History
Our Founders
REV. RAGLAN PHILLIPS - FOUNDER
The City Mission Church was established in Kingston in 1924 by the Late Reverend William Raglan Phillips and the Late Bishop Mary Louise Coore. Reverend Raglan Phillips, a native of Bristol, England, was born in November 1854. He came to Jamaica in 1871 as a land surveyor. He also worked at the Westmoreland Telegraph in Savanna La Mar as a Printer and Publisher.
Reverend Phillips, formerly an adjutant of the Salvation Army, was commissioned by General William Boothe to the West Indies primarily to pioneer the Salvation Army. He first arrived in Jamaica, where he both served the Army and became a vibrant asset to the Christian ministry in many churches. While serving in Jamaica, Reverend Phillips felt the call of God and the urge of the Holy Spirit for a deeper surrendered life. After consultation with General Boothe, he started to conduct Open-Air meetings in Bluefields, Westmoreland just over 100 miles from Kingston. These meetings were conducted in the same format as the ones in the Salvation Army.
Over time, Reverend Phillips, became involved in the Jamaica Baptist Union and pastored the Acadia Baptist Church in St. Thomas. He was known as a man with a mission for ministry and helping people. Seemingly, in his pursuit to fulfill God’s will in evangelism, he began to study about the Holy Spirit and ultimately practiced and introduced the Pentecostal experience to the Caribbean.
Later Reverend Phillips started to conduct healing and evangelistic meetings in different places. While conducting his evangelistic meetings in Browns Town, St. Ann, he came in contact with the young Spirit filled Mary Louise Coore. The two partnered with each other and traveled all over the island, preaching, praying for the sick, and teaching both young and old about God. Huge crowds followed them from village to village and from town to town. Everywhere Reverend Phillips and Sister Mary Louise Coore went people were saved and completely healed from all manner of sicknesses and diseases.
As the healing and evangelistic ministry captured the interest of the people of Jamaica, Reverend Phillips named the ministry, the Healing Mission. Subsequently, in 1924, he declared that God had directed him to establish a mission in every city and Reverend William Raglan Phillips re-named the Healing Mission as City Mission Church.
In 1930 Reverend Phillips died. But before his death, he transferred the leadership of the City Mission Church to Bishop Mary Coore.
MARY COORE - CO-FOUNDER
June 19, 1879 – June 21, 1964
Mary Louise Coore, the daughter of Frederick Coore and Mrs. Coore, was born in St. Ann, Jamaica. Mary was converted to the Christian faith when she was 10 years old and was formerly a member of the Baptist Church in Brown’s Town St. Ann. Mary had a passion for evangelistic ministry. She was blessed with the gifts of healing and teaching and was often referred to as the girl with the healing hands.”
Mary was a rare girl of both unmovable faith and unquestionable integrity. She traveled everywhere and prayed constantly for the sick and helpless. She sacrificed her time to assist the natives with domestic needs. In addition, Bishop Coore was a set apart woman of God who touched many lives during her lifetime.
Her evangelistic partnership between Raglan Phillips gained momentum as they moved throughout Jamaica with the message of Salvation, Healing, Holiness and the second coming of Christ. From their blood and fire evangelistic ministry, many people were saved, healed and delivered from their sicknesses and diseases.
MARY COORE - CO-FOUNDER
June 19, 1879 – June 21, 1964
When Reverend Raglan Phillips died, the ministry of City Mission was localized within the fourteen parishes of Jamaica. But Bishop Mary Coore continued the vision of Reverend Phillips. She established new branches of the City Mission Church throughout Jamaica and in 1939 pioneered the first international branch of the City Mission Church to Belize (then British Honduras).
The work of the City Mission continued to progress under the very capable and Holy Spirit filled Bishop Coore. On June 21, 1964, she passed away and was succeeded by the most competent Bishop Delrose Lucille Walters.