About GEI
Church History
The late Elder W. Skaggs organized the Greater Emmanuel Church of God in Christ in 1932. The church was then named Alger Street Church of God in Christ located at 935 Alger Street. In 1939, Pastor Skaggs resigned as pastor. The State Overseer, (Bishop) I.W. Winans, appointed Elder Joseph Williams pastor. Elder Williams found it difficult to maintain the large rental fee with the small membership and decided to move the congregation into a house located at 1180 Alger Street. Here, he modeled the home and transformed it into a serene place of worship.
In 1950 Pastor Joseph Williams was killed in a hit and run accident. The Bishop C. L. Anderson, Sr,. who succeeded the late Overseer Winans, appointed the son of Elder Williams, Elder Herbert Williams, as pastor on November 21, 1950.
Elder Herbert Williams took the leadership and immediately began to renovate the small church. He established a large sanctuary for a growing congregation, a group that soon grew from 30 to well over 60 members.
In 1963, the church purchased a beautiful church building from the Methodist Union of Greater Detroit, located on Sturtevant Street in Highland Park, Michigan for $17,500. On September 18, 1969 the congregation burned the mortgage.
After having served the church for thirty-five years Pastor Williams resigned and appointed his son, Elder Reginald Williams, as his successor.
Finding it difficult to pastor two churches, one in Dennison, Texas, and Greater Emmanuel in Higland Park, Elder Williams recommended to the Bishop a very fine, energetic and progressive young man to succeed him and in 1988 Elder J. Drew Sheard was installed as pastor.
Elder Sheard found a small group of faithful people at Greater Emmanuel and asked to be given a change to share the vision that God had given him for ministry. The very first service, attended by only eight people, did not weaken his resolve or dim his expectations. Shortly after his appointment the church began to thrive. People where literally turned away because there was not enough room in the church auditorium. Souls were saved, bodies healed and yokes destroyed.
Greater Emmanuel, encouraged by their leader, enthusiastically began a building fund project. During that time, the church purchased approximately 37,000 square feet of land from the city of Highland Park with the purpose of building an edifice. Due to various obstacles the church was denied the option to build on this land. Apparently, God had other plans for Pastor Sheard and directed him to pursue a lead given him be Elder Marcus Ways concerning the facility occupied by the Urban Ministry Center.
In May 1992, after many test, trials and disappointments Greater Emmanuel purchased a beautiful church edifice located at 16776 Southfield Drive in Detroit along with the home next door located at 16757 Fenmore. Pastor Sheard then renamed the church Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. The blessings of God were evident as the membership burgeoned, and within a few years Pastor Sheard once again began seeking a larger edifice for his faithful followers. In March of 1999 he moved the members of Greater Emmanuel into temporary housing at Bailey Cathedral Church of God in Christ located at 7045 Curtis Avenue in Detroit and on February 7, 2002, the church purchased a 2,000 seat edifice located at 19190 Schaefer Hwy in Detroit.
God’s anointing is truly on Pastor Sheard and the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ as they prepare for their next move in the will of God. The prophecy has been given and the manifestation of God’s promise has come to fruition.
We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy and separated life in the present world. Amen life in this present world. Amen
