ABOUT US

Our History

On August 1, 1966, under the spiritual supervision of the late Pastor Alex Toussaint of the St. Andrews Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Pastor Richard Kessee Jr. organized the Mary Magdalene Missionary Baptist Church along with (10) charter members and (18) non-charter members. Pastor Theodis Kessee located the first building for worship service across the street 5151 South Western Avenue, L.A. which was purchased shortly thereafter. The building had previously been used as office space so the members put their resources together to renovate by knocking down walls, constructing a new rostrum, and purchasing furniture to make the sanctuary a beautiful and comfortable place to worship. 

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In 1969, additional remodeling was done specifically to extend the sanctuary to increase the seating capacity for the rapidly growing membership. In 1972, Mary Magdalene was officially incorporated. This strategic move paved the way for a variety of additional uses for the church to procure added resources to collaborate with the Eighth District Councilman for future expansion. 

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In 1978, under the leadership of Pastor William Kessee, a landsite was purchased to build a new church. Five years after the groundbreaking ceremony, our new building was completed. 

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On October 23, 1983, the congregation, led by Pastor William Kessee marched across the street singing and praising God for blessing Mary Magdalene with a beautiful new sanctuary. From inception, Mary Magdalene has been under the spiritual leadership of the following Pastors:

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1966 - 1973 Pastor Richard Kessee, Jr. 

1974 - 1987 Pastor William Kessee

1987 - 1992 Pastor L. A. Kessee

1993 - 1996 Pastor Roderick Walker 

1997 - 2010 Pastor Melvin King

2011 - 2017 Pastor Theodis Kessee

Jan 2017 - Nov 2017 Pastor Emeritus Richard Kessee, Jr. 

2017 - 2019 Pastor Nino Johnson 

2019 - 2022 Interim Pastor Rev. Eugene Howard

2022 - Pastor Alamazie M. Warren "Zee"

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