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The history of this great church spans more than eighty years.  Around 1931, or perhaps even earlier, like many newly appointed churches, the church made several moves while getting established.  Mother Leanna Pinkard along with Mother Elizabeth Page, Mother Ricks, Brother and Sister Logan started out having prayer in her home on Newark Street.  The church then moved to Warren Street and then on to West Kinney Street [in an upper room near the present site of the Abyssian Baptist Church], all in Newark, NJ.  In 1939, while on West Kinney Street, our church received one of the most celebrated and distinguished leaders in the history of the Fire Baptized movement in the person of Elder Raymond M. Palmer.  One of Elder Palmer’s first achievements was that of relocation.  We were relocated to 469 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.  It was at that time [1939] that he changed our name to St. Paul Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas.

 

Others must receive their recognition, for they shared in the pain and the glory of our long history.  Great leaders such as the late Rev. [Bishop] John P. Graham and the late Rev. J. J. Johnson pastored St. Paul in the early to mid 1950’s traveling from Philadelphia, PA.  Bishop Graham went on to become the Bishop of the State of Rhode Island and pastored the Holy Temple.  Rev. Marion Manners, our first and only female pastor, was originally from the Virgin Islands.  She came to pastor in the mid 1950’s to 1966.  She traveled from Paterson, NJ.  Under the pastorate of Rev. Manners, St. Paul entered into negotiations for our present location.  She saw the church at least one time before God called her home to her reward.  The mantle of leadership then fell on the late Rev. Donald Womack from 1967 to 1974, who served as the assistant pastor under Rev. Manners prior to her death.  The church experienced great growth under Rev. Womack.  An extraordinary feat was wrought by him, as he was able to secure a loan and along with 39 members was able to pay off the loan within ten years.  We are grateful to God for these great pastors who gave many years of love and service to St. Paul.

 

In 1974, a chain of events began to occur at St. Paul.  The church was in transition and in need of a “Moses.”  While presiding as elder of the New York District and serving as temporary pastor of St. Paul from 1974 to 1975, Elder Raymond M. Palmer once again demonstrated the long-range vision and wisdom that characterized his anointed career in ministry.  In 1975, he appointed a young, anointed, conscientious, imaginative, and dedicated “country preacher” – Rev. Nathaniel Simmons.  History declares that the church reaped a great harvest of souls under the leadership of these anointed pastors.

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Bishop Simmons and his family left the comfort of a lovely home in Chicago for a tiny apartment in the Manners House.  He left a thriving membership at Zion Chapel for a church in Newark with only 18 members.  He willingly walked into an atmosphere of pain, poverty, and discouragement, but he did not let that deter him.  Instead, he walked into the lives of people who needed him.
 

His vision was connected to the people of this community, and the City of Newark.  St. Paul disassociated from the FBH Church in October of 1994 in the Annual Convention in Mount Vernon, NY.  We then became known as St. Paul Sounds of Praise Pentecostal Fellowship Ministries.  However, we never ceased to be “Good Ol’ St. Paul.  During Bishop Simmons’ tenure, St. Paul grew to tremendous numbers.  Expansion became the need and the first church remodeling took place in 1981.  In all, a $400,000 renovation took place and the loan was paid off in 3½ years ~ there has never been a time that St. Paul was more productive.
 
Bishop Nathaniel Simmons made a mark that can never be erased.  God used him to change lives and he allowed God to save souls!  He left a deposit in the earth, in this community and city.  He made a deposit in you and me.  To God be the glory for the things He has done!