Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 9-9-22

Feature
Pastor Is Grateful For The ‘Blessing To Bless Others’
Reverend Doctor Jeffery Johnson Elevated To The Office Of Bishop
Some of the food boxes that are distributed on Fri- days.
Pastor and Mrs. Michael (Brenda) Evans at a recent food distribution.
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Pastor Michael Evans knows what it’s like to need to feed your family. At one time, between jobs, he would go fishing daily to put food on the table for his family. At the time, he lived in the Highland Pines com- munity and that’s where he turned his home into a church to serve others. “It was a command from the
Lord,” he said.
However, since 1998
when he started feeding families hot meals daily from that church, he has been helping feed people. Now, he’s up to serving 200-300 each week with food boxes. Every Friday, he, volunteers and mem- bers of his congregation of Household of Faith Apos- tolic Outreach, Inc., gather around noon at the corner of Osborne Ave. and 40th
St. in a vacant lot to distrib- ute food to needy families. Sometimes they are at 30th St. and Osborne Ave. to distribute food.
“There are a lot of peo- ple in need. The Lord has blessed us to bless others. We were there during the pandemic and they came each week,” he said. “We’re not there to get accolades orapatontheback;butto serve others.” With the help of main sponsors: Gulfcoast A/C, Kent A/C, and A-1 A/C, he has been able to help others with food, with the assistance of Feeding Tampa Bay. Those who are served get a vari- ety of food items, from canned goods to fresh food items. That variety consists of up to 45 pounds of food.
A Tampa native, Pas- tor Evans attended King High School. He and his wife, Brenda have been married for 27 years and are the parents of 8 chil- dren.
The weekly services at his church, located at 5824 E. Broadway, are: Sunday School, 12 noon worship, and midweek (Wednesday) Bible study. Being a 501c3 organization, the church is allowed to accept dona- tions for its food program. The church was established in 2008.
“I just thank the Lord for blessing me to bless others,” he said.
REV. DR. JEFFERERY JOHNSON ...Elevate To Bishop
On Saturday, September 10, 2022 the Tampa Bay com- munity, Kingdom Interna- tional Consortium along with a host of episcopates from across the United States of America, will gather to conse- crate Rev. Dr. Jeffery Alex James Johnson to the sa- cred episcopal office of Bishop.
Bishop Johnson will have the purview of the being Bishop-Diocesan for the State of Florida and Bishop Protem of the West Coast for Kingdom International Consortium. Kingdom International Con- sortium has thousands of members and churches in the continental United States and abroad. Johnson will spiritu- ally cover dozens of pastors as their chief leader and advisor.
The consecration will be presided over by Bishop Eric D. Garnes, D.Min. Bishop Garnes is known worldwide
as a leader of leaders and a bishop to bishops. He has served as executive member of the Joint College of African American Bishops and the previous Presiding Bishop of the United Covenant Churches of Christ in which the estab- lishmentarian was the late Archbishop J. Delano Ellis. Bishop Garnes is also a noted Hollywood movie pro- ducer and humanitarian.
The consecration service will be held at the New Salem Primitive Baptist Church, lo- cated at 1605 North Nebraska, Ave., Tampa, FL 33602, where Elder Benjamin Curry, is pastor.
Bishop Johnson is the Senior Pastor and Founder of the Connections Community Church of Tampa and Lake Wales, FL. He’s married to Lady Teasia Johnson and the father to Jeffery, Josiah, and Jonah Johnson.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022