Uphold the Standards of Holiness

Apostle Raymond J. Keith, Jr., is the founder and Senior Pastor of Refuge In Kentucky, Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky. He is a Teacher, Visionary, Builder, and most importantly, a Pastor, who is best known as“Pastor Keith”. He embodies all the qualities of a Pastor that the Lord promised in Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” He has served in this capacity for forty-three years as an example of servant leadership and a sounding voice to uphold the standards of holiness. 

Apostle Keith is a compassionate and practical leader, with God-given gifts for ministering to the whole man.Apostle Keith is an effective communicator of God’s Word. His leadership is positively impacting lives and enhancing the community through the work of many ministries offered. He is the President of the Refuge Community Development Corporation(RCDC), 501©3, which is designed to strengthen the blighted communities in a holistic approach to build the family structure. He is the host of a nightly radio broadcast, “The Sound of Pentecost”, that reaches the Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana listening audience. He is the creator of “Marriages Alive and Well” Seminars, a ministry for married couples which is dear to his heart. He and his wife, Lady Joan Davis Keith, host workshops and conferences across the country to strengthen good marriages and heal broken ones.

Pastor Keith has served the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in many capacities. His humble beginnings were cultivated at Greater Refuge Temple, New York, where he received the gift of the Holy Spirit under the leadership of his beloved mentor and Pastor,the late Chief Apostle W.L. Bonner. He served as Junior Pastor and as an emissary, assisting Pastor Bonner in the work development of his churches. His faithfulness and submission to the will of God elevated him to the bishopric in 1996 and has allowed him to serve as the Diocesan Bishop of the Kentucky and Indiana Dioceses, 1997-present; International Executive Corresponding Secretary, 1977-2005; International ExecutiveRecording Secretary, 2005-2012; Chairman of the Board of Bishops, 2013-2017; and Regional Coordinator to Apostle James Maye, Region VI, 2005-2017. At the 98th International Convocation, 2017, he was elevated to the Board of Apostles and was appointed to Region V and the Apostle to the Men, which birthed the newly formed International Brotherhood Council that will meet the needs of all men, credentialed and non-credentialed, through outreach and fellowship.

Championing education, Pastor Keith received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Education from New York University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Sacramento Theological Seminary and Bible College, Sacramento, California. He has also studied under the late Chief Apostle Bonner at the W.L. BonnerBible College, Columbia, South Carolina. A gifted teacher, he honed his craft by teaching in the New York City Public School System, the Harlem Preparatory High School, and at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Pastor Keith’s vision is to develop a Trade School to teach young men and women “real world skills”.

Family is the foundation of his life. This child of God is an affectionate and dedicated husband to Mother Joan D. Keith, his lady and State Mother of the Kentucky and Indiana Dioceses, and the loving father of four children. His three sons are all saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and working in the ministry in their perspective areas along with their wives. His precious daughter, his “Princess”, Junior Missionary Shirika Renee Keith Franklin, is resting in the Lord until that great day. Over the 52 years that he and Mother Keith have been married, his family has grown tremendously. Not only is he a husband and father, he is also a grandfather of nine, and a great grandfather of two.Above all, Apostle Keith’s goals are to “Reach the Lost at any Cost” and to please the Lord with his life. With God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

Apostle Raymond J. Keith, Jr. oversees the following regions:
Illinois-Northern/Wisconsin
Illinois-Sothern
Iowa
Missouri
Minnesota
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Manitoba, Canada
Sierra Leone
West Africa