CHURCH HISTORY

 

Changing A Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church was birthed out of the legacy and rich history of Greater St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, which was organized on January 6, 1937 in a rented hall on South Liberty Street in New Orleans, LA by the late Rev. Arthur A. Gundy.  After experiencing great growth they moved to Ladies Providence Hall and then again in 1939 to a two-story building at 2308 South Liberty located in the Uptown area of New Orleans. In 1954, construction on the new church began, but Rev. Gundy was called home that same year and did not see his vision come to pass. His Assistant Pastor, Rev. Percy Simpson, Jr. was immediately appointed Pastor-in-Charge and continued the work started by Rev. Gundy.

 

 

A Time of Transition

Greater St. Stephen continued to grow and they marched into the new edifice in the spring of 1955 with the newly elected Pastor, Rev. Percy Simpson, Jr. Rev. Simpson continued to grow and develop a ministry that changed lives by adding new auxiliaries, programs, a weekly radio broadcast, and the acquisition of additional property. By 1969, the church began an extensive renovation and expansion project to move forward with a 12-year plan for the Greater St. Stephen Plaza, which was to house several entities to help aide the community. However, Rev. Simpson would not see his vision come to fruition. His untimely death on Nov. 27, 1974 devastated the city and our church family.

 

Once again history would repeat itself and the Assistant Pastor, Rev. Paul S. Morton took the helm and like his predecessor became Pastor-in-Charge.

 

 

A Time of Great Transition

Rev. Morton was elected Pastor of the church on December 27, 1974.  He took the ministry even further than his predecessors because of a dual anointing. Rev. Morton was a consummate preacher and trailblazing visionary. Under his leadership, Greater St. Stephen experienced phenomenal growth and expansion on every level. Rev. Morton continued to heed the voice of God and kept growing and made many accomplishments.

 

¨       New 2000-seat sanctuary at 2308 South Liberty Street (the Mother church)

¨       3000-seat sanctuary acquired at 5600 Read Blvd. in New Orleans East

¨       1000-seat sanctuary acquired on Ames Blvd. on the Westbank

¨       School of Ministry and Bible College to educate thousands of preachers and church leaders in the way of the Lord

¨       Corporate Headquarters building to house the daily operations of our three church locations with over 100 employees originally at 3030 Canal Street, later expanded to 9661 Lake Forest Blvd. in New Orleans East

¨       GSS Learning Center—an academy for babies and children through Kindergarten

¨       Christian Bookstore and Angel Press print shop

¨       Over 60 auxiliary ministries

 

In February 1993, Elder Debra B. Morton was appointed Co-Pastor and with her assistance the church was able to grow and expand into “One church in three locations.” Co-Pastor Debra Morton founded the Women of Excellence and the Eljeanette White Parent Child Center, which provided tutorial, computer and community services. Additionally, she opened Spanobia Spa and Salon servicing thousands of women throughout the City of New Orleans.

 

Pastor Morton heeded the voice of God again and accepted the Office of Bishop and was consecrated on May 19, 1993 as the first Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International—“giving Baptists the Right to Choose.” The first Full Gospel Baptist Church Conference was held in the New Orleans Superdome with over 30,000 delegates. In 1995, we dedicated the Full Gospel Baptist International Headquarters which was used to house the international operations of the movement.

 

Though Bishop Morton took on additional responsibilities as International Bishop, Greater St. Stephen FGBC continued to flourish and impact the community.

 

¨       Purchased St. Stephen City in 1996—a housing development subdivision to allow affordable living to our members and residents of the city of New Orleans

¨       Acquired 16 acres of land on New Orleans Westbank and 16 acres of undeveloped land on the Eastbank for future growth.

¨       Raised over 2 million dollars in 60 days to purchase our first educational facility—The Greater St. Stephen Learning Academy which would accommodate grades Pre-k through 12th grade

¨       Opened Greater St. Stephen Manor in Uptown New Orleans, our first Senior Citizen housing facility

 

The legacy of doing Kingdom work for the Lord continued as we grew to a congregation of over 20,000 members and planted several ministries in the surrounding New Orleans area with sons of the ministry serving as pastors.

 

 

A Greater Time of Transition

In August 2005, Katrina devastated the New Orleans area.  God said to Bishop Morton, “I may be down-sizing New Orleans, but I won’t down-size your ministry.”  So, in October 2005, Greater St. Stephen began having services at New Beginning Full Gospel Baptist Church at 3:00 p.m. By January 2006; we marched into our newly renovated edifice at 4185 Snapfinger Woods Drive where the Lord began adding to the church daily.

 

After the waters receded in New Orleans, renovations were underway to REBUILD.  Greater St. Stephen was not only blessed by the compassion and contributions from the Body of Christ, they were able to be a blessing to thousands who came to receive assistance (food, clothing, personal necessities, etc.) after Katrina.  The Westbank and Uptown locations were restored and the services were filled to capacity.  Bishop Morton was led to install Bishop Tommie Triplett as Pastor of the Westbank Location in 2007. We became “One Church in Two States” with Greater St. Stephen FGBC Uptown and Greater St. Stephen/Atlanta.

With a determination to “Change A Generation” during a difficult time in both states, Bishop Morton adopted a new motto: “Changing the Way We Do Church.” In Atlanta, the church prospered with over twenty active ministries within two years.

 

After celebrating 33 years of pastoring in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bishop Morton passed the mantle to his wife, Co-Pastor Debra B. Morton and appointed her as Senior Pastor of Greater St. Stephen in New Orleans. Bishop Morton now serves as her Co-Pastor.

 

This repositioning, therefore, evoked the change in our name in 2008 after Bishop Morton repositioned his focus to Senior Pastor of the newest church birthed out of the legacy and strength of Greater St. Stephen…the place where so many now call home—“Changing A Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church/Atlanta.” We are producing a Greater Change with One Church In Two States. We have acquired and blessed the grounds of our new campus at 3350 Greenbriar Parkway in Southwest Atlanta with an anticipated relocation in August 2009.

 

God has blessed Changing A Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church/Atlanta! After 3 years—Completion…Now another level in our Transition!