The City Mission Church was established in Kingston in 1924 by the Late Reverend William Raglan Phillips and the Late Bishop Mary Louise Coore. Reverend Raglan Phillips, a native of Bristol, England, was born in November 1854. He came to Jamaica in 1871 as a land surveyor. He also worked at the Westmoreland Telegraph in Savanna La Mar as a Printer and Publisher.
Reverend Phillips, formerly an adjutant of the Salvation Army, was commissioned by General William Boothe to the West Indies primarily to pioneer the Salvation Army. He first arrived in Jamaica, where he both served the Army and became a vibrant asset to the Christian ministry in many churches. While serving in Jamaica, Reverend Phillips felt the call of God and the urge of the Holy Spirit for a deeper surrendered life. After consultation with General Boothe, he started to conduct Open-Air meetings in Bluefields, Westmoreland just over 100 miles from Kingston. These meetings were conducted in the same format as the ones in the Salvation Army.
Over time, Reverend Phillips, became involved in the Jamaica Baptist Union and pastored the Acadia Baptist Church in St. Thomas. He was known as a man with a mission for ministry and helping people. Seemingly, in his pursuit to fulfill God's will in evangelism, he began to study about the Holy Spirit and ultimately practiced and introduced the Pentecostal experience to the Caribbean.
Later Reverend Phillips started to conduct healing and evangelistic meetings in different places. While conducting his evangelistic meetings in Browns Town, St. Ann, he came in contact with the young Spirit filled Mary Louise Coore. The two partnered with each other and travelled all over the island, preaching, praying for the sick, and teaching both young and old about God. Huge crowds followed them from village to village and from town to town. Everywhere Reverend Phillips and Sister Mary Louise Coore went people were saved and completely healed from all manner of sicknesses and diseases.
As the healing and evangelistic ministry captured the interest of the people of Jamaica, Reverend Phillips named the ministry, the Healing Mission. Subsequently, in 1924, he declared that God had directed him to establish a mission in every city and Reverend William Raglan Phillips re-named the Healing Mission as City Mission Church.
In 1930 Reverend Phillips died. But before his death, he transferred the leadership of the City Mission Church to Bishop Mary Coore.
