Bishop Felix Hill leaving Greater Grace Ministries

Bishop Felix Hill Sr. is giving up leadership of the church he began 20 years ago.

During an 11 a.m. service on Sunday, he will hand over control of Greater Grace Ministries in Phenix City to the Rev. Rashanda Jones, who is currently in Atlanta.

Hill will remain a member of the church on 15th Avenue, but he will not be leading it.

The Phenix City native will be devoting more time to his role as leader of Christian International Alliance for Ministries, which is an organization he founded that consists of 10 ministries in Africa, one in Pakistan and eight in the United States.

In a few weeks, Hill will travel to Liberia.

“Things have really taken off the last few months and I see great potential for growth,” the 46-year-old pastor said of the Christian International Alliance for Ministries for which he first had the vision eight years ago.

Its motto is “We Do Not Disband. We Fix the Problem.”

The organization first came together with Hill and other pastors seeking a way to help churches in Africa. Pastor Abraham Diltz is helping to lead the organization.

“Many of the churches in Africa are very poor and don’t have good facilities,” Hill said. “The people have a strong devotion to the ministry that is rarely seen in the U.S., with people walking miles to attend a service.”

The mission of Christian International Alliance for Ministries is to undergird ministries and to help the ministers in the body of Christ to achieve their spiritual gifting. It works to be the forerunners to the ministries, providing training and education as well as some financial aid for churches licensed by the organization.

“We want to be a support base for churches,” Hill said.

Leadership training is available, the purpose of which is to develop the characteristics of a leader. Those receiving training learn about accountability and develop planning skills. There is also instruction in evangelizing, leading proactively and setting goals for the ministry.

Hill said Sunday will be an emotional time, not only for him, but for his wife, Yvonne, who serves as the church overseer, and daughter, Katlin, who is the music minister.

Yvonne will work as education minister for Christian International Alliance for Ministries while Katlin is headed to Las Vegas where she will be signing a contract with a recording company and continuing her singing career.

“It will be a great Sunday and everyone is invited,” Hill said of the service, which will feature local speakers and also some from out of town. The Rev. Jeffrey D. Wilson of First Baptist Church in Pell City, Ala., will deliver the sermon.

“We will have plenty of food,” Hill said. “Everyone is invited.”

Of leaving her role at the church and her daughter heading West, his wife said, “I’m losing two babies.”

Greater Grace Ministries bills itself as a place “where love is more than a word; it is an action.”

Through the years, the church has been active in feeding people in low-income areas, and each year has played a leading role in a special Save Our Teens event held near the Frederick Douglass Apartments in Phenix City.

At that event, food is served and pastors talk to parents and children with a goal of stopping violence among young people.

“We don’t give up on our children,” Hill said.

The pastor said he has given his all through the years to Greater Grace Ministries. He said the church building needs work and he believes that someday soon a new one can be built on land the church has purchased.

“I just wish it could have been on my watch,” he said.

More information on CIA may be found at http://cia4ministries.wix.com/cia4.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Bishop Felix Hill leaving Greater Grace Ministries."