Meet Our Pastor
Pastor Sonya T. Ellerbe
Pastor Sonya Ellerbe has over 30 years of experience in the preaching ministry and 25 years of pastoring. She is a native of Wadesboro, NC, born to the late Wade T. and Mary Ellerbe. She is the youngest of ten children.
Pastor Ellerbe is a graduate of Wingate University, Wingate, NC, with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree. She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC , with a Master of Arts Degree in Music. She is an alumna of Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, NC, with an earned Master of Divinity Degree. She is widely known for her role in the movie “The Color Purple” as the church musician, which featured the song, “God Is Tryin’ to Tell You Something.”
In 1992, Pastor Ellerbe was appointed to serve as College Minister of Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. During her appointment, a campus church was organized under her leadership and over two hundred souls were won for the Lord. In 1997, Pastor Ellerbe founded United Christian Fellowship Church International (UCFCI), Salisbury, NC.
Under her pastoral leadership at UCFCI, community outreach and evangelism has been a consistent priority. UCFCI has donated over 10,000 pounds of food to the homeless, given over 800 backpacks to students in foster care, and evangelized over 5,000 souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ through our outreach initiatives. The most recent initiative is the development of the church school, Nehemiah Enrichment Academy. Pastor Ellerbe is proud to lead and serve with UCFCI parishioners to meet the needs to the surrounding community. Currently, Pastor Ellerbe’s sermons are reaching and changing lives of over 15,000 souls weekly through UCFCI’s social media platforms.
Pastor Ellerbe is passionate about expanding the gospel of Jesus Christ and equipping individuals to spread the gospel. She is committed to the vision of UCFCI to unite and reunite souls with Christ.
