Howard Elexander Franklin, son of Thomas and Georgia Franklin, was born May 12, 1944 in Laing, West Virginia.  He wed Mary Franklin on July 9, 1954; out of this holy matrimony they have two children, Neva Jo and Matthew Dijuan, and two grandchildren, Dewayne and Demetrius.  Bishop Franklin’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Education from Beulah Heights Bible College (University) in Atlanta Georgia in 1986.  Bishop Franklin severed in the United States Army in which he retired in March 1983 after twenty years of service.

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          Bishop Franklin completed two tours in Vietnam, where he gave his life to Christ in October 1977 at Victory temple Church of God in Christ in San Francisco, under the ministry of Pastor Joe Nobles. Under this pastorate, he was ordained as a Deacon in December 1977, received his Minister’s License in April 1978 and was ordained as an Elder in 1981.          

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          Bishop Franklin has been in ministry for thirty years. He served Victory Temple C.O.G.I.C. in San Francisco as a Youth Pastor from 1977 to 1980 and the Giessen Gospel Hour in Giessen, Germany as Pastor from 1980 to 1982.  Bishop Franklin returned to the states in 1983 to continue the ministry which he had established and founded in Germany in 1982, under the name of The Church of Preparation Evangelistic (C.O.P.E.) Ministries and Missions. The mission of C.O.P.E. Ministries was to evangelize the world and to dress the poor with the hope, the confused with the peace, and those robed in darkness with the light.

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          Upon his return home to the states Bishop Franklin began a ministry at the Franciscan Apartment Building Complex, located B-17, 1938 Alison Court. This ministry began with just two members; which expanded after six months into a small congregation.  He then moved his ministry to the location of 1519 Campbellton Road where it continued to flourish and grow; Bishop Franklin currently serves as pastor, and overseer at this very same location, located in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

          In 1987 Word Alive Christian Center became affiliated with the Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies Incorporated, headquarters located in Columbus, Ohio under the Auspices of Dr. Sherman S. Watkins, founder and General Bishop,(Vice Prelate - TD Jakes and Bishop Andrew Merritt is 2nd Vice Prelate of H.G.A.A.A., Inc) In June 2001 Bishop Franklin was ordained as Jurisdictional Bishop of the Southeastern Diocese;(which included churches in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina) of Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies, Inc.

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          Bishop Franklin’s many years of pasturing and serving in the ministry has equipped him with the experience, passion and vision to lead Word Alive Christian Center to another level of ministry, worship and living. Word Alive is a church that continues to grow, striving to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and reaching those who are in need of a message of hove and love.

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          Bishop Franklin opens his doors as well as his heart to welcome anyone who is seeking to find their purpose and meaning in this life, as well as seeking to encounter a divine experience with our Lord and Savior Jesus. Christ. Through his love for the least, lost and the rejected people of our society, Bishop Franklin gives God the praise for the continued success and the victory over the many challenges he has had to face on his journey. His greatest desire and focus is to see God’s people grow into their full potential and mature in their character.

 

He is always ready to impart to leaders and congregations the wisdom, insight, and revelation which God has given him. His daily prayer is that God will continue to lead, guide, and strengthen him as he goes forward in this life to be blessing and make an impact wherever he goes.  There have been many lives saved under this ministry and leadership of Bishop Franklin and it continues to branch out to reach beyond its borders as other ministries are being brought forth and established. He established I.C.U. (Independent Churches United) on May 24, 2013.