Apostle Shirley Echols Pastor

In The Beginning

Apostle Shirley Echols was born on October 19, 1957 to proud parents, Lurlene and Edro Echols of Lutherville, GA. She is the gracious parent of one son, Jerrod Echols. Apostle Echols’ life was radically transformed in the year 2000 during a Sunday service at Power Action Ministries in Decatur, GA. After experiencing 18 months of unemployment, she finally accepted her sister Sandra Echols’s invitation to visit the church. On that day, Shirley Echols experienced the power of prophecy that would change her life forever. A prophetess spoke to her about all the things she was doing in her life. Shirley became angry with her sister, blaming her for the prophetess exposing her life in front of the congregation. Echols did not know that this was God’s way of getting her attention.

The Turning Point

After the incident, Apostle Echols was determined never to return to church again, but the transformation had already begun. She found herself drawn to attending Power Action Ministries. Each Sunday, as she sat in the church’s rear, she was drawn closer to the pulpit. An incredible hunger for God’s Word was growing within her. During one particular Sunday service, Echols found herself at the alter praying for God to enter into her life. During this sincere prayer, she felt a warming sensation overcome her body and suddenly passed out. She woke up dazed and confused, feeling soreness around her eye. When she went back to her seat, she looked in a pocket mirror to discover she had a black eye. Bewildered by these events, Echols waited until the end of service to ask the prophetess what had happened to her. The prophetess replied, “There was a battle in the spirit and you see who won.”

The Birth of Ministry

Transformed after that experience, Apostle Echols’ journey in ministry led her to follow God’s command to form the Women of Destiny conferences. God blessed her in organizing these conferences that empowered and changed the lives of women through the Word of God. From these conferences, Sister2Sister: Keeping It Real, a women’s SUPPORT group, was born. In 2010, God instructed Apostle Echols to start Reaping the Harvest Outreach Ministries International (RHOMI). The ministry would aim to serve all God’s people, by giving refuge from the cruel world. RHOMI would help the youth, elderly and battered families, while providing food, clothing and shelter to those in need. Apostle Echols’ petition to God for Reaping the Harvest was to send those who had been hurt or wounded from other ministries. Since that prayer in 2010, God has sent those in need of love, restoration, healing and deliverance to glean from the anointing of Apostle Echols.