MARY LEE MEARES
Mary Lee Meares, Co-Founder and Elder, provides a fascinating look at the early years of a ministry that started in a tent and grew to become one of the largest congregations in the Washington Metropolitan region. The church was called the National Evangelistic Center and Evangel Temple before being named Evangel Cathedral (now pastored by her son, Bishop Don Meares).
Co-Founder Bishop John L. Meares was a patriarch of the faith whose zeal for spiritual unity was an instrumental part of racial reconciliation in the Body of Christ, bringing blacks and whites together during a time of segregation. Popular ministers such as Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, Morris Cerullo, Nicky Cruz, John McTernan, T. L. Osborne and G. B. McDowell were guest speakers. During the early years of the ministry, Bishop Meares moved in the miraculous and thousands were healed, saved and set free as the church experienced continuous revival. The ministry received countless letters and testimonies about the move of God. So, Elder Mary wrote and published a monthly Fellowship News which kept thousands of subscribers informed.
Elder Mary has painstakingly compiled select articles from that newsletter to preserve the history of this great ministry. This work consists of those clippings as well as testimonies, newspaper articles, news from the worldwide mission field, first-hand accounts, teaching, and encouragement.
“My book, The Early Years of Evangel, was quite difficult to put together. I received an enthusiastic recommendation to this company from one of our dear church members, TiaJuana Rountree. She spoke so highly of Christian Living Books that I gave them a call. TiaJuana was right! Christian Living Books was definitely up to the challenge. I wanted to put some of the newsletters I had created over the years into a book to preserve the history of Evangel. However, I only had old, photocopied and printed newsletters, dating back some fifty years. Some were torn and tattered. Some were barely legible and yet, somehow, CLB was able to extract the content and put it all together in a beautiful, professionally designed book. I didn’t think it was possible. If you are looking for a publisher that will do more than expected, look no further. Heading the company is an accomplished publisher who has published many well-known authors. An Oral Roberts University graduate, you will find her very helpful and easy to work with. I am certain that you will be as pleased with the outcome as I am.” – Elder Mary Lee Meares