OUR PASTOR AND FIRST LADY
DR. BENJAMIN ALEXANDER
Pastor
Pastor Dr. Benjamin E. Alexander, a man of Godly integrity, is a native of Lubbock, TX, and is the eighth child of Elder James E. Alexander and the late Vera Mae Alexander. He is husband to Cicely C. Alexander of Houston, TX. and this couple is blessed with three lovely and talented children: Benjamin Harrison (age 14), Adyson Grace (age 20), a junior at Xavier University of Louisiana, and Benjamin Ashton (age 22), who is a senior at Harvard University.
Dr. Alexander is a third-generation Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Pentecostal gospel preacher, both on his father’s side and his mother’s side. His preaching heritage includes his maternal grandfather, the late Elder Edgar Bills and his paternal grandfather, the late B.B. Alexander, who was appointed by COGIC, Inc. founder Bishop C.H. Mason and would go on to plant ministries across Texas and California. The spiritual and familial legacy of B.B. Alexander extends so, that 2nd Assistant Presiding Bishop, Jerry W. Macklin, Prelate of the North California Metropolitan Jurisdiction, is a cousin to Dr. Alexander. Furthermore, the power of prayer and intercession stemming from the matriarchs of this legacy, including Mother Lillie Alexander, Veela Bills, and Grandma Vivian Bills, has carried this family through the years.
Dr. Alexander’s former pastors are the late Bishop J.E. Alexander and the late Bishop William H. Watson II, 1st Vice President of the Board of Bishops, COGIC. Inc. It was under Bishop Watson’s tutelage, that Dr. Alexander heard and accepted his calling to the ministry of the gospel. Even now, the echoes of Bishop Watson’s voice is a guiding reminder to “love the people, my boy, [and] be faithful in ministry”.
Ordained as Elder in October 17, 1993, Dr. Alexander grew in grace to positions within the COGIC church, including National Adjutant, Chief Adjutant of the Texas Northwest Jurisdictional Administrative Board, Texas Northwest Ordination Board member, and Pastor of Holy Temple COGIC. In each of these appointments, Pastor Alexander has served faithfully under the succession leadership of Bishop William H. Watson III, current prelate of the Texas Northwest Jurisdiction. Under Bishop Watson III, Pastor Alexander was additionally appointed to serve as Chairman of the Texas Northwest Leadership Conference, Lubbock District #1 A.I.M. Chairman, and Texas Northwest Trustee Board member.
Committed to spiritual growth and higher education, Pastor Alexander graduated with degrees from Texas Tech University including: B.S. in General Studies and Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Educational Counseling and Entrepreneurial Business Concepts. In May 2021, Pastor Alexander also received a Doctoral Degree in Business Management. His educational acumen led him to own and operate his own business in children’s scientific education and has allowed him to serve as the Executive Director of the South Plains College Lubbock Center.
DR. CICELY ALEXANDER
First Lady
Lady Cicely Alexander has always had an affinity for the wiser, seasoned saints and for the church. More than anything growing up, she was passionate about absorbing the wisdom of her cherished maternal grandmother, Sister Eveter Hagger, and sought a “double portion” of the Anointing about her. Lady Cicely also grew to understand the importance of relationship with Christ under her mother, Missionary Gwendolyn Youngblood, who phenomenally modeled the importance of breaking down God’s Word and making it applicable to everyday living, and soon, as she attended prayer meetings and “all-night-shut-ins”, Lady Cicely would develop her own deep love for prayer.
A native Houstonian, Lady Cicely grew up at New Day Deliverance Holiness Church, where she was raised and reared in the precepts of sanctification and Godliness. As a young adult, she moved to Lubbock to intern with Amoco Production Company, as an engineering intern. However, Lady Cicely quickly fell in love with small-town life and with West Texas church, and soon, she eagerly joined Agape Temple COGIC, under the astute leadership of Bishop William H. Watson II. A few years into her time in the Hub-City, Lady Cicely would hear the Lord calling her to transition her career into education. Throughout her now 25-year career as of 2021, Lady Cicely has been a classroom teacher, math specialist, behavior counselor, assistant principal, principal, and now principal supervisor. Her accolades range from 2011 TEPSA Region 17 Assistant Principal of the Year Nominee to 2019 TEPSA Region 17 National Distinguished Principal Year Nominee, which many accredit to Lady Cicely’s God-given passion to reach the people who need her. Among her most recent achievements, Lady Cicely has been recognized by the Texas Commissioner of Education for leading a low-performing school, which had been an “improvement-required” campus for years, to B-rating status in just two years, with the highest improvement rates in her school district’s history.
But while Lady Cicely wears many hats, the one she holds most dear is First Lady of Holy Temple COGIC, where she serves alongside her husband, Pastor Ben Alexander, in full-time ministry. Lady Cicely and Pastor Ben have served in ministerial capacities their entire marriage and, since Pastor Ben was installed in 2013, Lady Cicely has served as a praise team leader, choir member, youth leader, and head of the local Women’s ministry. Her latest hat was that of a student, again! Lady Cicely now holds a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership at Texas Tech University, where she also received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
Lady Cicely is most proud of her beloved family. 2021 is a pivotal year, not only for Lady Cicely’s career, but also because it marks 25 years since she met and married her soulmate, Pastor Ben Alexander in 1996. Her parents, Charles and Gwen Youngblood, have been married for over 55 years and she has learned principles of self-love within marriage from their union. She also esteems her siblings: Natalie (Tim) and Kevin (Nikki) as her closest friends and supporters. She and Pastor Ben are Godly-proud of their three beautiful children: Benjamin Ashton (22): known spoken word artist and musician who's a senior attending Harvard University, Adyson Grace (20): an artist, orator, and musician in her own right, who's a junior who attends HBCU Xavier University of Louisiana, and Benjamin Harrison (14): a robotics and chess strategist who's a 9th grader at Lubbock High School.