BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

Gloria James has been ordained as an apostle of the Power of Christ's Gospel Ministries. LONG BRANCH - When the pastor of a Long Branch church experienced a spiritual vision more than three decades ago, she was left wondering what it meant.

But the true meaning of that vision was revealed last month when Senior Pastor/Evangelist Gloria M. James, 71, of The Power of Christ's Gospel Ministries, was consecrated to the office of apostle.

"God showed me a vision 35 years ago of Moses and Aaron, and in the vision I was Aaron," said James in an interview last week. "I did not understand the vision at first because I did not believe that women could have certain leadership roles in the church."

But James said that over time she learned that women could be called to serve in all areas of ministry.

"[God] began to reveal to me that he was calling me to a greater level of responsibility in the ministry," James said.

"It is an awesome experience to know truly that I was even chosen by God."

James said her primary functions in her new role as apostle are to provide leadership to the local assembly, direction for expanded ministry growth, and development and shepherding of the congregation.

"I provide spiritual oversight for other ministries assigned to my care and establish new global initiatives," she said. "My ministry is to the body of Christ as a whole, not just to the local assembly."

James said that although she gladly accepts the new role bestowed upon her, it may take others some convincing.

"An apostle, according to scripture, is one who is a messenger of God, and the office of apostle is quite controversial," James explained. "Today people do not believe that there are apostles or that apostles can be women. But this is not true."

James explained that apostles are those who have encountered God and have been placed into office through the words of God.

"The level of leadership, of the apostle, is one of tremendous responsibility and authority," she added. "An apostle has experience in various doctrines, denominations and walks of life. They know something about everything and are familiar with teaching and heresies in the church."

James first became involved in the ministry when she and her husband, Bishop Jacob N. James, founded The Power of Christ's Gospel Ministries Church in 1973.

James and her husband were both evangelists when they married in 1972.

"We worked with other churches and we traveled to different countries to preach," she said. "But being an evangelist was just the beginning for me. As I began to minister to other churches, I found all these gifts manifesting. The apostle is a gift of God. I never desired this office, I just got a word from the Lord saying that this was the way I was going."

Bishop and pastor James decided to start a Bible study class in Long Branch.

"It was such a success, and the people began to tell us they wanted a church," James said.

So the Jameses began a church, and then in 1988 they founded a K-12 school, The Power of Christ's Apostle Academy at the corner of Sixth and Joline avenues.

Today the school is a K-6 school due to decreased student enrollment, James explained.

While her husband was serving as pastor of the church, James served as assistant pastor, vice president, treasurer and administrative minister until 2001, when her husband became ill and passed "the mantle of pastorate" to her, she said.

According to James, the church is nondenominational and at the moment is just a small congregation.

The church offers Sunday services at 11 a.m. as well as Bible and prayer studies on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings, all open to the public.