Prominent Durham, North Carolina Pastor Reassigned Duties

DURHAM, N.C. - May 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Durham, NC--- On August 16, 1992, Reverend Philip R. Cousin, Jr. returned home to Durham, North Carolina to become the 29th pastor of St. Joseph AME Church, and became the longest tenured pastor in the history of the Church. Now he has been reassigned to serve as pastor of the historic Bethel AME Church in San Francisco, California. It is the oldest African American church in San Francisco, founded in 1852.

Cousin is a respected leader in the City of Durham, having served as a member of the Board of Education of the Durham Public Schools. He has also been elected for two consecutive terms as a Durham County Commissioner, and is the current leader of The Durham Committee of the Affairs of Black People. As pastor of St. Joseph AME, Cousin burned in 3 years the over $400,000.00 church mortgage, and oversaw the development and construction of St. Joseph's Place, a residential facility for senior citizens, as well as renovations of the church and parsonage.

Bethel AME San Francisco is ripe for the progressive leadership Cousin brings, as it has its own federal credit union, is the owner and sponsor of some 356 units of affordable housing, and handles the management of a Community based Technology Training Center (WACTC); and two  actively engaged Community Development Corporations. The assets of Bethel AME San Francisco are estimated to be $85 million dollars.

Cousin's assignment to Bethel AME San Francisco is effective immediately.