Pastor Dorthy Hall

My Pastor
By Cindy Garcia

It was on a hot summer day in the middle of July that my Bible Study teacher, Joella Guthrie introduced me to Pastor Dorthy Hall.

We gently greeted each other with a handshake and a smile. Mrs. Guthrie had presented Pastor Hall to me, because she was going to be my new Bible Study teacher and Pastor. Mrs. Guthrie could not lead Bible Study anymore, as she was moving across town to a different location. This was the first time I had met a female pastor, so I was anxious to know more about her.

After three months of continually going to her church, Way of the Cross Foursquare Church, which is a full gospel church, I discovered more about her. Full gospel covers the Bible from the beginning to the end. During church, I sat silent mainly because I was observing and listening to what Pastor Hall preached. She told me she was born on November 4, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. She was "saved" at the age of seventeen. To be saved means to be born again, not physically, but spiritually. "You shall be saved, if you believe in your heart and confess that Jesus Christ died on the cross for all our sins and that He rose on the third day and He lives today. Then, you leave the old life behind and start living a new life with purity and holiness.

Pastor Hall had no idea she would one day become a pastor and even come to lead her own church. She said, "This was the last thing I wanted to do as a living". She soon realized that it was not what she wanted, but what God wanted for her life. It was not her own will; it was God’s will for her life.

She said, "I told God, I cannot become a pastor, that is NOT for me. I don’t even know the Bible that well. I want to become a lawyer." But, she soon learned she could not run from God. God kept speaking to her heart and He provided the way for her to become a pastor. He placed different people in her pathway to help pay for her college tuition. Finally, she decided to be obedient and follow God’s instruction for her. Pastor Hall said that it was not easy for her to submit her will, but she knew deep in her soul God had a calling on her life. A calling is when God chooses you to go out into the world and preach the Gospel, to tell people about Him, and to win souls to His kingdom. She said that it was actually very hard to give up her will, because she wanted to study law.

Pastor Hall then attended L.I.F.E Bible College in California. She graduated with a pastor’s degree. Having this degree allowed her to preach and even start her own ministry. What once was a meat

Warehouse is now Pastor Hall’s church. She started her own church out of her home in 1979. She has been a pastor for other churches before, but now has been pastor of her own church for 20 years.

Pastor Hall became a very good friend of mine. I spent a lot of time helping her deliver food to families in poor neighborhoods. I helped her clean the church and mow the lawn. We had lunch together and we even did our grocery shopping together. I value our friendship because it is not likely these days to find good trustworthy friends. She is not only my best friend; she is my sister in Christ. She is my role model, the person God placed in my pathway to show me the way I should live. A life of holiness and purity according to God’s Ten Commandments. To this day,

She has been present for my family, and me whenever we have needed her. She never hesitates to give us a ride to the store or to school.

Some of my most precious moments in my life, I have shared with her. When I am with her, I am at ease, because I know that she loves me, she understands me, she cares deeply for me, and she’s there for me. I also know that she has Christ living in her, because I can feel a sweet soft and gentle spirit flow through her. Pastor Hall will always be my example of what being Christ-like is. I feel as though she is one of God’s angels sent from Heaven especially for me. I know that I cannot ever be like her, but I can set the example for someone else. She has helped my and family and me in so many ways, with food, clothing, and bills.

Pastor Hall has a big heart for children, she loves them. She enjoys teaching them Bible stories. She is truly a woman of God. Her heart is all for God and His will. She carries her Bible all the time and she’s always ready to tell someone about Jesus. When I am with her, I can sense the joy and love of God through her personality and I can hear the joy in her laughter. She has a peaceful, calm look on her face and she moves with such grace.

I can feel His joy in her and I can feel His presence around her. It is such a warm, loving feeling that makes you want to be with her. I especially feel it when she softly holds my hands to pray for me with her deep and firm voice. She is a woman who speaks with belief and authority. She does not fear the devil.

While interviewing my pastor, I learned more about her and her beliefs. I asked her, "Pastor Hall, what advice would you give to today’s youth concerning drugs and alcohol?" She said, "All we have to do is look around and see how the teenagers are killing each other. Hardly any of them that get on drugs and alcohol live to be twenty-five, let alone thirty. Some do not even get a solid education. Some do not even know that the wages of sin is death.

In I Corinthians 6:12, God tells us that our bodies are the temple of God. He paid a full price for them when He died on the cross. He tells us to take good care of His temple and to keep it pure and holy."

Another question I asked was, "Pastor Hall, how do you think children should be raised?" She said, "I believe children should be raised with a family, a mother and a father. There should be less divorce and more parents raising their children together. This is very important, because it is a Biblical principle. It is found in Proverbs 22:6."

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