The legendary Rev. Katherine K. Shivers, pastor emeritus and founder of Tabernacle Christian Forum Church in Compton, passed away in Los Angeles on July 10. A pioneering preacher in the 1960s and 70s, Pastor Shivers was one of the first African American women to be ordained a Baptist minister in Los Angeles.
Her daughter, the Rev. Kathy Shivers-Ward, said, “My mother will be greatly missed. She was a living testament to God’s word in the book of Joel that His daughters as well as His sons will prophesy.
“She founded and built a church during a period when females were not readily welcomed to preach in the Baptist denomination. Yet, she endured and excelled, and was a role model and source of inspiration for me and other women in the clergy,” she said.
A native of Los Angeles, Pastor Shivers began her ministry in her mother’s living room in Fontana when she was 23 years old. At that time, she founded the Church of the Holy Gospel.
In 1960, the Rev. Shivers established Tabernacle Square Baptist Church. Three years later, she purchased, renovated and transformed an old theater building into the church’s existing facility. Also, the church name was changed to Tabernacle Christian Forum reflecting its non-denominational status.
Pastor Shivers elevated her ministry to the airwaves in the 1970s and 80s. “She had two radio programs – ‘Miracles Can Happen To You’ and ‘To God Be the Glory’. My mother traveled throughout the country proclaiming the Word. In fact, she was often called ‘Preaching Beauty’ by many of her colleagues,” said Rev. Ward.
But her life was not without challenges. The Rev. Shivers suffered a major stroke in 1979 and a decade later, she struggled to retrofit her edifice to become compliant with earthquake codes.
In a 2007 interview with the Sentinel, she recalled the latter experience as the most trying time of her ministry. “But with God’s help, it was completed before the deadline,” said Pastor Shivers.
Pastor Shivers homegoing service was held July 21 at Tabernacle Christian Forum Church.
