One hundred years ago, an international church organization was formally organized in the small town of Greenville by by an African-American minister, Mary Lena Lewis Tate, affectionately called “Mother Tate” by her many followers.

Records indicate over 900 people came to Greenville, some walking more than 25 to 30 miles to get to that first meeting in Greenville.

This November, pastors and lay leaders – “The Thundering Daughters” – will converge on Dunbar Community Center to honor and celebrate Mother Tate’s life and the church she founded in Greenville. The Church of the Living God, The Pillar and The Ground of the Truth, Inc. will meet in a historic conference to execute a 100th Anniversary Proclamation.

A full roster of events has been planned for this centennial celebration, Nov. 26 – 29.

Speakers, musical performances, films and special programs are all on tap. Local civic leaders, including mayor Dexter McLendon and Jeddo Bell, mayor pro-tem, and visiting church leaders from Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and other states, are all slated to take part in the event.

Also planned are historic sites bus tours on Friday afternoon and a Saturday morning parade.