The Church of the Redeemed of the Lord has stood on Old York Road in north Baltimore since 1985, when Dr. Jerome Stokes and his wife Marsha began holding services with twelve members. Four decades later, the non-denominational congregation known to its members as CRL draws more than seven thousand people into a sprawling ministry that includes Sunday worship, midweek Bible study, a food pantry, a radio program broadcast across the Caribbean, and more than forty organized ministries for every age and stage of life.
Founded on Old York Road in 1985
Dr. Jerome Stokes started his pastorate in 1985 with twelve people and a vision for holistic ministry. Today, under his leadership as Senior Pastor and Chief Executive Officer, the church has grown into a multi-cultural congregation with a staff of elders, ministers, and associate pastors and more than forty operational components. Lady Marsha Charity Stokes, an ordained Elder and co-founder, serves alongside her husband and has built much of the ministry's teaching and media infrastructure. The couple has two adult children, and the church's growth story is one she often tells as a story of steady discipleship rather than sudden expansion.
From the sanctuary at 4321 Old York Road, CRL runs a senior staff and a long bench of associate pastors and ministry directors who carry out the day-to-day work of the church. Pastor Carroll Holly, Pastor Terrance Hundley, Pastor Deon Brown, Pastor Barbara Dixon, and Pastor Harold Harris serve as associate pastors under Bishop Stokes. Elder Rosalyn M. Hall serves as Chief Administrative Officer and as Executive Director of the Redeemed Family Life Center, while Zelma Allen serves as Chief Financial Officer. A Board of Directors including Tamara Hundley, Sylvia Marion, and Gloria Webster provides additional governance, and a slate of department directors oversees the church's ministries.
What CRL Believes
CRL describes itself as committed to holistic personal ministry, community transformation, and the continuous development of solid relationships with Jesus Christ through the Word of God. Its statement of faith, posted publicly, names four core convictions.
- The one true God is infinite in power, holy in nature, and absolute in deity, revealed as Father, through His Son, in redemption, and as the Holy Spirit, by emanation.
- Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification into one redemptive work.
- The ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers were given to the church at the ascension of Jesus Christ and continue to be needed and expected today, exercised through Elders, Deacons, and other ministries.
- The personal return of the Lord and the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets is a present hope of the church.
The church practices water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ, taught as a vital part of salvation and as a covenant sign administered to those who have reached an age of accountability. Baptism at CRL is described as a baptism into the Body of Christ rather than into any denomination or dogma.
Sunday Mornings at 4321 Old York Road
Sunday is the heart of the week at CRL. Sunday School classes begin at 8:30 a.m. for every age group, from young children through adults, and the morning worship service begins at 9:50 a.m. in the main sanctuary. Visitors who arrive a little early will find greeters and ushers ready to direct them to seats, and the service moves through a sustained time of praise and worship, the preaching of the Word, ministry in song, and a benediction. The Redeemed Family Life Center, the Redeemed Kidz areas, and the auxiliary spaces all open in coordination with the worship schedule.
The church follows an attire rhythm through the month. On the first and second Sundays of the month, members typically wear dress or church attire, while the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays are set aside as dress-down Sundays. Visitors are welcome to follow the rhythm or simply come as they are, as long as clothing is appropriate. The dress schedule is offered as a suggestion, not a rule.
Children, Teens, and Young Adults
CRL is built to include children in the worship experience from their earliest steps. The Redeemed Kidz Nursery, on the main level, serves children from walking age through age six. Redeemed Kidz, on the lower level in the Fellowship Hall, serves children from age six to twelve. Teen Catalyst, also on the lower level, serves young people from age thirteen to eighteen. Each program runs during the Sunday morning service so that families can worship together without worrying about where their children will go.
Christopher Blackwell leads the Youth and Young Adult Ministry, and the Soulful Praise Dance Ministry, led by President Ciara Hall, gives young people and adults a place to worship through movement, with a youth leader, garment lead, and parent liaison rounding out the team. The church's Education Department, led by Elder Latonya Moore, develops Sunday School teachers and offers the Deep Dives curriculum that anchors the Tuesday night small groups.
Wednesday Nights and Tuesday Deep Dives
Midweek, the church gathers twice. On Wednesday evenings, prayer begins at 6:00 p.m. and the midweek Bible study follows at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m., the Redeemed Deep Dive Life Groups meet on Zoom for an in-depth, student-centered Bible study built around the theme Conquering Through Trying Times. Most Deep Dive studies are led by CRL's own Sunday School teachers and explore character and topic based questions in a small-group setting. A Zoom link is posted on the church's Deep Dives page.
Quarterly, the church offers The Holy Spirit Class, designed to help believers understand who the Holy Spirit is and to strengthen a personal relationship with Him. Classes meet in May, August, and November at the Old York Road campus. The Parenting Compass, a virtual support group for parents that meets every fourth Tuesday on Zoom, uses God's Word as the compass for biblical, Christian parenting. Single, married, and every age and stage of parent is welcome.
Forty-Plus Ministries for the Whole Family
CRL organizes its life into a wide portfolio of ministries, each with its own director and team. The Family Ministries department, directed by Minister Sherri Tilghman, includes International Ministry, Marriage Ministry, Men's Ministry, Recreation Ministry, Seniors Ministry, Singles Ministry, and Women's Ministry. Auxiliary Operations, directed by Minister Lawanda Rollins, brings together Greeters, Ushers, New Members, Health Services, Resource Center, and Pastor's Aide teams who make Sunday morning run smoothly.
The Media and Communications department, directed by Minister Timothy Marshall, Jr., covers video, sound, marketing, graphics, and LED graphics for the sanctuary. Music and Worship Arts, directed by Elder Steven Ford, includes the Minister of Music, Kenneth Shelton, and Arnetta Shelton on Worship Arts and Special Events. Christian Education develops teachers and coordinates the Deep Dives curriculum. Soulful Praise Dance Ministry offers worship through movement across generations. Each ministry has a sign-up link through the church's online connection system for anyone who wants to get involved.
Reaching Beyond the Walls
Outreach is built into the structure of the church. The Matthew 25 Outreach Department, directed by Elder Maureen Butler, includes Taking It To The Streets and Missions. The Redeemed Family Life Center, directed by Elder Rosalyn M. Hall, runs a Food Pantry that distributes food on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (excluding the first Wednesday of the month), a Paid In Full Substance Abuse ministry, a Mental Health Awareness ministry, and a Summer Enrichment Program. Lady Marsha's profile describes CRL's outreach as extending to inner-city families, the incarcerated, the hungry, the homeless, and the elderly.
Operation Christmas Child is a recurring seasonal outreach through the Redeemed Kidz Ministry, collecting shoebox gifts that go to children in more than two hundred countries. The Bereavement Office, directed by Elder James D. Patterson III, walks alongside families after a loss, and the Office of Hospitality supports weddings, funerals, and pastoral care needs across the congregation.
The Lamp of Victory Broadcast
CRL's reach extends well beyond Baltimore through the Lamp of Victory broadcast ministry, established and directed by Lady Marsha Stokes. The Lamp of Victory radio program broadcasts locally and internationally, with weekly broadcasts in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, and Grenada. A companion television program airs locally, across the United States, and in parts of the Caribbean, with Lady Stokes as executive producer. The church's bookstore also carries Bishop Stokes's books, including God's Vision Your Decision, You Can Do It, I Know Who I Am (a fifty-two chapter study with companion guide), and his latest, I Refuse.
What to Know Before You Visit
CRL makes it easy for a first-time guest to plan a visit. Sunday School begins at 8:30 a.m. and worship begins at 9:50 a.m. at 4321 Old York Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21212. The church has multiple parking lots - the main lot, with a generous number of handicap spaces on a first-come, first-served basis, plus additional lots beside, across from, and behind the building. Parking attendants are on the main lot to help direct traffic.
The Deaf Ministry ensures that members and guests who are hearing impaired can fully participate in the worship experience, from praise and worship through the preached Word and the benediction. Ushers can direct visitors to the section reserved for those who need interpretation. The church offers a mobile app, available for iPhone and Android, that is fully integrated with livestream, the Bible, and class information. Services are livestreamed on the CRL TV on Demand YouTube channel and on the church's livestream page for anyone who cannot attend in person.
Giving is available online through the church's eGive page, through the Givelify app, through Cash App at $CRLMinistries, through the CRL mobile app, or by mail to the Old York Road address. New members are invited to complete a brief sign-up form online; those ready for baptism can register through the Baptism page; and anyone with a prayer request can submit one through the Prayer Request page.
Staying Connected
CRL keeps in touch with its members through a custom mobile app, social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, a YouTube channel, the Lamp of Victory radio and television programs, and regular e-mail updates. Deep Dive Bible studies and The Parenting Compass keep members engaged throughout the week, while quarterly classes like The Holy Spirit Class and ongoing groups like the Seniors Ministry, Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, Singles Ministry, and Marriage Ministry provide community for every season of life. At the center of it all is the conviction that brought twelve people to Old York Road in 1985 and that continues to draw thousands to the same address each Sunday.