Pastor Astead N. Herndon and his wife, First Lady Myrna R. Herndon are a dynamic Pricilla/Aquilla team. A teacher, preacher, revivalist; Pastor Herndon’s zeal for deliverance is exemplified as the gifts of God work through him mightily. Missionary Herndon is an anointed speaker who has a love for the Word of God and discipling women and youth. Together they’re uplifting vessels utilizing the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives.
Sunday at 11am/Virtual & In-person
Wednesday at 7:30pm/Virtual
Saturday at 8am/Conference Call
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us
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Mother Myrna Herndon has been the First Lady of Hallelujah Temple, the church her husband Dr. Astead N. Herndon pioneered, for 25 years. A licensed Missionary/Evangelist in the Church of God in Christ, she has a love for the Word of God and a passion for disciplining youth and women. In January 2014, she was elevated to Assistant Jurisdictional Supervisor of Illinois First Church of God in Christ
working under the leadership of Jurisdictional Supervisor Mother Shirley Hughes and Prelate, Bishop Ocie Booker.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in a godly home, she migrated to the Chicago area to attend college. There she met her husband and rededicated her life to Christ in her senior year. Driven by a hunger for the Word of God and a desire to please the Lord, she was filled with the Holy Ghost while attending a small Pentecostal church on Chicago’s Westside. She and her husband would later join St. Luke Church of God in Christ in Chicago where she taught purity class, worked with the minister’s wives and utilized her professional training in production and media to promote the Pastor’s vision.
In 1979, her husband established a bible study for professionals working in Chicago’s Loop. This 20-year multicultural ministry was her leadership training ground. She participated in food drives, led outreach to nursing homes, taught bible studies, organized conferences, was a speaker and minister of the Gospel.
In 1995, her husband was called to the Pastoral ministry and founded Hallelujah Temple in Park Forest, Illinois. At Hallelujah Temple, First Lady Herndon diligently works alongside Pastor Herndon developing new converts, ministries and departments. She is the Media/Creative Arts Ministry Director supervising the broadcast, print and drama ministries of the church. It was her work with youth and drama that won her acceptance into the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative. A nationally recognized program that trains church leaders in community and youth development, she graduated from the DULI in 2008 and created a summer theatrical program for children ages 10 – 16. Never straying too far from her passions, she is a prayer warrior, Sunday school teacher, advisor to the WIN (Women’s Intercessory Network) Group of Hallelujah Temple overseeing the development of women. First Lady Herndon has been privileged to mentor many young girls, some of whom are now exceptional women of God.
A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Radio, Television and Film, she is an Emmy nominated producer/writer having amassed corporate and broadcast credits from such companies as CBS/WBBM-TV, Burson-Marsteller, Amethyst Entertainment and has been the Founder and President of LightWorks Productions, Inc. since 1993. First Lady Herndon was the producer/writer for the C.H. Mason Historical Foundation video, Legacy of a Leader and two First Jurisdiction videos; one on its Founder, Bishop Louis Henry Ford and the other highlighting the accomplishments of our Prelate, Bishop Ocie Booker.
In January 2014, she was asked by Supervisor, Mother Shirley Hughes to serve as the Assistant Jurisdictional Supervisor. Truly humbled, Mother Herndon works to assist Mother Hughes and the Department of Women, further the vision of our Prelate, and in all things bring honor to God. Mother Herndon has been married to Executive Administrative Assistant Dr. Astead N. Herndon for 40 years. They are the parents of three adult children. She is the author of Truth for Trendsetters, affirmations of faith for those responding to a higher call.
Herndon is the founding pastor of Hallelujah Temple. With over 30 years of ministerial experience, he is an anointed teacher and visionary leader who walks humbly in the prophetic ministry. Also known as a dynamic preacher and revivalist, his zeal for deliverance is exemplified as the gifts of God work through him mightily.
Teaching Bible study since the age of twenty, he formed Herndon Bible Ministry (HBM) in the late seventies while working at the Harris Trust and Savings Bank. HBM was an interdenominational, multiracial Bible Study for workers in the Chicago loop. This noontime ministry lasted for twenty years averaging 100 people per week and was instrumental in saving and training tens of thousands. HBM sponsored conferences and workshops on prayer and the book of Revelation; mentored men and boys; provided Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets to the needy, visited nursing homes and led a tour to Israel and Egypt. He received the Chicago Jaycees Outstanding Young Citizens Award for his leadership.
Concurrently during this time, he became a member of St. Luke Church of God in Christ under the governance of Pastor James C. Austin, Sr. He was ordained an Elder with the Church of God in Christ and worked diligently in the areas of outreach, men’s ministry and missions. While professionally, he was developing as well receiving numerous promotions. Rev. Dr. Herndon is a former Vice President at the Harris Trust and Savings Bank where he worked in the Corporate Real Estate Division. During his 19-year tenure at the Harris Bank he held various supervisory and management positions in Human Resources, Bank Operations, Corporate Planning and Project Management.
A graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in History, he matriculated to McCormick Theological Seminary where he received a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies and a Doctorate in Ministry.
Dr. Herndon was an Adjunct Professor in Urban Studies at Wheaton College and Trinity International University. At Wheaton he designed and taught a history course on the African American experience. In addition, he trained graduate students in Wheaton’s Educational Ministries Department through a course on urban ministries to families and children. He has also been a conference speaker for national Christian educators and has shared in numerous workshops and seminars.
No stranger to mass media, Rev. Dr. Herndon has hosted two radio broadcasts, Step into the Word and Step into Your Breakthrough. Step into the Word aired for five years over WYCA 102.3FM and was a live topic-based magazine style program designed for outreach. Step into Your Breakthrough featured a portion of Pastor Herndon’s Sunday message and aired over the Spoken Word Radio. Pastor Herndon is also author of the book Faith Is Your Greatest Asset.
In January 2011, Bishop Ocie Booker, prelate of the First Jurisdiction of Illinois for the Churches of God in Christ, Inc. appointed Dr. Herndon Executive Administrative Assistant. He works closely with Bishop Booker and has also traveled with the late Bishop Carlis L. Moody, former International President of the COGIC Missions Department, to South Africa and Cuba and actively supports the mission’s department. Elected to serve as the Jurisdictional Chairman of Pastors and Elders, he was named Chairman of the year in August 2019, by International Chairman, Pastor Michael Eaddy for his work in First Jurisdiction. Pastor Herndon has been married to Missionary Myrna R. Herndon for over 40 years and they are the proud parents of three. He is known throughout the brotherhood as a man of integrity who is a passionate soul winner.