Rev. Tawanna Jones–Lenton was the Pastor of our Westside location. She was the daughter of the late Apostle Robert L. and the late Dr. Mary Austin Jones. She was appointed Pastor of the Westside location by Bishop Elijah E. Johnson Jr. on Dec. 19, 2012. Pastor Tawanna Lenton was taught the word and ways of the Lord at an early age. She began her journey of the “Word” not out of the Chapel but the dining room of her parent’s home at a card table set up by her mother with two other ladies. Every Saturday morning in their home Tawanna would “Hear the Word of the Lord” and “See” her mother and two other ladies reading the Bible. At the age of 16 Dr. Mary Austin Jones consecrated her daughter to the Lord in the living room of their home. She preached her first message 2 years later which was entitled, “Not My Will But Thine Will Be Done”.
Her father ordained her as a Rev. in 1996 in the church that she now Pastors. Her parents, a man of wisdom and a woman of faith lived their lives wholeheartedly dedicated to the up-building of God’s Kingdom and she cherishes those memories and desires to walk in their footsteps. The “Holy Spirit”, came upon Tawanna at a tender age of 7 as she would be speaking in “Tongues” during church service at the Paxon Revival Center where the family was attending at that time. Pastor Tawanna said, “God” dealt with me at an early age very often in dreams.
As a young lady, on the night of a major auto accident and not having any knowledge of it, I dreamed of my sister in law. She was laying in my bed on pink satin sheets. I placed pillows around her torso and head. “God” led me to go into another room and fall on my knees and pray for her. I began to travail earnestly in prayer. I was awakened out of the dream around 3 A.M. with a phone call informing me of the severe auto accident of my sister in law. “God “had me to go into “intercessory prayer” for my sister in law in the dream.
Rev. Lenton had an active role in ministry since her youth until this present time. She has been active as a member of the Voices of Youth, Youth Pastor, Minister of Music, Office Manager and a Director of the WFJ Ministry. Rev. Lenton is dedicated to serving the people of God and her prayer is that through her service and obedience to Him that people will come to know God in a way so that religious traditions would be abandoned and replaced by a personal and intimate relationship with God that would restore pure worship and fellowship with our Creator. Rev. Lenton believes in her heart that God has called her to ministry for such a time as this. Her mandate from God is one of “Restoration” and to turn the hearts of the people back to God.
Pastor Tawanna was a wife and the proud mother of three beautiful children. Pastor Tawanna’s message to the sheep is of a Broken Heart and Spirit. “I have a passion for the hurt and lost sheep.”