Welcome to Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church

THE BIOGRAPHY OF BISHOP KELLEY

      Bishop Authur L. Kelley was born and lived in Coffeeville, Mississippi, Until He graduated from Central High School. He is the son of the late Thelma Riddick Kelley and John Eddie Kelley, Sr. He is the second eldest of ten children. During his formative years, He received Christ as his savior at nine years of age. He served faithfully as an usher, Sunday Schoolteacher, pianist/choir director at the Mount Zion Church. He was privileged and blessed to grow up in the household of his maternal grandparents, Claude and Eloise Riddick who taught him the dry cleaning business.

      Upon graduation from high school, where he was active in school activities and sports, he moved to Carbondale, Illinois and attended Southern Illinois University. During his residency at Carbondale, he united with the New Zion Baptist Church where he served as pianist/choir director.

      In 1961, he was united in holy matrimony with his childhood sweetheart, Maggie Lois Martin. They moved to St. Louis in 1963 where he was employed as a speech/language pathologist with the Special School District of Saint Louis county, Missouri.

      He pursued his interest in music and became the musician for the True Vine Spiritual Church under the pastorate of the late Bishop Saint Ann Shelton. He alter united with the Greater Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, under the pastorate of the late Reverend Doctor Cleophus Robinson, Sr. where he served as church organist for seven years.

      He became the musician and later united with the Union Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church where he also served as director of Christian Education under the pastorate of Reverend Louis T. Shelton. He acknowledged and received his call to the preaching ministry but remained faithful at Union Tabernacle until he was called and began to pastor the Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church on the first Sunday in November, 1977.

      He served as the Eastern District Overseer for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference for three years. He is founder and the presiding bishop of the New Life Fellowship Conference which is comprised of twelve pastors who represent three states.

      On November 2, 1997, he was consecrated into the bishopric by the Inter denominational Interdependent College of Bishops. Presiding Bishop John E. Harker served as chief celebrant.

      He is actively involved in activities in the Saint Louis Community. He is a certified Senior Police Chaplain by the International Conference of Police Chaplains and has served in the Saint Louis Police Chaplain's Corp for fifteen years. He recently worked as a supervisor for evangelism with the Promise Keepers Conference which was held in Saint Louis, Missouri.

      Bishop Kelley is a lecturer, conference host, and teacher. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois; a Master's of Arts Degree and post graduate work at Saint Louis University. He also attended Brooks Bible Institute, the University of Missouri, and Webster University. He worked as a Special Education Developer with the Illinois State University where he assisted in placement and programming for pre-student teaching placement for teachers of the visually impaired in St. Louis County, Missouri. He retired from Special School District after thirty-two years of service in education where he was a teacher for six years and served in numerous capacities of administration for twenty-six years. During his tenure with the Special School District, he was the president of the teacher's union as well as the president of the Missouri Speech/Language/Hearing Association.

      He is the husband of Lady Maggie Lois Kelley for forty-one years. They are the blessed parents of five children: Pastor Alecia Kelley-Tate, Arthur L. Kelley, Jr. (who transitioned to be with the Lord at the age of three and a half years); Evangelist Gina P. Kelley, Kyle E. Kelley, and Kelvin M. Kelley; they are also blessed with a son-in-law Minister Warren Tate, a daughter-in-law Minister Tracey Williams Kelley and four grandchildren Candice, Andrew, Charles and Timothy.

      Bishop Kelley enjoys preaching, music, plants, reading, and sports.

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