About the Pastor’s Wife

AUTOBIOGRAPHY – EVELYN A. KELLY

FIRST LADY EVELYN A. KELLY

Church Business Administrator

Director of Women's Ministries

Faith Temple Church of God in Christ

Rapid City, South Dakota

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Lady Evelyn A. Kelly was born on September 18, 1945 in Greenville, South Carolina.  As an eleven-year old girl, she moved to Evanston, Illinois in 1956 and attended elementary, junior high and high school in the Evanston community. She met her future husband at age eleven while they attended the Springfield Baptist Church where both of their families were members. They began courting when Evelyn was fourteen years old and continued throughout her four years of high school. In June of 1964, she graduated from Evanston Township High School; and, in July, she began attending Bryant & Stratton Business College; and, on October 10th she was married to her childhood sweetheart, Lorenzo. Their three sons were all born in Evanston and grew up in the Evanston and Skokie school systems. After eighteen years of marriage, the Kelly’s along with their three sons, Thomas, Scott and Loren, moved to Rapid City, South Dakota in August 1982.   Their purpose for making this move was to establish a church and ministry. The church was named after their home church in Evanston, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ where Bishop Carlis L. Moody is the founder and pastor. Two of their three sons are married to wonderful wives – Scott’s wife’s name is Shelly and their children are Mikaela, Aleah, and Jahnaya; Loren’s wife’s name is Cara and they have a daughter, Beatriz. Their children and grandchildren all live in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.  Since they were childhood sweethearts, Evelyn and Lorenzo have been like magnets drawing wonderful young people who call them “mom” and “dad” and now, celebrating 42 years of marriage, they have hundreds of “children” all over the world.

After graduating in May 1965, from Bryant & Stratton Business College with a Diploma in Executive Secretarial Training, she began a nine-year career as an executive secretary working for various companies (Northwestern University; Baxter-Travenol Laboratories; Allstate Insurance Company; O'Donnell, Wicklund, & Pigozzi Architects; Films, Incorporated; and Denticon Dental Laboratories Company). Later, after developing management skills she was employed as an Office Manager by the Summy-Birchard Music Publishers from 1973 to 1975 (when their youngest child was born); and, Business Administrator for the College Entrance Examination Board from 1978 through 1982. Her management responsibilities included Personnel Administration, Fiscal Budgeting, Regional Meeting Planning, Purchasing, Accounting and miscellaneous. She attended Northwestern University's evening school division taking business and personnel administration courses. Over the years, she attended several American Management Association business seminars and workshops in accounting, business administration and other miscellaneous business related courses.   After moving to Rapid City, she worked for a company called College Survival (1985 to 1988) and was the meeting planner for the educational workshops that were held all across America and into Canada.

The Kelly's established Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in September of 1982 and, for twenty-four years, has lovingly served the congregation and the Rapid City community. The church is known, casually, as "the Black church in town” since Bishop Kelly is the only Black pastor out of, possibly, one-hundred other local churches.  However, they are blessed to pastor a multi-racial and culturally diverse congregation that is a tremendous example of how God desires His church to be. It is a lovely sight to see God's people worshipping, working and serving together for the cause of Jesus Christ regardless of race, creed or color.  When the church was established the pastor was an “Elder” but in 1989 was selected to be the Jurisdictional Bishop for the State of South Dakota Church of God in Christ.  The elevation of her husband, Bishop Lorenzo L. Kelly, brought an automatic elevation of his wife.

In addition to her pastor's wife duties, Lady Kelly serves as the Church's Business Administrator; serves on the church’s Board of Director’s as Treasurer; is Director of the Faith Temple Women's Department; Oversees the Youth Department ministries; is a licensed Evangelist; and, in August 2006, was elevated to the office of Pastor by her husband, Bishop Lorenzo L. Kelly.  She will serve as Co-Pastor beside him as he continues his recovery process from the aneurysm of the thoracic aorta that he sustained in January of 2006.  He was revived from death five times while on the operating table and, also, accidentally sustained fourth degree burns to the front of both legs during the surgery. He has endured additional surgeries and extensive suffering because of the burns, but God is restoring his health daily and we are a continuing part of a living-breathing miracle!   

Jurisdictional responsibilities included her role as the State of South Dakota Jurisdictional Supervisor – Church of God in Christ. As Supervisor, she is responsible for training, teaching and licensing the missionaries/evangelist in the State of South Dakota Jurisdiction.  Establishing new departments and lining the ministry up with the National Women’s Department auxiliaries and units is another of the expectations for this position.  In November 2007 Mother Cleo Willis was consecrated as State of South Dakota Jurisdictional Supervisor.  First Lady Kelly is very busy with the Church of God in Christ’s Bishops’ Wives Circle.  Working closely with the circle president, she coordinates the Bishops’ Wives Circle Annual Banquet that is held in Memphis, Tennessee in November each year during the Holy Convocation.

In the Rapid City community she served as a Hospice Volunteer, served on the Board of Directors for the Crises Pregnancy Center; served on the first Board of Directors for Black Hills Habitat for Humanities; served on the Board of Directors for the Women Aglow evening chapter; helped to establish a local Pastors and Ministry Wives Fellowship; for six-years taught a weekly two-hour session to the female inmates at the Pennington County Jail; on “Becoming a Woman of Excellence”; and, served four-years on the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors.   She coordinated the 2001 Good Friday Concert bringing together choirs from the community as well as the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra.  This tremendous performance, of Handel’s Messiah and Gospel Selections, was attended by close to 1400 people from the community and brought together four different denominations in the 80-voice choir, and a chamber orchestra.  Oftentimes, Lady Evelyn is invited to sing and/or speak at local churches and it is such a joy for her to share the Lord with others.  Lady Evelyn has also been featured in an annual concert, usually on Good Friday, which is attended in a tremendous way by the Rapid City community.

As a choir director and trainer Lady Evelyn worked with the Voices of Faith Temple Choir over the years and used to write and/or co-write their annual Christmas concert productions.  However, in 2004 our church was blessed with the addition of a Minister of Music who moved here from Chicago, Illinois.  His musical skills and training abilities have the Voices of Faith Temple Choir rocking and praising!  This is a great relief for Lady Kelly and frees her to concentrate in the many other necessary areas.

She is a gospel singer and songwriter and self-produced her second album in 1998, entitled "How Excellent!" and currently has CD's, Cassettes and Videotapes available for sale. Her first album (along with Rosellen L. Reese) was completed in 1987, and entitled "Everlasting Love” – CD’s are available and can be ordered.   Her music is produced and distributed under her own established company, Everose Productions of Rapid City.  She also produced CD’s from the 2001 Good Friday Concert “Now,  Behold The Lamb!” and those are available for distribution as well.  In 2002, she produced a maxi-single entitled “Robed in Majesty!”   Finally, after working on her latest CD for a couple of years, she released her newest album entitled, “Lord, You Are Incredible!”  on April 22, 2005 with a concert held at the Civic Center Theater in Rapid City, SD. 

The most rewarding aspect of her contributions to the jurisdiction, the church, to the community and wherever she travels is witnessing renewed hope, growth, and changed lives among the people whose lives God blesses her to touch.

For additional information or for bookings, please contact Lady Evelyn at:

Address:  615 Kansas City St.  Suite #1

Rapid City, SD 57701
Phone:    605-341-0191 Fax:  605-341-0192
Email:  info@everoseproductions.com