Presiding Elder Peris Lester

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Peris was born to the parentage of Lina Mae (nee’ Davis) and TC Lester. He is the youngest of six siblings. When his mother succumbed to cancer when he was a toddler, Peris was reared by his paternal aunt, Rural A. Lester Andrews, an educator, and her husband Donald. Mrs. Andrews, a life-long, faithful member of the Christian Methodist Episcopal church, instilled a love of Christ and a passion for ministry in Peris. He received his education in the Chicago Public Schools, his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lane College in Jackson, TN, and conferred his Master of Divinity degree from The Phillips School of Theology in Atlanta, GA.
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On October 22, 1989, Peris accepted his call to ministry at his home church, Carter Temple CME Church in Chicago, under the pastorate of Rev. (now Bishop) Henry M. Williamson. Sr. Since that time, God has blessed him to serve several CME churches across the country: New Carmel CME, Spring Creek, TN; Farmer Chapel CME, Brownville, TN; Saint Paul CME, Lone Oak, GA; Lowes Temple CME, Grantville, GA; and Jamison Memorial CME in St. Louis, MO.

From August 2002 through August 2010, Peris served as the proud pastor of the Lewis Metropolitan CME Church, affectionately known as “The Metro” in Los Angeles, CA. Additionally, from 2008-2010 he served as the Presiding Elder of the Greater Los Angeles District while continuing to serve as pastor of Lewis Metropolitan. While in Los Angeles, Peris led that congregation in restructuring its financial operations. By consolidating and eradicating debt, the congregation was placed back on a solid foundation, members were added to the church, and new ministries were initiated.

Also, the KIPP charter school was established at the Lewis Metropolitan site, where 300 1st-5th graders received a high-quality education. After KIPP outgrew the space at Lewis Metropolitan, Peris worked to secure another building to assist in educating the youth of Los Angeles.

From 2010 to 2012, Peris served as pastor of Carter Metropolitan CME Church in Fort Worth, TX. While in Texas, he served as the treasurer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Region and was also a board member of Texas College located in Tyler, TX. From 2012-2014, Peris served as the pastor of Saint John CME Church in Winston-Salem, NC. Peris was appointed to serve as the Chief servant/Pastor of the Mount Olive Cathedral CME Church, “The Downtown Cathedral” in Memphis, TN. Under his leadership, a massive renovation project of the church came to fruition. Additionally, he serves on the board at his alma mater Lane College.

In March 2019, Peris was appointed Presiding Elder of the Northeast Tennessee Region by Bishop Williamson. He continues to lead the congregation at Mount Olive Cathedral CME Church.
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Elder/Pastor Lester is a proud father of three sons, Peris James II, Taymon Tariq, and Paxton Jude-Michael Lester.