One of Liberia’s prominent religious leaders, founder and Senior Pastor of the AME Empowerment Temple, Rev. Keturah York Cooper, has died. She was attending a scheduled medical appointment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), when she answered her eternal summons. 

Rev. Cooper’s death comes as a shock to many who remember her for her selfless character, visionary leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and zeal for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In 2001 she founded the Empowerment Temple, an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Liberia, where she served as pastor up to the time of her death. 

Rev. Cooper also served in academia, first as Former Dean of John Bryant Theological Seminary, AME University, Liberia (2003-2013) and later as former Vice President for Academic Affairs, AME University (2014-2016). 

Among other things she thrived as a botanics entrepreneur (flowers) and authored a book on leadership, titled, ‘You Can Lead’. 

She is survived by her husband, James S. P. Cooper, who took her hand in Marriage on January 1, 1977. That union was blessed with several children. 

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.