Our Story

How it all got started...

Get to know more about what makes us different.

Pastor Edward G. Carter along with his wife, Vaughn and 2 children founded the Prayer Assembly Church of God in Christ in Phoenix, Arizona  on May 15, 1974.  The vision God gave Pastor Carter was inspired by the great commission, Matthew 28:19-20… “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This sums up our time tested motto and method…”Each One, Reach One, by Winning Them and Preserving Them”.
 From the start, Prayer Assembly has had a strong emphasis on prayer(hence the name), the word of God, outreach and hospitality.  Pastor Carter always emphasized ministering to and meeting the spiritual and natural needs of mankind.  This strong focus has led to continuous numerical and spiritual growth for Prayer Assembly.  The church has experience multiple moves due to growth.  From its start in a tax prep office, to the church on Roosevelt Ave., the Indian Baptist Church, the Indian School Road Church, the Church on Earll Drive and our current location on 45th avenue and McDowell Road, God has been good to PA!
 

In March of 2011 through Godly wisdom, Pastor Carter appointed Elder Ellis Ogles III to serve as Associate Pastor at Prayer Assembly, responsible for overseeing all auxiliaries and ministries.  Pastor Carter wanted to ensure that the ministry had continuous leadership and was positioned for the future.  As one of Pastor Carter’s spiritual son’s, Elder Ogles had served the church in various capacities over the previous 25 years.
On November 15, 2015 after the elevation of Pastor Edward Carter to Pastor Emeritus, Pastor Ogles  was installed as Pastor of Prayer Assembly COGIC.
In his nearly six years as Pastor, God has bless Pastor Ogles with a great vision to not only bless those in the local church, but to impact the community and the world for Christ. Through his leadership, Prayer Assembly has expanded its prayer, outreach & evangelism ministry, established alliances with community partners, become engaged with the Faith & Justice Project and through partnering with Vista College Prep delivers quality elementary education to the underserved of Maryvale.  Prayer Assembly is well positioned to impact the world for Christ.  The church was blessed to pay off its mortgage in 2018, and recently renovated its sanctuary and will be updating and refreshing its exterior and grounds.  We celebrate our history and are excited about our future!  We want to be Internally Strong, so we can be Externally Effective(ISEE).  Welcome to PA!
Elder Ellis Ogles III
Pastor, Prayer Assembly COGIC

Pastor Ellis Ogles III is a gifted teacher, preacher, and orator. He ministers the word of God in a manner that makes it easy to apply the truths of the Bible to everyday life. As a result, he is able to relate the word of God to both the churched and the unchurched.

Pastor Ogles accepted Christ into his life in 1986 at the age of 18 under the leadership of Pastor Edward G. Carter of the Prayer Assembly Church of God in Christ. He began preparing for ministry as a Deacon in training under the guidance of Deacon Raymond Singleton. It was under Deacon Singleton’s tutelage that Pastor Ogles honed his gift of teaching. He served in the capacity of Deacon for 15 years before accepting the call to become a Minister in June of 2005.

In June of 2009 he was ordained as an Elder in the Church of God In Christ by Arizona Jurisdictional Bishop Harvey T. Young Sr.  Pastor Ogles finished at the top of his Ordination Board’s class.
In March of 2011 Pastor Ogles was appointed to serve as Associate Pastor at Prayer Assembly, responsible for overseeing all auxiliaries and ministries. Previously, Pastor Ogles served as Prayer Assembly’s Men’s Ministry Director. During his time as Men’s Ministry Director, Elder Ogles implemented many innovative initiatives and programs including Habitat for Humanity, Men’s Call in the Park, Neighborhood Witnessing and the Annual Men’s Conference to name a few.

On November 15, 2015 after the elevation of Pastor Edward Carter to Pastor Emeritus, Pastor Ogles was installed as Pastor of Prayer Assembly COGIC. In his six years as Pastor, God has blessed Pastor Ogles with a great vision to not only disciple those in the local church, but also to impact the community and the world for Christ. Through his leadership, Prayer Assembly has expanded its prayer, outreach & evangelism ministry, and online presence. Established alliances with community partners, become engaged with the Faith & Justice Project and through partnering with Vista College Prep delivers quality elementary and middle school education to the underserved of Maryvale.

Pastor Ogles has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kelle Rochelle Ogles (aka Lady “O”) for 32 years, who serves as the PA Women’s Ministry leader.  They have three children; Tre’ Cameron, Taneal Christian, and Tatum Christina.

Professionally, Pastor Ogles is a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo, serving as the Employee Relations Director for the Enterprise Functions, Commercial Banking and Wealth & Investment Management Lines of Businesses. Pastor Ogles is committed to our mission to “Win them and Preserve them” and believes we must equip God’s people to impact the world for Christ. As he often says…”We must become Internally Strong, to be Externally Effective”.
Email-elderogles@gmail.com

PASTOR EDWARD G. CARTER (EMERITUS)
FOUNDING PASTOR, PRAYER ASSEMBLY COGIC
COLONEL, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (RETIRED)
Founding Pastor Edward G. Carter, Emeritus is a man on a mission: to win souls for Jesus Christ and preserve them. His hallmark scriptures for Prayer Assembly COGIC is Matthew 28:19-20, which he sums up as the motto: “Each One, Reach One.”
A third generation member of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Pastor Carter was saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost in his youth. He has served his local churches in many capacities, including Youth Director, Minister of Music, Prayer Director, Financial Counselor, Usher, and Men’s Ministry Director. He was licensed to preach in California under Jurisdictional Prelate, Bishop E.E. Hamilton and was ordained as an Elder in London, England under Bishop R.C. Bell. Pastor Carter has served in five U.S. jurisdictions as well as in Great Britain. He founded the Prayer Assembly Church of God in Christ in Phoenix, Arizona May 15, 1974 and has served as the Senior Pastor for almost 40 years. Since its start, several churches have been established out of Prayer Assembly. At the Arizona COGIC Jurisdictional level, he has served as a J. W. Taylor Scholarship Committee Member and as a Trustee.
While fulfilling his role as pastor, Elder Carter has held positions as U.S. Census District Office Manager, IBM Marketing Representative and Computer Consultant. Further, he is a decorated, retired, military veteran, having achieved the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
Pastor Carter received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government from Howard University, with minors in economics and business. He also received a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. His other credentials include lifetime teaching certificates from the states of California and Arizona where he has taught college-level business, political science and public administration courses.
Within the local, national and international communities, he severed as a member of the Ministerial Alliance of Phoenix, the Tuskegee Airman International Society, the Retired Officers Association, Promise Keepers International, and a lifetime member of the Air Force Association.
A strong advocate for the family, Pastor Carter has been married to Vaughn Carter for 49 years. Their union has produced two children and their spouses and three grandchildren. He exemplifies the spirit of hospitality and continually opens his home and his heart to guests from near and far.
On a personal note, Pastor Carter was an avid racquetball player and enjoys reading and traveling. In addition, he is passionate about building up men both spiritually and naturally. Finally, he is dedicated to mentoring and pushing all ages to the next level in God, academics, finance and citizenship.

Where we are headed...

The Vision for Prayer Assembly began in 2016 with Vision 20/20.

Be a part of our story...

Join us every Sunday as we gather to worship together a 10:30am.