Franklin Funeral & Bishop Ellis

To the Members of the Kingdom of God in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc.:

As the current Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., formerly led by the honorable Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, I felt led to address publicly the recent events at the funeral of Ms. Aretha Franklin.

In light of the concerns raised by the public regarding the treatment of Ms. Ariana Grande, Bishop Ellis has offered his deepest apologies for any presumed and/or unintentional mistreatment and discomfort on his part toward her, I believe that we who make up the body of Christ take seriously not only the comfort of interacting with one another in a decent and respectful way as brothers and sisters in Christ, but also the apologies and repentance of those who may have missed the mark, even unintentionally.

Bishop Charles H. Ellis, Lady Crisette Ellis and the Greater Grace family took on the tedious job of hosting the funeral of Ms. Aretha Franklin, taking care of and coordinating guest services for the thousands of people from all walks of life that either came to the funeral, were outside watching, or waiting for the end of the services. Bishop Ellis has been a pillar in our organization and his community, seeking always to show the love of Christ to all he has encountered. I believe he is worthy of being believed and forgiven, and since he has publicly apologized even though Ms. Grande has made no accusation against him, we in the Body of Christ should offer grace to him such as we should continually hope to receive from one another and God.

Thus, I pray that we can move forward as a Body of Believers, so that we can continually do great and mighty things in the Kingdom of God. Unless we are able to have meaningful conversations on matters in ways that are upbuilding to the Body of Christ, by continuing to gossip and point blame, we are only damaging each other. Let us learn to forgive and move forward in the Love of Christ.

With all this being said, I bid you Godspeed, and pray that you will hear my voice, and feel the passion of my heart, and let us move on to do even greater exploits for the Lord.