User:Jdc78717/Mother Lula Lightey Phillips

Lula Phillips (1864 - March 14, 1939) was an African American pastor who served as Founder and General Mother of the Glorious Churches of God in Christ, Inc. from 1916 to 1939.

=Early life= Phillips was born in Centerville, Alabama, in 1864. She spent her early life in Birmingham, Alabama. While there she was a member of the Good Hope Baptist Church, where she professed Christ as the age of 12. Lula married Robert Howard and gave birth to one child, a daughter, Savannah Julia Howard.

=Ministry=

The Triumph Movement
Upon hearing the message of Father E. D. Smith regarding the original inhabitants of the earth, the long wait for the outstretched arm of Ethiopia was over. God had a turning point in history that would establish his kingdom on earth starting at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She didn't hesitate to join the Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ movement.

In 1910, at the age of 46 she began holding services in Avondale, Alabama on Second Ave. In 1915 she felt the call of God leading her to the State of West Virginia to establish the Triumph Church. By 1920 Mother Phillips had established 7 churches under the Triumph movement.

The Glorious COGIC
The death of Father Smith in Africa shook the faith of the members of the Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ in West Virginia, as a result many people stopped supporting the ministry of Mother Phillips at the account of feeling deceived. There hopes and dreams died with Smith in Africa.

In an attempt to heal wounds, Father Phillips (husband of Lula) called a meeting to organize and form a body. Mother Phillips did not attend this initial meeting. As a result of this conclave, the Glorious Church of God in Christ was organized. Although Mother Phillips is the Founder of the organization, it was named by Elder C. H. Stokes. Father Albert Simon was elected Presiding Prince Elder because the scriptures taught that a bishop must be blameless and the husband of one wife. It was voted by the Conference that Mother Phillips would be made General Mother, which she humbly accepted.

of the Apostolic Faith
In Mother Phillips' booklet, she writes "On November 1, 1919, we arrived in the city of Huntington, West Virginia, being called of God Almighty in the month of August 1919 at Indianapolis, Indiana, on Capitol Avenue thought much tribulation and suffering by the will of God." It should be noted that Capitol Avenue is parallel to Senate Avenue where Haywood's "Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Assembly" was located with only three streets between them.

In 1919 at a Revival in Cargo, Ohio she met Elder C. C. Zuffler who introduced her to an in-depth understanding of the God-head. When she returned home she called upon BIshop Martin Gregory of the already established Emmanuel Tabernacle Baptist Churches of the Apostolic Faith to run a Revival which led to her final decision, approximatley fifty saints (including her) accepted the Doctrine of Jesus Only and were Re-Baptized. This was the start of the Jesus Only doctrine in the Glorious body. The controversy of baptism had been solved.

=Death= In the later part of 1938, General Mother Lula Phillips made her last Apostolic Tour to the Glorious Churches, she taught from Deuteronomy 31:27-30, focusing on vs. 29, where Moses addressed the Children of Isarel. She came to the conclusion that the Glorious Church would leave God and go "whoring" after other gods from two visions she had. Her last Ecclesiastical work was to purchase and establish a church in Burlington, OH. On Tuesday, March 14, 1939 while preparing for a noon-day Prayer Meeting, she suffered an apparent heart-attack. She was discussing the lesson she taught the night before entitled "The Channel of Truth" not knowing it would be her last.

Homegoing Service
Her funeral services were held the following Sunday, March 19 from the Glorious Church of God in Christ of Huntington, WV, where she Pastored (The Mother Church/National Headquarters). Thousands filed past her casket, as she lied in repose from Friday-Monday. Speakers from many different denominations paid tribute to this Great Matriarch.

Category:American bishops Category:Oneness Pentecostalism Category:Pentecostal clergy Category:1864 births Category:1939 deaths