Serving as Assistant Pastor of St. Mark A.M.E. Church in Oxon Hill, MD under the leadership of Rev. Henry Harper, the Rev. Dr. Harrison E. Benton, Jr. received his call to establish a new church, Word of Life A.M.E. Community Church.
In 1996, along with Rev. Dr. Harrison E. Benton & Lady Beverly J. Benton, Word of Life A.M.E. Community Church was founded on the principle of reaching out and touching the people of the community. On Sunday, October 13, 1996, the Church held its inaugural service at the Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washinton, MD. Highly enthusiastic about the work before him, Rev. Benton focused his inaurugal sermon on an explanation of the name of the church. As Christ is the “Word” and He came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly,” the Church – following His example – proactively extended itself to reach out to the people of the community to touch and help them where they were, while diligently becoming a living part of the community and not a static structure of concrete and mortar. The Word of Life A.M.E. Community Church was admitted to the Washington Annual Conference on April 18, 1997.
In May, 1997, two important outreach programs were developed: (1) A Chaplaincy program at the Fort Washington Hospital and (2) the Visitation/Comfort Ministry at the Livingston Health Care Center. These ministries provided may services to improve the quality of life of senior citizens and others. For over 10 years, these ministries provided spiritual enrichment and critical health care services for the people of the community and also provided pastoral/hospital training for area minister and pastors. The Helping Hands Outreach Ministry was added and provided Thanksgiving & Christmas food baskets, clothing and toys for families in need.
The Word of Life Christian Academy was also born in 1997 and was located on a 2.6 acre site in Accokeek, Maryland. Classes started in September, with grades from pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grades. In 2003, the Academy closed and the church was re-located back to its original home, Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washington, MD.
At the Washington Annual Conference in April 2004, the Rt. Rev. Vinton R. Anderson, Bishop of the Second Episcopal District, accepted the church’s new location and a name change for the Word of Life A.M.E. Community Church to New Creation A.M.E. Church. On Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, New Creation A.M.E. Church moved from Harmony Hall Regional Center to its new church home located at 9700 Old Allentown Road, Fort Washington, MD.
On Sunday, January 19, 2014, the Rev. Dr. Harrison E. Benton celebrated his retirement from Christian ministry in the AME Church.
On 11 April 2014 at the Washington Annual Conference, The Reverend A. R. Young formely of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Dickerson, MD was appointed as the New Shepherd of New Creation A.M.E. Church. by the Rt. Rev. Bishop William P. DeVeaux, Presiding Prelate of the Second Episcopal District.
During the month of Oct 2015, under the leadership and guidance of Pastor A.R. Young, New Creation moved to it's current location at 7007 Bock Rd. Ft. Wash, MD 20744.
Pastoral Leadership
We are thankful for the dedicated work and spiritual leadership of the Pastors who God has sent to this branch of Zion.
Rev. Dr. Harrison E. Benton Jr.
(Founder)
1996 - 2014
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Rev. Anthony Young
2014 - Present