About Us
A place where faith grows, hope lives, and every generation is embraced with love.
Our History
Our church was established in 1911 and carries over a century of rich spiritual heritage and unwavering faith. In 2023, we were honored with designation as a National Historical Landmark, recognizing both our historical and cultural significance.
Today, we are prayerfully restoring this 113-year-old sanctuary and its 89-year-old kitchen. With the support of a historical preservation grant and the dedication of our community, we are preserving this sacred space for future generations.
Our journey reflects resilience, faith, unity, and the enduring power of a community that believes in serving with love.
GREATER EL-BETH-EL DIVINE HOLINESS CHURCH
Guided by Faith. United in Love. Serving with Purpose.
Bishop Dr. Lorenzo Hall Sr.
CEO of the El-Beth-El Development Center
The City of Jacksonville honors Bishop Dr. Lorenzo Hall Sr. for his influential and selfless contributions, leadership, and lasting impact on the community. He has consistently made a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families throughout Jacksonville.
Bishop Lorenzo Hall is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He has faithfully served as Pastor of The Greater El-Bethel Divine Holiness Church for 49 years. He received the gift of the Holy Ghost at the age of seven and began preaching the Gospel at fifteen. Bishop Hall is a graduate of Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ), where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology. He also attended the University of North Florida for one and a half years and later received his Doctorate in Divinity from Jacksonville Theological Seminary.
In 1992, Elder Hall was consecrated as Bishop in Oakland, California, under the leadership of Bishop Joseph S. Hall. He is the proud father of four children: Vanessa, Lorenzo Jr., Isaac, and Madison. Bishop Hall began singing gospel music at the age of four alongside his mother and the Divine Gospel Singers. He has written numerous songs and has seven album recordings to his credit.
Since 1980, Bishop Hall has honored outstanding community role models through his annual “Successful Role Model Banquet.” In 2009, he established the annual “Stop the Violence Award Recognition Banquet” to recognize individuals making a positive impact. In 2023, he launched his Annual Community Health Summit and founded the El-Bethel Upskill Youth Academy Program to further serve the community.
Throughout the years, he has honored dedicated individuals for their leadership, service, and contributions to building a stronger and healthier Jacksonville. Each year, he recognizes fourteen young men and women for outstanding academic achievement and community service. Each honoree receives a scholarship and recognition award. In 1980, he also began a crime prevention initiative titled “People Helping People.”
Bishop Hall is a member of the Prince Hall Affiliated Freemasonry and has held numerous distinguished positions. In April 2006, the Grand Master of Florida named Lorenzo Hall Lodge #458 in his honor. The Grand Court for the Heroines of Jericho of Florida also named Stafford–Hall Court #205 in the Virgin Islands after him.
His professional career began in 1970 as a Youth Congress worker. He later worked at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, and Merita Bakeries. He served for 29 years as Sanitation Superintendent before retiring from IBC in April 2005. He was the first African American to hold upper-level management in the state of Florida within his company and the second in the United States.
Bishop Hall has also been active in social justice and community advocacy. In 1985, he led a march in Jacksonville with Naomi Tutu-Seavers against apartheid in South Africa, which was featured in Jet Magazine. In partnership with the National Lung Association, he established a non-smoking clinic at El-Bethel Divine Holiness Church.
He has served on numerous boards and organizations, including the NAACP, the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation of Northeast Florida (as a founding and charter member), North Florida AIDS Network, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Advisory Board, and several other civic and fraternal organizations. His lifetime dedication to faith, leadership, youth empowerment, and community service continues to inspire many.
Carla L. Page
Chairman of El-Beth-El Development Center
Carla has had the desire to become a Funeral Director since Career Day at the age of 12. She is one of many firsts. Carla is a first-generation Funeral Director, Embalmer, and Insurance Agent. She is the first female from her hometown of Quitman, Georgia, to become a Funeral Director, and she is the first African American to open a crematory in Northeast Florida and South Georgia.
She was educated in the Brooks County Public School System, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, and Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Carla is a member of First Timothy Baptist Church, the Greater El Bethel Divine Holiness Church Developmental Board, 100 Black Women of Funeral Service, the National Funeral Directors Association, and Pi Sigma Eta National Morticians Fraternity.
Having grown up in a family rooted in giving and a community centered on sharing, Carla is no stranger to charity. She gives back to her community each year by sponsoring an event she created entitled “Spirit of Christmas on 21st Street.” This annual event welcomes over 1,000 attendees, who enjoy a wide variety of gifts and activities, including toys, books, bicycles, collard greens from Carla's hometown, horse-drawn carriage rides, entertainment from bouncy houses, clothing from a large community closet, and over 700 holiday popcorn tins distributed by Santa Claus.
She is also a contributor to Miracle on Ashley Street, Families of Slain Children, Wings of Dove Manna Partner, and many other charitable organizations. Carla also spearheaded a relief drive for Haiti on the Northside of Jacksonville.
Continuing another family tradition, Carla entered the military after high school and is a proud military veteran. She began her career in the funeral industry after fulfilling her military obligation. After partnering and working with several funeral firms, Carla was determined and driven to step out on faith and start her own business. In June 2003, she opened C. L. Page Mortuary.
Seth Louis Rothstein
President of the El-Beth-El Development Center
Seth Louis Rothstein was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and is the son of Skip Rothstein and Lauren Rothstein. Seth graduated from Wolfson High School in 1991 and majored in History & Religion at Emory University in Atlanta, where he graduated in 1995.
Seth always knew he wanted to be an attorney. He attended St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami and graduated in 1998.
After graduating from law school, Seth returned to Jacksonville and joined Adams, Rothstein & Siegel, where his grandfather practiced for over 50 years and where he currently practices law with his father and sister.
Seth has a diverse real estate and civil litigation practice. He has received the distinction of a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating, awarded only to lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability.
In addition to his position at Adams, Rothstein & Siegel, Seth also serves on the Board of Directors for Machinery Insurance, Inc.
Seth is a frequent speaker at professional events, where he discusses legislative updates and current legal issues of interest.
He has been married to Courtney Rothstein for 11 years, and they have two daughters, Ava Rothstein and Emma Rothstein.
In his free time, Seth is an active member of Solomon Lodge No. 20, Scottish Rite, and the Morocco Temple.
Seth has a heart to help and can often be found pitching in to assist Bishop Lorenzo Hall Sr. with events for El Beth El Divine Holiness Church.
Richard R. Alexander Esquire
Vice President, El-Beth-El Development Center
Rick Alexander is an AV-rated attorney who cut his teeth as a prosecutor in criminal court and continues to maintain that intensive trial focus in his civil law practice. Rick began his career with a four-year tenure as an Assistant State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. He then honed his litigation skills for ten years as a trial lawyer at the prominent firm, Coker, Schickel, Sorenson & Daniel, followed by two years at Schutt, Schmidt & Noey.
In 2010, he launched his own firm, the Alexander Law Practice. He applies the strong trial skills he developed as a prosecutor to his current work pursuing complex civil claims. His practice focuses on serious personal injury cases involving motor vehicle accidents, premises liability injuries occurring on commercial properties, negligent security cases representing crime victims, and other non-traditional or complex injury matters. He is not afraid to take on challenging cases—in fact, he relishes them.
Mr. Alexander earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida in 1994, where he had previously completed both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in History. During his time at the university, he excelled in leadership and campus involvement, earning numerous distinctions. As an undergraduate, he held multiple leadership roles in Sigma Chi, his fraternity, served in the Interfraternity Council (the governing body of fraternities), and worked on the Preview Staff, where he served as a university ambassador. In that role, he introduced more than 3,000 freshmen to campus and assisted them in registering for their first classes.
During his graduate studies in History, he earned a research assistantship as the Oral History Coordinator for the Oral History Project, Florida’s original oral history database. In law school, his innovative term as Divisions Coordinator propelled him to the presidency of Florida Blue Key—Florida’s oldest, most active, and most distinguished leadership honorary society.
Upon graduating from law school in 1994, he was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in recognition of his campus leadership and high scholastic achievement.
Throughout his career, Mr. Alexander has continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to both the legal profession and the community. Among his civic contributions, he was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, where he served on a select panel responsible for nominating judicial candidates to the Governor for appointment. As Chairman of New Projects and Program Development for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, he introduced a Living Will Project, among other initiatives.
At All Saints Episcopal Church, Mr. Alexander currently serves as Head Verger, President of the Men of All Saints, and a Sunday School teacher. He has also served on the Vestry (lay leadership), including a consecutive term as Junior Warden. Additionally, he is currently leading the Solo and Small Firm Committee for the Jacksonville Bar Association.