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Home · About
Our story is a long story.
Sixty years of worship, witness, and welcome on Atlantic Avenue. One pastor. One congregation. One slow, faithful labor in the city of Long Beach.
A People · A Pastor · A Place
Founded in 1965. Faithful since.
Gospel Memorial Church of God in Christ was planted in 1965 in the heart of Long Beach. From the beginning, it has been led by one man: a young preacher named Joe L. Ealy, called of God at nine years old in Riverside, licensed to the ministry at sixteen, and ordained an Elder at twenty-one.
Six decades later, that same pastor stands in the pulpit. The neighborhood has changed. The choir has changed. The congregation has welcomed children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. The work has not changed. We worship God. We love our neighbor. We open the doors and we keep them open.
We are the church that cares. Our motto since the beginning
A jurisdiction-wide ministry
In 2009, Bishop Ealy was elevated to the bishopric and consecrated at the 102nd Annual Holy Convocation in Memphis. He now serves as Prelate of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Southern California, overseeing more than two hundred Church of God in Christ congregations across the region. Even so, his pastoral home remains here at Gospel Memorial. This is the pulpit he built. These are the people he buries and marries and baptizes still.
What we believe
We are part of the Church of God in Christ, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. We believe in the inerrant Word of God, in salvation through Jesus Christ alone, in the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and in holiness as a way of life. We believe the Gospel changes neighborhoods, not just souls. We have spent sixty years trying to prove it on Atlantic Avenue.
A Pastor's Path
From a child preacher in Riverside to the prelature of Southern California. The long arc of one ministry.
Age 9
Called to preach
Receives the call of God in Riverside, California.
Age 16
Licensed minister
Granted ministerial license in the Church of God in Christ.
Age 21
Ordained Elder
Ordained by Jurisdictional Bishop Samuel M. Crouch.
1965
Begins pastorate at Gospel Memorial
Becomes Senior Pastor of Gospel Memorial COGIC in Long Beach. Sanctuary later constructed under his leadership.
2009
Elevated to the bishopric
Chosen as Jurisdictional Prelate on September 12. Consecrated November 10 at the 102nd Annual Holy Convocation, Memphis.
2010
Honorary Doctorate of Theology
Conferred by Long Beach Bible College.
2025
Sixty years of pastoral service
Anniversary Homecoming celebrated June 6 – 8 with the full congregation, past and present.
Who Else You Will Meet
Saturday morning rehearsals, Sunday morning worship: the people whose hands keep the music going.
i.
Sister Patty Smith
Choir Director. Long-time keeper of the soul-stirring sound that visitors mention first.
ii.
Elder Donnell G. Wright
Organist. Has anchored the music ministry for years; the reason the room sings the way it does.
iii.
The Congregation
Multi-generational. Welcoming. Punctual. The reviews say it best: friendly, focused, and warm.
The work is the same. The work is enough.Sixty years on Atlantic Avenue
Worship from anywhere.
Live every Sunday at 11. Replays available on YouTube and Facebook all week.
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