Reverend June R. Montague, DD,
LHD
Pastor And
Founder
The Reverend June
Montague, DD LHD, Pastor and founder of the United Pentecostal Deliverance
Temple, is hailed as a strong black woman used by God to effect positive change
in the thought process and way of living in her audience. She was called to the
ministry in 1978 at an era when men dominated the ministerial offices and women
were denied the opportunity to preach on the pulpit. To explain the dynamics of
how explosive her ministry was when she came on the scene is to refer to her as
a beacon of light, which shined in dark places. Her ministry was marked with
anxieties, persecutions and sufferings. She persevered because she possessed the
confidence that the Spirit of the Lord had anointed and called her to preach the
gospel. She preached with faith, boldness and power and has paved the way for
other women with similar calling.
Reverend Montague was born and bred
in Jamaica, West Indies to a family of political ambitions. From an early age
she was exposed to speaking in public and developed a passion for speaking
against injustice and encouraged others to rise above their failures, the origin
of Reverend Montague's faith was strongly influenced by her grandmother who
today would be considered a "Bible thumper, Holy Ghost filled and fire baptized
Christian. As a teenager in Jamaica, Reverend Montague was a member of the
Methodist church where she was very active singing on the choir, teaching Sunday
school and counseling with young people. Although she was knowledgeable in some
aspects of the Christian faith she did not come into full knowledge of salvation
until she migrated to the United States as a Jamaica Diplomat and became a
member of the Deliverance Center Church and was nurtured in the way of holiness
and the deliverance ministry by this great man of God, the Late Apostle Arturo
Skinner.
Her ministry started in homes
as she counseled and ministered to people of all walks of life. Her ministry
extended to evangelism and later into Pastorship. Reverend Montague sponsored
crusades God were without financial support from any church organization. She
gave all her earthly possessions to get the ministry started and consistently
gives back from the little she received. God blessed her with faithful workers
who gave pledges and special contributions, as well as dedicated their time and
energy to the work of the Lord.
Reverend Montague received her
biblical training at the Bethel Bible Institute and the New York School of
Bible. Her achievements included Honorary Doctorate degrees in Divinity in 1983
and Humane Letters in 1984. She also received awards for outstanding achievement
in Church and Christian Development and International Evangelist between 1985
and 2003. Her formal training coupled with her experience in the field of
evangelism and revelation knowledge of God provided Reverend Montague the
foundation for her work as a Pastor. In 1980, Reverend Montague founded the
United Pentecostal Deliverance Temple.
The Church was organized, as Reverend
Montague sought the Lord for direction. She has built three church foundations.
The Church was first located at 1125 Church Avenue, Brooklyn from 1980-1988, and
75 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn from 1988-1991 and now at its present site, 810
East 49th Street. The church is a lighthouse for those who are afflicted and
have given-up hope. The Lord gave Reverend Montague a burden for souls. Through
the powers of the Holy Ghost many received salvation, healing from many
life-threatening diseases and freedom from the powers of sin. She has restored
families and brought husbands, wives and children together to live as a family
unit. Reverend Montague is both an Evangelist and a Pastor. She is also a
Teacher and Counselor.
These accounts of Reverend Montague's life
in the ministry were written and submitted by the Administrative Board and
members of the United Pentecostal Deliverance Temple. The life and teachings of
our Pastor and mentor have inspired us to fear God, know and respect ourselves
and others, secure an education, and give thanks to God for all our natural
resources and achievements. Reverend Montague waged a life long battle against
sin and its effects.
Her famous words are "You must live Holy! Holy! Holy!"
For her dedication and service in shepherding her
local congregation and congregation at large, we have concluded unequivocally
that Reverend Dr. June Montague is deserving of the prestigious honor of "Pastor
of the Year" awarded by the Church Women United in Brooklyn, Inc. on October 24,
2004.
