OUR HISTORY

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                       The history of New Jerusalem Ministry was born on July 11, 1991 at a meeting held at the Rose of Sharon Church in Pasadena, MD., pastured by Pastor Paige.  Pastor Robert Johnson called the meeting that evening not knowing how many people would show up, but there was a very significant crowd there.  The meeting opened with the song, “I Will Bless the Lord at all Times”.  The first scripture reading was taken from Deuteronomy 1:1-14.  Prayers were offered by Mother Alice Quinn and the early Elder John E. Johnson, father of the Pastor.  The Pastor’s wife, Elder Jacqueline Johnson, admonished us to “Let the church be the church. The church  consists of the people and is not a building.”  She said that we have a need for healing as many have been wounded, and she proceeded to minister to us as the Lord directed her to do so.  There was a call to organize as a church family and to find a suitable place to call home for worship.  After revealing that the Lord had given it to her in a dream, Elder Johnson gave us a name that everyone was pleased with right away: NEW JERUSALEM DELIVERANCE TEMPLE.

                Our first meeting place was the home of Deacon Roy Matthews.  We would have Bible Study on Wednesday and Morning Worship on Sundays.  As we began to fill up Deacon Matthews home to overflow, it was needful to find another place suitable for all.  Deacon Matthews negotiated and obtained Freetown Community Center.  It was in August that Attorney Alice Pinderhughes came and met with us.  She charged us with becoming a church organization and incorporating to protect ourselves.  It was decided to have a Board of Trustees, headed by our Pastor to write the by-laws and determine how we would operate and handle financial affairs.

                A meeting was held after the Sunday Morning Service on the last Sunday in August and it was decided that we would become affiliated with the United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) as our parent body.  It was on that Tuesday that the Presiding Bishop, Dr. Monroe R. Saunders, Sr. and his companion, Mother Alberta Saunders along with Attorney Alice Pinderhughes came to Freetown Community Center and officially welcomed us into the United Church Body.

                The church began to move in a timely fashion from that point on.  In September, 1992, we moved to the First Baptist Church of Freetown on Caldwell Road in Pasadena, MD.  We had some tremendous services at that location and visitations from many churches and pastors.  The pastor, James McCoy was willing to share his facility with us.  Our service would start at mid-day and we shared in the expense of the mortgage and utilities.  This worked well for a couple of years.  However, we began to feel the urge to find a permanent place that we could call our own and have church whenever we desired as we began to grow.  It was at the end of 1994 after much fasting and prayer that the Lord opened a door and produced a miracle.  We were able to obtain the facility at 2300 Annapolis Road from the early Bishop Agnes Scurry by the way of a miracle that is a story all on its own.

                When we obtained this site, there was much to be desired, as it had been vacant for a while.  The sanctuary was completely renovated with the labor of love of Bishop Izett Scott of the United Church of Jesus Christ.  While it was being worked on, we were able to worship at the home church at 5150 Baltimore National Pike where the pastor was the early Bishop Monroe R. Saunders, Sr., The church is now lead by Bishop Monroe Saunders Jr.  We were able to save our money for the few months that we were there as we were allowed to collect our own tithes and offerings at each service by the gracious auspices of Bishop, Sr.

             The work was completed and we moved in on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1995 and held our first service in the newly renovated sanctuary.  We were even blessed with a visit from Bishop James Nelson who stopped in to bless our house.  The first portion of the buildings adding new offices, new bathrooms, and a full baptismal pool and that is also a story in and of itself.  In 1998, with a blessing from the Lord, we were able to obtain the house and two lots next to the church and that is a story of its own.  We are on the move and thanking God for what He has done for us and with us.

            We have had several programs that have operated under the auspices of the church.  The Rites of Passage Program for the troubled youth under the directorship of Overseer Dexter Edmund, who is one of our sons in the Gospel and is currently (Bishop) pastoring in London, England.  We have an Outreach Program, Soup Kitchen for the neighborhood once a month; Vacation Bible School in the summer and a Community Celebration Day each summer.

             In the past few years, we have had some hills to climb, but we are moving along and Jesus is leading the way.  In 2000, our pastor, Elder Robert Johnson became a member of the Board of Bishops of the United Church and was assigned to the 2nd Episcopal Diocese (New Jersey and Pennsylvania).  At the 36th Convocation on 2002, Elder Jacqueline Johnson officially became PASTOR of the New Jerusalem Deliverance Temple now (New Jerusalem Praise Tabernacle) as her husband turned over the reigns to her.  In the interim of the moving forward of the church some of the following members have gone on to Glory and we celebrate their lives and their contributions to the growth and development of this ministry.  Deacon Purvis Johnson; Deacon Lee Quinn; Deacon Maurice Whittington; Mother Alice Quinn; Mother Cora Davis; Mother Mary Martin; Mother Elaine Worrell; Brother Aaron Mackey; Brother Larry Gordon; Elder John E. Johnson (father of our Bishop); and most recently Mother Desiree Johnson (beloved mother of our Bishop and Pastor), Mother Edith Matthews, Deacon John Neal, Sister Mercedes Worrell, Mother Mary K. Smith, Mother Marie Berry, Mother Alice Lowman, Mother Fletcher Artis and Brother Rodney Matthews.

          Baptism in the church was held in a large tin tub in the back portion of the church building.  As time went on, we were able to renovate all of the back in 2010, there was a great movement of the Holy Ghost during our Annual Women’s WEEKEND.  Elder Queen Esther Faulkner, sister of the pastor, preached our souls happy and got a revelation from the Lord that we had progressed from deliverance to become praise and worshippers of the Lord.  It was out of that word that our pastor was unctionized by the Holy Ghost to rename the ministry to “New Jerusalem Praise Tabernacle” (Where the Power is in the Love and the Deliverance is in the Praise).  The Lord also opened a door for a season for our pastor to have a weekly broadcast every Monday on WWIN-Spirit 1400 from 3:30-4:00pm.        

We are now in the expansion phase of our church and looking to the Lord to lead and direct.  This is our time to be blessed and our Bishop has admonished us to “Hold Onto Our Forks, The Best is Yet To Come.”  

                Special thanks to: Mother Elaine Worrell for recording the early years and our Bishop for completing the remaining years of our history.