Sister Gwen Payne, and Brother Reggie Morton. An
expanded board of Trustees assumed responsibility: Brother Otis Phillips,
Brother Kirk Wright, Sister Siddy Erby, Brother Wayne Butler, Brother Billy
Austin, and Brother Ron Bush.
Rev. Lyons officially
assumed the duties of Assistant to the Pastor in January 2002. At the 173rd
session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual Conference in May 2002,
Rev. Lyons was ordained an elder, with full authority to consecrate the
elements for communion and perform all rites and rituals within the A.M.E.
Zion Church.
Also at this Session
of the Conference, Sister Crystal Valina Lowe was ordained a deacon in the
A.M.E. Zion Church. Rev. Lowe was born in Lackawanna, New
York, where she lived until the age of 19 when she relocated to the
Washington, D.C. area. She was raised in the 2nd Baptist Church in
Lackawanna, NY. Rev. Lowe actively served in various ministry
capacities before becoming a member of Judah Temple in April 1997. She
preached her Trial Sermon on January 24, 1999, and currently serves as
Department Head for the Children, Youth, and Young Adults Ministries and
Ministry Leader for Discipleship Training. Rev. Lowe was ordained an
elder at the 176th session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual
Conference in May 2005.
Bro. Shawn Vance
joined the Judah Temple family on February 5, 1997, preached his Trial
Sermon on August 28, 1998, and was ordained a deacon in the A.M.E. Zion
Church on May 17, 2003 at the 174th session of the
Philadelphia-Baltimore Annual Conference. Rev. Vance was born in Knobnaster Missouri, where he lived for five years before coming to
Oxon Hill, MD, where he was raised. Rev. Vance received most of his
nurturance and Christian development from the Lamb of God Church -
Non-Denominational, and Free Gospel Apostolic Church, Coral Hill, MD. He
actively served in various Outreach ministry capacities before becoming a
member of Judah Temple.
Rev.
Vance was ordained an elder at the
Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual Conference Planning Meeting in June 2005.
While at Judah Temple,
Rev. Vance served as Minister for those
struggling in the area of sexual perversion and victimization.
Rev. Patricia Oliver has been a member of
Judah Temple from the first day the church was established. Rev.
Oliver preached her
Trial Sermon on March 28, 2004 and received her Local Preacher's license in
April 2005. She was ordained a deacon in the A.M.E. Zion Church on May
31, 2008 at the 179th Session of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Annual
Conference. Rev. Oliver has served in various leadership and ministry
positions in the church and currently serves as Head of the Deaconess
Ministry and Ministry Head for Special Events/Catering.
Judah is also blessed
to have Bro. David DeVerteuil serving as a minister. Bro. DeVerteuil
has also been a member of Judah Temple from the first day. He preached
his Trial Sermon on March 18, 2007 and
received his
Local Preacher's license in April 2007. Bro. DeVerteuil
currently
serves as Director of the Tribe of Judah Choir. He and his
wife, Lisa serve as Department Heads for the Fellowship
Department.
Sunday, March 5, 2006, marked the last Sunday
Service held at Thomas G. Pullen Middle School. On March 12, 2006, we
officially opened the doors of our new sanctuary at 14500 Mt. Oak Road,
Mitchellville, Maryland, and we joyously look
forward to the mighty works that God will do in this place as we continue to
Praise the Lord!
To God Be the Glory!!!
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