Rev. Ron Sullivan reflects on Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal's anniversary

When Ron Sullivan visited his then-girlfriend, Mariama’s church in Harlem, he never would have envisioned he would one day lead the historic congregation.

- By JASON PONTEROTTO

Rev. Ronald Sullivan has served as the pastor for the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal for 23 years. (Courtesy, Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal)

(Courtesy, Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal)

In 2002, after serving in the ministry for a few years, he would officially be handed the pulpit from the legendary Rev. Eugene Callender in leading the nondenominational Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal, a role he has held for the last 23 years.

On Nov. 14, the church, which was founded by Callender and was originally a denomination of the Christian Reformed Church, will be holding its 70th anniversary celebration Gala at the Harlem School of the Arts.

“We're not a physically large church, but for some reason, God has chosen to spare us through drug crisis, housing crisis, issues throughout the community, the pandemic, and financial issues to somehow have us continuing to not just hold on but thrive,” Sullivan said.

“Some people do like the status of being in a church with a big name, or a pastor who's a big name and on TV, and I don't aspire to any of those things,” Sullivan continued. “There's something to knowing that most people know your name and your face and feeling like a family.”

Each Sunday, Sullivan, 59, can be seen delivering a message to the congregation and thousands through the livestream.

He likes to incorporate real life and current affairs in his sermons while connecting to the word of God. Rev. Ray Singleton serves as associate pastor.

"Preaching should be bringing God into real life. And so I have to talk about the streets, the community, relationships, and things that we go through as real people," Sullivan said of his style. He says he had to find his authentic preaching and communication style that is true to him, having grown up in the hip hop era of the 1970s and 1980s.