MOTHER BARBARA McCOO LEWIS
General Supervisor International Department of Women 2017 – Present
Jurisdictional Supervisor Emrita – Southern California First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Mother Lewis is a native of Los Angeles. She received salvation and was baptized in the Holy Ghost at the age of nine. She is a third generation member of the Church of God in Christ and a life-time member of her jurisdiction. Mother Lewis has been married to Bishop James A. Lewis Sr since June 1962. They co-founded the New Antioch Church February 1970 in their living room with five other adults. They are the proud parents of Elder James A. Lewis Jr and Administrative Assistant/Supt Jeffrey M. Lewis (wife Floetta) who was appointed senior pastor of New Antioch by the Jurisdictional Prelate now Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake at the pastoral retirement of Bishop Lewis in 2006. Her pride and joy are her adult grandchildren Shannon and Jeffrey Jr.
She has served in multiple administrative, leadership, teaching and training roles from the inception of the New Antioch ministry and is presently the president of the Mother’s Board. Mother Lewis rendered distinguished service on the District and Jurisdictional levels under Jurisdictional Supervisors Mother L O Hale and Mother Lillian A. Morris. She was selected in May 1988 by Bishop Blake to serve as the Jurisdictional Supervisor and received her appointment at the National Holy Convocation in November from the General Supervisor Dr. Mattie McGlothen . Bishop Joe L. Ealy is currently the Jurisdictional Prelate.
Her community efforts in Los Angeles earned her formal recognition by the Mayor for her extensive outreach work in Juvenile Halls, Door to Door Street Ministry and Drug Rehabilitation Centers. Local Los Angeles newspapers honored her as “Woman of the Year” and the “First Ladies” Community Impact award.
Many new programs and ministries have been implemented in the Jurisdictional Department of Women since the beginning of her tenure in 1988. A servant-leader Mother Lewis has implemented monthly Urban Initiative workshops, annual gatherings for spiritual and intellectual empowerment along with six weekly prayer lines sensitive to the diverse needs of the women. Not only a renowned prayer warrior she is also an anointed writer and authored “The Christian Woman’s Guide to Church Protocol and Saintly Decorum” which appears on the best seller list of the COGIC Bookstore in Memphis, Tenn. Dr. Lewis was also the managing editor of the Curriculum Guide for the Jurisdictional School of Licensing for Missionaries as well as the individual Handbooks for Regional & District Missionaries; Aspiring, Deaconess and Evangelist Missionaries; Clergy Wives and most recently Auxiliary & Unit Leaders. She is currently working on a Handbook for Assistant Supervisors.
Her most significant accomplishment was the completion in March 2002 of the 41-unit Hale Morris Lewis Senior Complex (named after the three jurisdictional supervisors). The $4.7 million development is operated by the 501c3 Southern California COGIC Economic Development Corporation where Dr. Lewis is President and CEO. This housing site is the focal point of an annual community distribution in December to hundreds of community residents of food, clothing, toys, and health/hygiene products sponsored by the Jurisdictional Department of Women. With a full-time staff Program Coordinator weekly bible studies, computer classes, quarterly health-screening and senior awareness workshops are all part of life-enhancing services offered to the residents, seniors of the community and the Jurisdiction.
She is also President of the 501C3 Barbara McCoo Ministry Inc. which partners with social and economic entities that focus on improving the quality of life for men, women and children in urban America.
Her educational achievements include an Associate of Arts degree from West Los Angeles Community College, Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University at Los Angeles. She studied at Fuller Theological Seminary. She holds both a Master of Arts degree in Theology and a honorary Litterum Doctorate degree from the Southern California School of Ministry.
Mother Lewis’ service on the national level is extensive and began almost immediately after her appointment as a Jurisdictional Supervisor in 1988. She served as a Commissioner of the International Constitution Convention in 2003. She is a former member of the Department of Women Advisory Board and subsequently Executive Board, she was the assistant International Marshal(4 years) and International Marshal (20 years), a member of the steering committee Women’s International Convention, General Supervisor’s Regional Representative (West Coast Region of the United States), member of the Program Committee then Chairperson (17 years), Chairperson Special Convention Assistance Committee (24 years), workshop presenter and facilitator for both the National Leadership Conference and Women’s Convention Leadership Conference. Mother Lewis was the recipient of the Outstanding Supervisor of the Year award by both the National Business and Professional Women Federation (2012) and the National Education Department of the Church of God in Christ (2013). She was appointed by Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake as Assistant General Supervisor and Chairperson Executive Business Affairs under the leadership of General Supervisor Mother Willie Mae Rivers in 2013. She was appointed by the Presiding Bishop and sanctioned by the General Board as the General Supervisor of the Department of Women in April 2017.
Dr. Lewis served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the C H Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia for 25 years.
The theme of her life is I Can Do All Things through Christ which strengthens Me”
