Our Pastor

Pastor Peris Lester

Pastor Peris Lester was appointed to Phillips Temple CME Church on Friday, July 29th, 2022. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Pastor Lester had a love of Christ and a passion for ministry instilled in him from a young age. He received his education in the Chicago public schools, his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lane College in Jackson, TN, and conferred his Master of Divinity degree from The Phillips School of Theology in Atlanta, GA. God blessed him with the opportunity to serve CME churches across the country in rural, urban, and metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Fort Worth, and Memphis, and made significant impacts on each community he served. Pastor Lester is a proud father of three sons, Peris James II, Taymon Tariq, and Paxton Jude-Michael Lester, and maintains the motto, “our children are only 40% of our population but are 100% of our future.”

“Just as Christ walked among the people (John 11: 54), I believe in providing services to the diverse populations in the cities where I am appointed to serve. I plan to join other ecumenical leaders to provide resources and services to those who might not otherwise have access to nutrition, representation, or health care, etc.”