The Beginning 1924
Reverend Wilbur Forbush became a Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc. minister who in 1922 started the 25th Street Pentecostal Church in Huntington, West Virginia. Two years later in September of 1924, he moved across the Guyandotte River to the community of Guyandotte and established the Jesus Name Pentecostal Church of God in a building on Richmond Street. In 1925 he purchased a lot from the Adkins family at the corner of Hagan and Staunton Street and there built the original structure of what is now Apostolic Life Cathedral.
Reverend Leonard Sparks started another Pentecostal Church in the same building on Richmond Street where Bro Forbush had started the PAW church. In that building in January 1936, Greene Kitchen received the Holy Ghost. They soon found that Greene had a natural talent for singing. Brother Sparks insisted that he be their song leader. Despite his timidity Greene was obedient to his pastor and lead worship. The time in the Army had helped Greene overcome his shyness. He found great joy and demonstrated great exuberance in leading worship. That exuberance tuned into an anointing & for three years Greene preached several revivals in the Tri-State around Huntington.
In 26 years the church had had seven different ministers pass through its pulpit as pastor. On April 30, 1950, the church and all 18 of its members held a business meeting, and with a simple majority elected the Reverend Greene Kitchen as Pastor . At his first service at Staunton Street, the attendance was thirteen. Within the year the congregation grew to 150!
Greene Kitchen | 1950-1989
All the efforts of Pastor Greene Kitchen, along with his wife of 57 years, Minnie Louise Williamson Kitchen, were a beautiful coordination of everyone in the small congregation stepping up and buying into his vision for the growth and development of the congregation that now has worshipped on Staunton Street for 100 years.
In 1950, Huntington was approaching its peak population as multiple industries were booming. It was the right time for Holy Spirit to direct this man to lead this church to reach this city it into a time of unprecedented growth. Bro. Kitchen made his children an intricate part of the church and its growth.
Charlotte Ann, the oldest daughter, became an indispensable gift throughout his ministry. As an accomplished pianist and organist, she faithfully came and served even though trying times of personal and family sickness. Revivals, church services, weddings and funerals were more successful because of her intense dedication to the church.
David Lee, the middle child and son, was a music partner with his father as a Nashville quality guitarist and bassist. As a building superintendent at WV Steel, he gave his service to overseeing all the electrical work on all the building projects Bro. Kitchen ventured in through the development of the church and educational facilities that were built.
Sharon, the youngest daughter, and child was a network builder, musician, choir director and women’s leader. As pastor’s wife, Sis. Harper has picked up the weight of the church’s ministry, just like her mother. An artist in the work of decorating she presented the beautiful color scape of the Cathedral Sanctuary. She has been a world traveler to the mission field beside her pastor husband Bro. Harper.
They went to work contacting, loving and involving those families on that list. The climatic result of the next 3 years would be a revival that started in 1950 and continued in great intensity through 1955. In 1953 he added an addition to the back of the church with a baptistery, small office, 2 restrooms with three Sunday School Classrooms. In 1955 he added a second story to the addition and converted the two apartments of which one had been his original home when his father moved them to Huntington, into 9 more classrooms and a multi-purpose activities room. In 1957 he raised money and bricked the entire building. In 1967, the 300 seat Cedar Sanctuary was built on the lot he purchased with the funeral and wedding money he had been paid over the past 16 years. In 1972, Bro. Kitchen started the bus ministry.
In 1983, adjoining property was purchased, and a two-story Educational Building was added to the Cedar Sanctuary with the interest he had earned from his frugal savings for the church from when they burned the mortgage on the Cedar Sanctuary in 1973. In 1985, from that interest earned, he paid in full the cost of building the Greene Kitchen Activity Center which is a full gymnasium located directly across Staunton Street in front of the Educational Building.
Also, in 1985, his son-in-law, the Reverend Edwin S. Harper, and Greene’s youngest daughter, Sharon, came to be Co-Pastor of the Church. The Harpers came to Huntington with their 3 girls: Danielle, who is now Dr. Danielle King MD; Holly, who is now architect Holly Harper; and Heather, who is now Heather Harper-McKinney, a registered nurse.
Bishop E. S. Harper | 1989-2026
Between 1985 and 1988, phenomenal growth took place and over 500 people received the Holy Ghost in those next three and a half years. In one 56 night revival, 318 people were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1989, Bro. Kitchen made the announcement that he was formally retiring. With that he introduced Bro. Harper and Sharon and told the church as of now these folks are the Pastor and First Lady of the Staunton Street Apostolic Church.
It was necessary to build a new sanctuary to accommodate the growth that had preceded the transition. The well-detailed plans were presented to the city, but the building inspector refused the prints because Brother Harper was not a licensed architect. A set of $23,000.00 blueprints that merely copied his original drawings were finally accepted and the congregation was ready to build.
Governor Gaston Caperton, a real fan of Sharon, Mayor Bobby Nelson, the Banker and several other city, county and state officials joined in the groundbreaking ceremony. One year and seventeen days later the Governor was back for the opening service, November 4, 1990, in the 1,569 seat sanctuary.May of the following year, the West Virginia District conference came to the Cathedral and Rev. N. A. Urshan, the General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International came and dedicated the facility.
With the new Sanctuary, Radio Ministry and Bus ministry the attendance continued to climb. . On more than one occasion, before the State passed the Nico Law and made the cost of Bus Ministry out of reach eight bus routes brought over 400 children to Sunday school. It was the goal of Apostolic Life Cathedral to be the church home of the TRI-STATE. The Sunday night crowds increased to over 750.
At the local level, in 2008, Cliff Beckett began, and David Stephens continued, a food program providing a warm meal to the less fortunate of the Guyandotte community on Friday nights. They, and their team, also provided food baskets and clothing until that effort was disbanded in 2018. For those 10 years, at least 1,600 people a year were served through the efforts of that team of willing workers. This team has continued to provide approximately 65 Thanksgiving, Christmas and emergency food baskets throughout the year to the members of our community.
Bishop Harper had a vision for a training center to be housed on the ALC Campus. In 2013, Apostolic Life Cathedral united with the West Virginia / Western Maryland District-UPCI to serve as the Huntington Campus for Purpose Institute and appointed Stephen Kuntzman as the campus dean. Purpose Institute is a ministry training institution that partners with local Apostolic trainers anywhere in the world enabling them to develop leader’s ministry skills by focusing on “Apostolic Ministry, Methods, and Doctrine.” The Huntington Campus has enrolled 45 students from various churches in the region in the past 11 years and graduated 12 students. Of those twelve, six are currently licensed with the United Pentecostal Church International, and the others do serve or have served in various levels of ministry at their home churches.
Since 2019, the street ministry outreach team, begun by Anita & Stephen Kuntzman, headed to the streets specifically to reach the homeless and those dealing with hopelessness and substance abuse. Each week that team reaches anywhere from 75-100 people. The team handouts a snack bag to everyone, Bibles, prayer cloths, hygiene kits, clothing, blankets and more. The goal has been to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hangups find deliverance and hope through the Lord Jesus Christ.
