The Bishop

The Koinonia Jurisdiction is blessed in the person of its Prelate, The Bishop Ernest C. Morris, Sr. Bishop Morris is known in both church and civic circles, in COGIC and without, as a man of integrity, character, and wisdom.

Ordained in 1962, Bishop Morris is a graduate of the Philadelphia Bible University located in Langhorne, PA.

Because of his dynamic leadership, Mt. Airy COGIC is one of the largest, fastest growing, most respected churches on East Coast. His vision remains consistent through more than 35 years in pastorship: to minister to the whole person, spirit, soul, mind, and body, and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. His consistency of vision and effort have resulted in phenomenal growth from 16 Sunday School children 1966 to over 3,000 active members today, including more than 1,300 under the age of 35.

With annual revenues over 5.5 million dollars, Mt. Airy Church serves as a significant stimulus to the West Oak Lane community. The and its Community Development Corporation employ over 125 persons, full and part time, and coordinates a force of hundreds of volunteers serving the congregation and the wider community through more than 80 specialized ministries, programs, and support groups that assist and empower the community.

Significantly, the Church of God and Christ hierarchy, perceiving the unusual organizational and leadership skills of Bishop Morris, elevated him to the office of Bishop of the beautiful island nation of Bermuda in 1999. Recently, this spiritual dynamo of a man has moved with vision and vigor to form The Koinonia Jurisdiction consisting numerous churches in the Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and New Jersey areas.

Bishop Morris' resume is replete with honors, awards, civic and religious participation, including serving as chairperson of the Board of the Lutheran Theological Seminary Institute. He is the recipient of numerous awards, citations, and honorary degrees, including the recently conferred Doctor of Divinity from the prestigious Geneva University. He is a well known and sought after Gospel preacher, author, seminar leader, radio and television personality, builder and pastor par excellence. He is known throughout the church world as an extraordinary churchman, organizer, visionary, man of faith, and a faithful and loyal son of the church. All who know him applaud his meteoric success and appreciate him as a generous and caring friend.

Bishop Morris' life is made complete by the presence of his gifted and beautiful wife, Winifred, who is herself a spiritual force in her own right. She is an internationally known and sought after evangelist, the church mother, teacher, author, organizer and fundraiser extraordinaire. They are the proud parents of four children, Tanya, Carla, Ernest, Jr., and Jennifer, and the doting grandparents of four.