BISHOP KATHY L. HUGHES
Bishop Kathy Hughes was born and raised in Waverly, Florida. She accepted Christ as a teenager at Macedonia Baptist Church. She relocated to Hartford, Connecticut and was united in Holy matrimony to Willie Hughes. They were blessed with three children: Vishanna, Willie, 3rd and Sabrina. In November of 2016, God added to their family: Nyla, Joshua, Jalissa and Makayla were adopted by Bishop and Deacon Hughes.
Upon relocating to East Hartford, Connecticut her family joined Agape Fellowship Church of the Living God under the leadership of Pastors Eugene and Robin Taylor.
In July of 2004 Bishop Jesse J. White, Sr. President General of the Church of the Living God ordained and appointed her as Pastor of the First Church of the Living God in Utica, New York.
In February of 2005 Bishop Hughes, Deacon Hughes and three members started a new ministry, Deliverance First Ministries Church of the Living God” in Utica.
In July of 2011, Bishop Hughes was chosen to represent the City of Utica by New York State Senator Kristen Gillibrand at the “First Faith Based Minority Legislative Summit” at the State Capitol in Washington DC.
In February of 2011, God opened the doors for Deliverance First Ministries to purchase the church building on Shaw Street, the former building where she originally started her pastorate. She started First Youth Church and appointed Evangelist Jamina Lilley to be the Youth Pastor. Under this Youth Ministry, a free summer lunch program, a free Summer Tutorial Program and free bookbags with school supplies for the students were provided for the community. In 2016 Mohawk Valley Community College provided a grant for the tutorial program using student teachers from the college and hosting the program at their campus during the summer. This allowed the community youth to experience college life for the first time.
In October of 2015, Pastor Hughes was consecrated in the 71st General Assembly of the Church of the Living God, into the Bishopric in Orlando, FL, under the leadership of Chief Apostle/Bishop Theodore N. Brown. Chief Apostle Brown appointed Bishop Hughes over the Central New York Diocese Churches of the Living God, Utica, New York.
God gave Bishop Hughes a vision to start a 24 hour; seven days a week daycare center in Utica, NY so parents could have a safe, affordable, and high-quality daycare/preschool program for their children to attend. She applied and was a granted a 1.5-million-dollar Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI) grant from the State of New York to open Academics First Daycare/Preschool Center. The daycare center opened its doors on June 1, 2020, serving the family of Utica and surrounding areas. Bishop Hughes serves at the CEO of the daycare center.
Bishop Hughes is the president of the Utica/Rome Historical Black Ministerial Alliance. She is the president of Vision to Plant Foundation; a faith-based coalition of ministers, the Mayor of Utica, and governmental officials in partnership to promote cooperation, unity, and peace to address violence in our community.
Bishop Hughes was elected to be the Vice-President of the Historic New Forest Cemetery Board in Utica. The cemetery had been abandoned by its former board and new board members were elected by the community with a goal of ensuring financial stability, improving upkeep, maintenance and resuming professional high-quality burials. She is a board member of the Utica Food Pantry, Avondale Rise Christian Academy and the religious affairs of the Rome, New York NAACP. Bishop Hughes is a Connecticut State Certified Domestic Violence Counselor. She received her license in Pastoral Grief Counseling from Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. She is a Notary Public in both the State of Connecticut and the State of New York.
Bishop Hughes loves mission work so that through loving and serving others, people may come to know Christ and be saved. She has traveled on numerous foreign missionary trips to, Ghana, West Africa, Liberia, West Africa, Jamaica, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and Barbados.
Her favorite scripture is 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.