IDA BELL ROBINSON
Bishop Ida Bell Robinson was an ecclesiastic pioneer well ahead of her time. She founded Mount Sinai Holy Church of America almost one hundred years ago, firm in her conviction that God had called her as an instrument to loosen godly women to serve on equal footing with men, having full clergy rights as their male counterparts. “Men and women in Christ must harmoniously serve together to win souls to the Kingdom of God,” Bishop Robinson contended.
Today, the denomination she founded has more than 80 congregations across the United States and around the world, including in India, Guyana, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic.
Robinson was born in Georgia, but spent her childhood in Pensacola, Florida. She accepted Christ during a street revival conducted by the Church of God during the rise of the Pentecostal Holiness movement, and never looked back.
After pastoring for a brief time, she responded to the call of God to establish Mount Sinai Holy Church of America, and the state of Pennsylvania issued her a charter in 1924. A gifted evangelist, preacher and singer, the organization grew rapidly, and the first annual convocation was held in the “City of Brotherly Love” in September of 1925. Bishop Robinson traveled the country preaching and teaching – working tirelessly for many years, and the organization became the largest Pentecostal organization founded by a woman.
On April 6, 1946, Robinson left Philadelphia with her ministry team to serve some of their churches in Florida. After stopping in Jacksonville, they journeyed to Winter Haven, where on April 20, Bishop Robinson became ill and died. At the time of her passing, the organization she founded already had 84 churches worldwide.
