MEET BISHOP TURNER
A Man After God's Own Heart
For 50 years Bishop Walter Turner, Jr. has devoted his life to the gospel of Jesus the Christ and the ministry of Grace Congregational Church (GCC).
As a founding member of Grace Congregational Church and current Senior Pastor, Bishop Turner continues to serve faithfully in ministry. He was ordained as an Elder in 1988. Subsequently, he was appointed Assistant Pastor of Grace Congregational Church in 1994, and to be the pastorate in 2009, both by the late Bishop Richard L. Finney, Sr., the founding pastor. In July 2022, Bishop Turner was elevated to the office of Bishop. Since that time, and over the past 15 years, Bishop Turner has continued to serve faithfully as the Senior Pastor of GCC.
Bishop Turner has served in various areas of ministry. Bishop Turner faithfully served and led the Prison Outreach Ministry at Grace for more than 15 years. He was passionate in outreach, preaching, and teaching the Word of God, by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, to incarcerated men. Additionally, he served as the National Youth Director of the United Christian Fellowship Alliance (UCFA), where he was responsible for building a sense of national community throughout several churches nationwide. Bishop Turner served as Youth Pastor of GCC where he developed and implemented a curriculum for the spiritual growth of the youth at Grace and assisting parents with the spiritual training of the youth. Bishop Turner was appointed to the UCFA College of Bishops. He currently serves as the General Secretary of the UCFA.
Out of his abundance of compassion, Bishop Turner implemented the distribution of clothing and food to assist over 100 families who suffered loss as a result of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Additionally, Bishop Turner traveled to Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria where he had the opportunity to preach the gospel and visit the schools there. As a ministry, under the leadership of Bishop Turner, Grace financially supported one child in each grade level to attend one full year with full tuition paid. Bishop Turner has also had the opportunity to minister in several other countries, to include Russia and Israel. Bishop Turner continues to posture the ministry of Grace Congregational Church to meet the temporal and spiritual needs of the community and countries abroad.
Bishop Walter Turner, Jr. is married to the caring, giving, and devoted First Lady Leanda Turner. First Lady Turner serves alongside Bishop Turner tirelessly as the epitome of a help meet and virtuous woman. Bishop Turner is the proud father of four sons, one daughter, three grandsons and four granddaughters.
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FIRST FAMILY
"A family that prays together, stays together."
A PRAYING CHURCH
There are many things that the Church of our day finds itself involved with, but none should be more important than the fundamental practice of prayer. Jesus said that men should always pray. Our understanding of prayer will increase the more we pray. The value that prayer brings to the church is beyond comprehension. Prayer should be a main stay of the Church. Prayer is like iron to the body and should be taken daily. The Church must not lose its focus and true purpose. We must not abandon our core practices. Let us be a praying church.
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• Praying churches experience breakthroughs
• Praying churches have praying leaders
• Praying churches experience answered prayer
• Praying churches pray for its members
• Praying churches keep prayer a pertinent issue
• Praying churches value corporate prayer
• Praying churches engage their communities through prayer
• Praying churches have big prayer events
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The world and those in it need more than nice programs and happy feelings.
Many need deliverance, healing (physical/spiritual). Prayer will allow the church to align itself with the will of God. We are here now, let’s make a difference.
~ Bishop Walter Turner, Jr.
