Popular pastor will start new church on Easter
Â
Former Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Los Angeles, The Rev. Lewis Logan has written to the Bishop to request permission to start another church that will conduct its first services on Easter Sunday, April 11 at a temporary location at Henry Clay Middle School beginning with a sunrise service at 6 a.m., the Sentinel learned this week.
Logan had served at Bethel for four years before a request by AME for him to move to Wayman AME in St. Louis, Missouri in October 2008.
He preached his last sermon at Wayman on April 5, saying that he was following the Holy Sprit that led him back to the Southland.
“They were overwhelmingly supportive [at Wayman] and I respected them and the relationship,” Logan said late Tuesday evening.
However, Logan says that he was practically living out of his suitcase because all of his belongings were still here in Los Angeles including his residence.
Although his written request was received the process for which he could continue pasturing under the AME moniker is long from concluded and thus his new church will be called Ruach Christian Community Fellowship.
The name he says stems from the Hebrew word and means “Breath of God” and thousands of card size flyers have already been circulated throughout the region.
Hailed as a grand opening, ‘Resurrection Celebration’ with four mornings worship slots beginning at 6a.m. and the last at 9:30 a.m., Rauch Christian Community Church will be held at Henry Clay Middle School until a permanent location can be secured.
Logan says that he is retaining ordination of the AME guidance, but apparently the sudden removal from Bethel was too much to soon.
He had become immensely popular, supporting clemency for Stanley “Tookie” Williams and was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners.
Logan must have his followers sign a letter of intent to form an anew church and then have the AME administration review it for approval, but not having their consent will not prevent him from conducting his church without it.
He has been under the AME umbrella for 25 years between Georgia, St. Louis and Los Angeles so he certainly appears to be in good standing with the organization.
“I simply wanted to find a church in Los Angeles and I feel that I am strongly led by the Holy Spirit to complete the work that I was doing in Los Angeles, a perishing community,” he stated.
Logan indicated that he was more or less looking at launching his new church as way of celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, and when pointed out that it was also perhaps a resurrection of him he quipped.
“That’s kind of a way of looking at it as I’m resurrecting my reappearance in Los Angeles.”
Â
Â
