The Cathedral of Worship and Praise Christian Center started as a way for people to connect virtually online during the pandemic in December 2020.
Once it was safe to do so, Bishop Carl R. Curry — who prefers to go by “Bishop Carl” and is the independent Pastor of the church — says, “God presented the opportunity,” and The Cathedral began holding services in person on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. in the Healing Plaza building next to AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. The first service was held on Easter Sunday of this year.
He says the services are “concentrated” to last no more than an hour and 15 minutes, and focus on the Word of God, instead of the big production elements (such as lights and smoke) that are often popular in big churches.
“I grew up in big churches, where the lights and the glitz and the gospel singing were stirring and moving,” says Bishop Carl. “But, when it’s all said and done, my moment was good, but it did nothing for my spiritual journey, as far as something that I could take with me when I left the building.”
So, at The Cathedral, Bishop Carl says he focuses on “rendering experiences that are life-changing.”
He says his church is nondenominational, but that he sees all of humanity as the church’s denomination. While many denominations have been created because of disagreements — with some people splitting off to form a new denomination — Bishop Carl is all about unity and, he says, the power of God that comes from the Bible.
“I give people freely what I learned in seminary,” he says. “Sometimes, what you hear from the pulpit is opinion, not rightful interpretation.”
Bishop Carl was first ordained as a Senior Pastor 12 years ago in New York City and was consecrated a Bishop in August 2021 by Churches of The Body of Christ Fellowship. He is part of the Joint College of Bishops for the organization, which is a fellowship of believers, rather than a specific denomination.
Curry holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Theology from New Life Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Christian Family Counseling from New Hope Institutional Academy in Amityville, NY. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in psychology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, and is currently working on a M.S. degree program in spiritual care from AdventHealth University in Orlando.
After 40 years of ministry in New York City, Bishop Carl says he and his wife (and Co-Pastor) Yonnicka moved their family to Tampa six years ago because God called them here.
They both took jobs at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel — Yonnicka as a respiratory therapist and Bishop Carl as a Chaplain — and then moved into Live Oak Preserve in New Tampa with their three children — 13-year-old Zidan and 6-year-old twins Mordecai and Aviana.
From their home to their jobs, to church, their entire commute is a total of six minutes.
“All of it happened effortlessly,” Bishop Carl explains. While he wasn’t seeking to move away from New York, he and Yonnicka felt called to the area and to starting a new church here.
The Light & The Pandemic
He says that starting during the Covid-19 pandemic was a way to meet people where they were, even as churches went into lockdown phase and some churches couldn’t survive it.
“We were able to help people deal with what was happening to them on a day-to-day basis,” he says.
Now, he’s bringing people together who are looking for more than just a “ritualistic worshipping of God on a specific day at a specific time.”
He says it’s all about relationships, and letting people know that everyone has value, and that both God and the people at The Cathedral are willing to meet you right where you are.
“We’re not called to be perfect or created to be perfect,” says Bishop Carl. “We’re called to be holy.”
Toni is a Wesley Chapel resident who attends church at The Cathedral and asked that we only use her first name.
“I started watching the church services on Zoom,” says Toni, who also said she had Covid early on in the pandemic and was mostly staying home, rather than attending services in person. “Then, when they had their first (in-person) service, I went and it was very good.”
Toni says she grew up in a church where she got there early in the morning and often stayed most of the day, but now, many people don’t want to sit in church all day. She says the 11 a.m. time on Sundays is perfect for her and that she likes that the service only lasts for a little more than an hour.
“The service is awesome,” she says. “I like the music and I like the preaching. (Bishop Carl is) very articulate, very knowledgeable and well-versed in the Word of God.”
Bishop Carl’s experience as both a counselor in New York and now as a Chaplain in Wesley Chapel has given him a lot of insight into how people are feeling about the world we live in right now, saying that many are feeling bombarded with local, national and global problems.
“There’s a lot of depression and anxiety with the rise in the housing market, inflation, parents feeling disconnected from kids, and kids are feeling disconnected from parents,” he explains. “There’s a lot of separatism going on, and we want to move the mindset and focus onto something greater than ourselves.”
Voices For Unity Concert
The Cathedral plans to be a voice for unity in the community, having hosted a program in downtown Tampa bringing Christians together to support Ukraine and co-hosting (with Churches of The Body of Christ) an upcoming Voices for Unity Concert (see ad below) on Friday, August 12, 7 p.m. (at the Healing Plaza), calling for people of every denomination to come together as one.
“The theme is ‘Many Denominations, One Voice,” says Bishop Carl. “It will be a fellowship concert of praise, worship, liturgical dance, prayer and coming together for all humanity. Come and receive your miracle!”
Previously, the church’s online services have been held via Zoom but, beginning in August, they will be live-streamed through a platform called FaithLife. Bishop Carl says links to the live stream will be posted on The Cathedral’s Facebook page, which you can find by searching “The Cathedral of Worship and Praise Christian Center” on Facebook.
The Cathedral of Worship and Praise Christian Center meets at 2950 Healing Way in Wesley Chapel in the Healing Plaza building on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. For more information, visit TheCathedralofWP.com, email TheCathedralofWP@gmail.com, call (813) 943-9773 or see the ad on page 30 of this issue.
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