Meet Bishop Hilliard

SAY YES, is a familiar phrase often heard reverberating throughout the services at the Cathedral International the Historic Second-Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. It has become a trademark of Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr., the visionary leader who, at the age of 26, became the church’s Senior Pastor. As the son of Alease Hilliard-Chapman and the Late Donald Hilliard, Sr., Donald Hilliard credits his parents for providing a stable and loving home where education and hard work were emphasized.

Dr. Hilliards willingness to Say Yes! to the Lord has fostered his ability to provide leadership in the growth of the church from 125 members in 1983 to 6,000 members today. Now, One Church in Three Locations, the Cathedral International has expanded its ministry to serve the specific needs of three different locations in New Jersey: Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, and Plainfield, NJ. Cited by the American Baptist Churches (USA) as a model for church growth, the Cathedral International functions as a multifaceted relevant church in which sixty ministries are at work in three cities, with many of its members traveling from throughout the tri-state region of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Through the facilitation of the gospel via Streamingfaith.com and the Word Network, Cathedral International now reaches millions of homes across the globe. The Cathedral International is scheduled to break ground on 100 acres in Cranbury, NJ to erect a new edifice that will seat 4,500 in fall 2006.

Consecrated as Bishop in 1995, Dr. Hilliard is the Presiding Bishop and Founder of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies, Inc. In this role, Bishop Hilliard serves as the spiritual advisor and mentor for several pastors and churches across the United States and West Africa. A true bridge builder, Dr. Hilliard hosts monthly interdenominational clergy gatherings. He has also established the Safe Harbor Clergy Leadership Conference where innovative leaders from different denominational backgrounds gather to confront and minister to various issues faced by clergy daily, as well as, to expand their theological and social horizons. Dr. Hilliard is a member of the Yale University Center for Faith and Culture where curriculums are developed to help pastors and their congregations envision and practice Christian faith as an integral way of life. Dr. Hilliard is an active member of the Board of Directors, Somerset Christian College, Somerset, NJ; Oxford University Round Table where world leaders discuss important policy questions pertaining to church, state and education in a collegial, think-tank atmosphere; and a visiting professor of Church Renewal at Drew University School of Theology, Madison, NJ, and Group Convener and Mentor of the Donald Hilliard Fellows, Doctor of Ministry Program.

Dr. Hilliards multifaceted mindset is reflected in the numerous community development initiatives established under his leadership. He is the Founder and CEO of the Cathedral Community Development Corporation (CCDC), an umbrella organization providing numerous outreach services to the local community. Joy in the City is a child-care center. The Cathedral Community Counseling Center provides therapy for both the church and the community. The Cathedral Bible Institute partners with Oral Roberts University in offering theological studies to bible students. The Cathedral Family Life Center hosts banquets, receptions, and provides space for a creative dance center and youth activities. In addition, the Cathedral and the CCDC own 9 properties, several of which offer economic empowerment opportunities for entrepreneurs. The CCDC recently ventured into affordable housing construction, selling homes to a diverse of persons from the local community. The church has been cited by the city and state as a major catalyst for the renewal and development of downtown Perth Amboy.

Over the past five years, he has authored six books on a variety of relevant topics: Stop the Funeral, Somebody Say Yes!, A Safe Harbor Begins @ Home, Faith in the Face of Fear, In the Grip of His Mercy, and his latest release Church Growth from an African American Perspective. Bishop Hilliard is currently working on two new books tentatively entitled The Way Back from Shame and Fries With That? A 2002 Hampton Ministers Conference speaker, Bishop Hilliard has ministered at various churches, conferences, and conventions across the United States and internationally. Vision Casting, birthed out of Bishop Hilliards call to serve corporate America as a Christian motivational speaker, is a motivational-action company formed by Bishop Hilliard to encourage Executive leadership to pursue life with a higher level of intensity, and a disciplined mindset for success.

Bishop Hilliards latest big launch Be Healed: The CD is a professional live recording of worship at the Cathedral International. Be Healed seeks to liberate the broken hearted through the reading of Scriptures, prayer, and worship. Joy3 Music, Bishop Hilliards own gospel professional recording company, was birthed in 2004. It is Bishop Hilliards vision and ambition for Joy3 Music to introduce fresh and anointed talent to the gospel industry, with the purpose of spreading the message of the gospel through song, the spoken word and dramatic arts. Again, the glimmer transforming into a burst of opportunity, Bishop Hilliards ability to see promise in small things began at age 12. In those early years he started a series of beginning enterprises: shining shoes, cleaning toilets, selling greeting cards and candy, cutting lawns after school, and organizing a neighborhood carnival whose proceeds benefited research on muscular dystrophy. As the son of Alease Hilliard-Chapman and the late Donald Hilliard, Sr., Hilliard credits his parents for providing a stable and loving home where education and hard work were emphasized.

Ordained into the Gospel ministry by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. in 1978 and consecrated a bishop under the hand of Bishop John R. Bryant in 1995, Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. is the Presiding Bishop and founder of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies. In this role, Bishop Hilliard serves as the spiritual advisor and mentor to several pastors and churches across the United States. A true bridge builder, Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. served as the Group Convener and Mentor of the Donald Hilliard Fellows Doctor of Ministry Program, and visiting professor of Church Renewal at Drew University School of Theology, Madison, NJ; visiting chapel preacher and lecturer at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL; a former member of the Yale University Center for Faith and Culture National Working Group; and a member of the Oxford Round Table, Harris Manchester College, Oxford, England. Bishop Hilliard currently serves The African American Pulpit, the leading academic periodical on black preaching, as an executive advisory board member; and is a current board member of Gospel Today.

Dr. Hilliard earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern College (now Eastern University), St. Davids, Pennsylvania, The Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, and an earned Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, as a Dr. Samuel D. Proctor Fellow. He is also the recipient of various honorary doctoral degrees.

From an array of community groups, non-profit agencies and governmental associations, Hilliard has received numerous awards and citations for his efforts inside the church and beyond, including his role in the ongoing renewal of downtown Perth Amboy. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ (1995) and Eastern College, St. David’s, PA (1997), The American Baptist Church, USA Evangelism Award (1996). He was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA. (1995). He also received the Perth Amboy Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year Award (1994) and the Drew University Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award (1994). Dr. Hilliard received the prestigious New Jersey Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Award (1999) and the Roberto Clemente Special Recognition Award (2001) from the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development, Perth Amboy, NJ. He is a member of The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. Most recently he received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice; and has also served as a commissioner for the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Authority

What you see over the last 20 years has been a divine leap of faith, said Hilliard, who partners in ministry with his wife, the Min. Phyllis Thompson-Hilliard. They are the proud parents of three wonderful daughters.

Bishop Hilliard is a servant of God who continues to say Yes to the Lords call on his life, and by doing so has positively affected the lives of thousands with his gift to turn a glimmer of hope into opportunity.

Source: thecathedral.org