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Meet the Pastor
Rev. Dr. LaSonja Richardson
Dr. LaSonja Richardson is the Senior Pastor of Love Christian Center located in Douglasville, Georgia. LCC is a ministry birthed out of First Baptist Church Denbigh and the revelation of Pastor Ivan Harris. The vision of Love Christian Center is to be a place where people come for enlightenment, encouragement, and empowerment and to advance and enhance the Kingdom of God.
LaSonja is a native of Sedalia, MO where she graduated from Smith Cotton High School. Joining the US Air Force shortly after graduating, she completed a very successful 30-year Air Force career retiring at the top enlisted rank of Chief Master Sergeant. She had the opportunity to meet thousands, work with hundreds, and directly mentor dozens of people during her career. She traveled and lived in numerous places in the US and overseas.
She is an author, editor, creator, poet, and the founder and owner of Able & Willing, LLC. A company which strives to enhance the beauty of individuals, inside and out. She has written and published a book on her passion for mentoring; entitled Mentoring from the Heart chronicling some of her Air Force experiences. She has also been a contributing writer for AmericanPreachers.com. A sought-after speaker, she has been the featured speaker at military celebrations and women's conferences and events.
LaSonja has earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies and a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University. She taught technical and professional development courses during her military career and has been a professor at an Apex School of Theology Distance Learning Center.
LaSonja accepted her call to ministry in 2005 while serving in the military in Japan. She was licensed to preach December 2009 by Pastor Harris and ordained July 2014. She believes as long as there is one person who does not know and has not accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior there is still work for the Christian to do.
She has been a member of the Spirit of Christ Ministerial Council of Churches since 2019, where she serves as an advisor on the Executive Board of Bishops. In July 2022 she was consecrated Overseer of International Intercessory Prayer.
A recipient of numerous honors, LaSonja has received recognition in her military career, professional military education and civic organizations. She was selected Air Force Dental Noncommissioned Officer of the Year; a distinguished graduate of the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, named Tinker Air Force Base Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter and honored by the Newport News Branch of the NAACP as a Living Legend.
She is active in her local community. LaSonja is a member of the West Metro Branch of the NAACP.
She and Co-Pastor Edward have been married 43-years, they have two sons, Edward III and James and one granddaughter, Angel.
Meet the Co-Pastor
Rev. Ed. Richardson
Edward Richardson is the Co-Pastor of the Love Christian Center of Douglasville, Georgia. LCC is a ministry birthed out of First Baptist Church Denbigh and the revelation of Pastor Ivan Harris. The vision of Love Christian Center is to be a place where people come for enlightenment, encouragement and empowerment to advance and enhance the Kingdom of God.
Ed is a native of Baltimore, MD where he graduated from the prestigious Baltimore City College in 1976 and was the class president, lettering in Football and Track and Field. Upon graduation, Ed accepted an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He joined the Baltimore City Police Department in 1978 and worked in the Homicide Division as a Police Cadet until suffering a near death motorcycle accident in 1979. After rehabilitating a severely broken leg, Ed re-joined the Air Force and completed a successful 20-year career retiring from Edwards Air Force Base in California in October 2000. Ed travelled around the world and lived in many diverse places and met people of many cultures and stations of life.
He accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at the Unity Missionary Baptist Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming in October 1989 at the age of 30 and hit the ground running the race for Christ. His financial savvy landed him on the Building Fund committee where he discovered a deceptive clause of the church’s mortgage contract. Upon re-financing the church’s mortgage and setting the congregation on a proper path to pay the church off in 15 years, the church aggressively attacked the mortgage and paid it off after only three years.
Ed was selected by the church and accepted and entered training for the Diaconate Ministry and was ordained as a Deacon in 1990 and in 1991 accepted the call to the Gospel Ministry while assigned to Pirinclik Air Base, Turkey during Operation Provide Comfort in assistance to the Kurdish people of Northern Iraq. Ed was licensed by the Unity Missionary Baptist Church and returned their as an Associate Minister until being re-assigned to Edwards AFB.
He has received numerous Air Force medals, service ribbons and awards to include the U.S. Air Force Noncommissioned Officer Academy Commandant’s Award, but he is most proud of the last medal he earned. Upon retirement, he was awarded the Air Force Volunteer Medal for the hundreds of hours he unselfishly gave coordinating and leading tours of children’s groups around Edwards Air Force Base on the weekends during his off-duty time.
Pastor Ed has always been civic-minded and currently serves as the Treasurer of the West Metro Branch of the NAACP.
The Air Force gave Pastor Ed many blessings and opportunities but the most important and special was when he laid his eyes upon LaSonja in formation at basic training in November 1980. Wildfires have never moved so fast as their love exploded and they were married 60 days after meeting and have been together now for more than 43 years producing a bountiful life in Christ including 2 sons, Edward and James, and a granddaughter by Edward in the personage of the lovely little Angel.
Pastor Ed believes wholeheartedly in the Great Commission and has a heart for evangelism.
