This is the Lord's Church
And Jesus is Lord
This is the Church that's been established by His Word
This is the Church that love is built on
The gates of hell shall not prevail
This is the Lord's Church
And Jesus is Lord

The Pilgrim Cathedral of Harlem exists today because of God's grace and the vision that He gave to one man, the Honorable Archbishop Roy E. Brown the Chief Prelate of Pilgrim Assemblies International. God gave him the mandate to plant churches, and in obedience to the voice of God, the process began.

After prayer and following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Charles Reed (then Minister Reed) was appointed Pastor and a location in Harlem was sought to begin this new ministry. A loft at 1941 Madison Avenue was secured, and the temporary home of this new satellite church was born. Fueled by the financial support of the Archbishop and the faithful membership of the Pilgrim Father Church in Brooklyn, the Pilgrim Church of Harlem opened its doors to receive God's people on Sunday, October 18, 1992, and in the midst of an overflow crowd, 32 worshipers stood with Bishop Reed as the founding members. Since that date, many souls have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, saints have been encouraged, families have been reconciled, bodies and minds have been healed, and new ministries have been birthed

The past 15 years have been filled with an outpour of God's presence. The prophecy received on Pilgrim's opening day confirmed that "1941" was simply a temporary training ground and that God's greater glory would be manifested as we followed Him. Through Bishop Reed's faithful leadership and through guidance from Archbishop, Pilgrim's current location at 15 West 126th Street - once a dilapidated, gutted shell - opened on December 8th, 1996 and was aptly renamed the Pilgrim Cathedral of Harlem. God's cloud of glory rests upon "15 West" and His presence is a constant source of strength and encouragement. It is the Lord's presence that has sustained Pilgrim through the best of times and the worst of times.

Who knew what God's sovereign plan would be? In 2006, not long after celebrating his 52nd birthday, Bishop Reed succumbed to cancer having fought a victorious battle with the disease for 14 years. For Pilgrim, that was the worst of times. But God had a plan for His people! Archbishop Brown was pricked by the Holy Spirit and a new pastor was appointed to carry on the vision of our beloved Bishop - in the person of Minister Ronald Hopkins. Bishop Reed was passionate about many things - mainly about the church and the sheep the Lord had entrusted to his care. He encouraged us to be a place where the love of God is contagious, to be a people of prayer and to be a people who studied God's Word diligently. He recognized that with those simple foundational principles in place, God would get greater glory here in the Harlem community. Minister Hopkins will continue to pursue that vision and will propel Pilgrim to new heights as the Spirit of God continues to inspire him and give him direction.

The Pilgrim Cathedral of Harlem remains a house dedicated to the worship and praise of Jesus Christ, a house where God's Word is preached without compromise, a house where our Lord and Savior transforms lives to the glory and honor of God, and a house committed to the building of His kingdom. Without God's grace, we never would have made it, but we thank God because we're still here and the best of times are yet to come. We have a precious history behind us and God's glorious story being revealed in front of us. To God be the glory!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)