Our Team

Pastor Johnny L. McGowan was born in Utica, Mississippi, to the proud parents of Percy and Lillie Bell McGowan. He is from a blessed family of 15 siblings. He accepted the Lord as his Savior at an early age. He was baptized at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Utica, Mississippi at the age of thirteen. As a young man, he attended church services regularly, receiving biblical training from Sunday school as well as other Ministries within the church.

He relocated to Aurora, Illinois in July 1973 seeking employment to secure a successful future for himself.   He was employed at Nicor Gas, retiring after 27 years of service as a manager for the Quality Assessor for   the Illinois Region. His responsibilities included meeting with Municipalities Supervisors from various departments to present and enforce safe practices and procedures when digging around underground utilities and buried facilities.

He became a member of Gayles Memorial Baptist Church in November 1981 under the leadership of the late Pastor George Marshall. Served as Church Treasurer from 1985 thru 2008. He was ordained as a Deacon on March 1994.

He accepted his call into the Ministry in April 2011. He was ordained and licensed as a Minister on      August 14, 2011 by the late Pastor George Marshall. He served as an Associate Minister of Gayles Memorial Baptist Church from August 2011 thru March 2016.

He served as Interim Pastor from April 2016 thru May 2017.

Received Bachelor of Theology Degree in 2014.

He has assisted in organizing the Neighbor Outreach to the community through the City of Aurora Neighborhood Night out program, where the community is encouraged to come together to promote unity within a multi-culture environment in 2016.

Pastor Johnny L. McGowan is a devoted family man who is happily married to his high school sweetheart Hazel, for forty-three years. The father of two sons Jeffrey (Julita) and Reginald (Hope), and one daughter Rachelle (Joe). Grandfather of nine, great-grandfather of one.