Minister Melishia
Bansa

Minister Melishia began to indulge in the ministerial calling on her life at the age of 12. She marveled at every chance to play the role of a preacher or minister in any plays or skits that she had the opportunity to be in.  This of course was her chance to impress her mother, especially since her mother Bishop Connie Crawford was and currently is the pastor of her church, Church of the Living God Pillar and Ground of the Truth. Despite having a spiritual mother, Melishia realized that she could not depend on just her mother’s relationship with God, she would have to truly seek God for herself.

Throughout her college experience, she was faced with many challenges, trials, and temptations, but time and time again she relied on God to strengthen her to overcome the enemy. She found that because of her spiritual upbringing, many of her friends consistently came to her for prayer and advice. Although, she encountered many personal battles, she also observed how her friends and associates not only listened to her, but that God had given her the gift to influence people to make a change in their lives that would ultimately lead those that she had impacted, towards building and strengthening a closer walk with the Lord. After successfully graduating in 2007 from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana and receiving her degree in Community Health, Melishia realized that it was time to come back to Chicago and seriously pursue her call to the ministry, as well as, her plans of attending Medical School. After her years of training and participation in the various departments and programs of her church such as: youth, community outreach, performing arts, communications, finance, Bible Class and Worship Service, the time had finally come to  take her acting role to the next level and make it a reality. At the age of 24, Melishia accepted her ministerial calling and was ordained as a minister by Chief Bishop Melvin Crawford and the Bishop Council of the Churches of the Living God. 

Today, Minister Melishia continues to reside at Church of the Living God Pillar and Ground of the Truth Located at 1738 W. Marquette Rd. Chicago, IL 60636.   There she currently preaches, teaches, and helps coordinate the “Bible Class On the GO” Program, Pastor Aid Committee, Finance Committee, and Youth Committee.  She also Acts as Director of Protocol of the World Wide Jericho Walk, an organization whose mission is to tear down the walls of racism, teen violence, and social injustice; and to build bridges of love, peace, and unity in the community by using Englewood as a vehicle. 

Minister Melishia, also works at University of Chicago as a research assistant and class   coordinator on a much needed research project called “Improving Diabetes Care and Outcomes on the South Side of Chicago.” She also continues to aid in leading spiritual and medical missions to Ghana, W. Africa, with her father Dr. Emmanuel Bansa.

The American Clergy Leadership Council has been a great influence in Min. Melishia’s Life, in which she has taking great joy in singing with the Jericho Walk Choir in many of their programs in which she was also given the opportunity to meet her dear friend Pastor Raven. She also sings with Entercession, a ministry who desires to be a connection, that creates and environment of Praise and Worship and Promotes Gods Glory.

She gives God all the honor and all the praise for the many blessings and opportunities that He has given her to glorify His name so far and continuously thanks Him in advance for what is to come.