Reuben L. Taylor, Lead Pastor
Reuben L. Taylor, better known as “Pastor Larry”, is the Lead Pastor of the Community of Hope Church of the Nazarene in our Nations Capitol, Washington, DC. He has served and assisted many pastors in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area as well as a church in Charlotte, NC. On June 15, 2007 Pastor Larry was officially ordained an elder in the Church of the Nazarene by the laying on of hands of General Superintendant, Dr. Jerry Porter while presiding over the North Carolina District Assembly, led by Dr. J. Mark Barnes, NC District Superintendant.
Shortly after ordination, Pastor Larry received a call from Community of Hope Church to become pastor of a congregation that knew him quite well. Frequently, he and his wife, Julie and their three sons, Stephen (22), David (20), and Jonathan (16) attended the church off and on from 1995 to 2006. Larry initially served under Dr. Oliver Phillips (former pastor of COH) as an assistant and worship leader. Later, the family served as worship leaders at COH during the pastorate of Rev. Robert Lanier.
Since September 1, 2007, the beginning of his ministry as Lead Pastor, Community of Hope Church has experienced enough change to almost last a lifetime. The Pastor praises the remnant that held the church together under the leadership of Bro. Vance Baskerville and Rev. Peter Leesam during the pastoral vacancy period. It was their faithfulness and stamina during rough times to keep pressing and not giving up during the bleak hard times. The changes have been a revitalized spirit among the body which has brought about a richer experience and presence of God. Attendance has increased from 20 persons to almost 70 during Sunday Morning Worship. We have seen steady growth in all of our specialized and small group ministries. The significant change that has occurred however was to move the congregation from the NW part of Washington, DC to a SE section of the city, called Congress Heights, into a “real” church building for the first time. Again, Pastor Larry thanks others, Dr. Tom Nees, Dr. Oliver Phillips, and Rev. Robert Lanier for preparing the way for the congregation to be able to purchase a beautiful facility and parsonage, totally debt free. Praise the Lord!
Under the leadership of Pastor Larry, the church has taken on the mission to be a “church focused on the G.O.A.L.!” which means we strive to “Worship God”; “Love One Another”; and “Reach the Lost”! He has also initiated a New Members class with curriculum; developed a young adult ministry known as “Flame Snatchers” inspired from the scriptures Jude 22, 23. Pastor Larry performed his very first baptismal service on Ash Wednesday 2009, in which 5 members were baptized. The church currently distributes clothing to the community on Saturdays and will soon begin a food pantry. The fellowship has an active Marriage Ministry in efforts to bring marriages closer by interaction with other couples.
In addition to the ministry at the church, Pastor Larry volunteers as Spiritual Director, marriage counselor, and youth advisor at Community of Hope, Inc., a compassionate ministry that sprang from the church in her beginning stages under the direction initially of Dr. Tom Nees.
Lenroy Pascall
Pastor from Trinidad & Tobago honored at New York’s City Hall.
Lenroy Pascall, Senior Pastor of the Springfield Gardens Church of the Nazarene in Jamaica, New York migrated to the United States in March 2004. He served as Senior Associate Pastor until the passing of the then Pastor, Paul E. Williams. Pascall became Senior Pastor from March 2006 and currently serves in that capacity.
Under Pascall’s ministry; the church has quickly moved forward. There have been many improvements to the physical appearance: upgrades and face-lifts to the façade; a 4x8 LED illuminated church sign that has become a landmark in the community; repairs to the more than seventy nine year old building & upgrades to the audio-visual ministry.
Attendance has been steadily rising in many areas of our congregation; our Wednesday night “Shekinah prayer & fasting service” is growing by leaps and bounds under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and is the most important service of the week. Hallelujah!
Many visitors are coming in from the “highways and by-ways” for our two Sunday “celebration” services. Our recent acquisition of a portable baptistery has been an inspiration and encouragement for many, as we held our first baptism here on March 8th, 2009, instead of having to go to another location. This is truly a milestone in the history of the church.
Truly, we have been called to pray without ceasing (1Thes.5:17) and our monthly three days of consecrated prayer and fasting is enabling us to reach out to this community of walking wounded. God has armed us with a vision statement “to strive under God to become missionaries to His World, magnifiers of His grace, members of His kingdom, mature in His faith and ministers in His service”. To God be the Glory!
Pascall was also recently recognized by the New York City Council’s Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilman James Sanders Jr. for his contributions to the community. The event, held on February 26th, 2009 in the Council Chambers, was entitled the “7th Annual Salute to Gospel-A tribute to Timothy Wright and family”, in celebration of Black History Month.
Some of the honorees, along with Rev. Pascall, were Bishop John. H. Boyd, Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake, Rev. Al Sharpton, Pastor Gabriel Adebayo, Rev. Duane M. Sleet Sr., Rev. Darren A. Ferguson, Archdeacon Dr. Howard Kently Williams & Rev. Delores Miller.
Pascall has been married to his beautiful wife, Ann Marie, for the past twenty five years and is the proud father of Lindell, a student at Eastern Nazarene College; Lenmarie, a student at Nassau Community College; and Lowell, a drummer extraordinaire.
Wendell Jackson
In 2007 Mission Strategy Director Oliver Phillips and others traveled to the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia to host a luncheon with 30 prospective graduates who were not specifically aligned with any other denomination. Since ITC is a graduate predominantly Black seminary, it was thought to be a fertile field for recruitment of African Americans for the Church of the Nazarene.
One of the students with whom we had conversation was Wendell Jackson. Upon graduation in May 2007 (M.Div.), conversations continued with the Mission Strategy Office.
The transfer of Jennifer Thom to the Southern Florida district (Miami South Miami Heights) created a vacancy at the Bruton Terrace COTN on the Dallas district. In December the congregation voted to call Jackson as its pastor, and he has accepted.
Jackson is an ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church having been trained as a church planter and recruiter, and is presently registered in Valusia County, Florida as a marriage workshop provider. Prior to his attendance at ITC Jackson completed the BS degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Upon the acceptance of the call to Bruton Terrace Jackson said “I can’t wait to get started in Dallas. Furthermore, I’ve longed for the opportunity to join the Church of the Nazarene. From all that I have read about your denomination, it seems that the holiness message is a tremendous theme for the Black community.”
Jackson’s email address is: pastorwendellljackson2756@yahoo.com
Ron Allen and First Lady Tonya 
Ron Allen and First Lady Tonya come to the Chicago Campus in the Austin Neighborhood...
In September, 2007, the church board extended a unanimous call to Ron Allen to be the site pastor for Chicago First Church of the Nazarene's Chicago campus in the Austin neighborhood. His wife of 20 years, Tonya, is a faithful servant in the ministry. They have two children at home, Aja (15) and Joshua (9). Ron is a founding member of the Board of Elders of the New Life Celebration Church of God in Dolton. He is also presently the Senior Counselor for Trinity International University South Side extension campus in Dolton. Ron has served on staff at New Life Christian Fellowship in Joliet and Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood. Previously Ron had a 25 year career with the U.S. Postal Service. Ron holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministry from Trinity International University and will graduate with a Master's Degree in Religion/Urban Ministry in May 2008.
Cedric Alexander
King
On Sunday, April 6, 2008 the Hartford First Church of the Nazarene welcomed Cedric Alexander and Sis. Jacqueline Emelda King as Associate Pastor and Music Director for the Connecticut congregation. Cedric and Jacqueline are both graduates of Eastern Nazarene College: Jacqueline with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from that institution; while Cedric graduated, first with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology & Religion, and later with the Masters of Science degree in Business Management. Previously, Cedric had graduated from Caribbean Nazarene Theological College and read Law at the University of the West Indies before migrating to the USA in 1989. He also holds graduate certificates in Government & Politics, Religion and Law; is a Fellow of the Academy for Healthcare Management and The Health Insurance Association of America. He is a doctoral candidate reading for a Ph. D in Public Policy and Administration specializing in Non-Profit Management and Leadership at Walden University.
The Kings testifies freely of their love for Christ. “Today”, Cedric shares, “I know for sure that my sins and past are covered by Christ’s blood. That the forgiveness that I have sought and that He has given to me is complete and absolute. I also know that His acceptance is as keenly felt by me today as when I first committed my life to Him at the altar of the Gemswick Church of the Nazarene on April 11, 1974. I knew it then: I know it now”.
Cedric’s experiences include positions as Senior Pastor, Director of Music, Evangelist and Speaker covering more than 30 years of progressive work experience in the Caribbean, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States of America. He served as Associate Pastor with Rev. Aaron Blache at the Santa Cruz Church of the Nazarene (Trinidad), Senior Pastor of Speightstown, Westmoreland and Hillaby Churches of the Nazarene (Barbados), Senior Pastor at Cumuto Church of the Nazarene (Trinidad) and Immanuel Church of the Nazarene (Boston). In 1981, Cedric created a four hour Sunday Gospel program on Voice of Barbados 790FM (Barbados) and two one hour Children’s shows which he produced, directed and anchored over a five year period. He is currently an Eastern Nazarene College Adjunct Professor in the Graduate and Professional Development program (LEAD) teaching the full range of Business courses as well as Speech and Professional Communication. Both he and his wife Jacqueline are Massachusetts License Real Estate Brokers.
The Kings’ desire is to be fully used by God to bring the blessing of abundant living to all of the family of God, utilizing their excellent organizational and people skills, God-given talents, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to assist the Hartford First Church of the Nazarene in fulfilling its mission and purpose of preparing Christian citizens for holy living. His much anticipated first publication “Blessed” – an inspirational, scripturally sound work is due out in the Fall of 2008.
Cedric holds the 1987 CANADIAN GOLD INSIGNIA, given as the Outstanding Delegate to the Commonwealth Conference for Youth Leaders (part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference). He also received in 1987 the JAYCEES (BARBADOS) INTERNATIONAL Barbados Young Leader Award - for outstanding leadership in a religious or youth organization.