Quorum of Twelve Apostles (Bickertonite)

In The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), the Quorum of Twelve Apostles is composed of the chief governing officers of the church. Currently, the president of the church and his two counselors are not separated from the quorum, as the church interprets scriptures as permitting a maximum number of twelve apostles, all of whom should be members of the quorum. Like all ministers of the church, the twelve apostles are volunteers and are not given any compensation for their ministry.

Front row (L–R): Apostles Paul Liberto, Joseph Calabrese, Paul Palmieri, Isaac Smith, and John R. Griffith. Second row: Apostle Peter Scolaro

History

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At a conference in Green Oak, Pennsylvania in July 1862, leaders of several branches in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia came together and formally organized what they called "The Church of Jesus Christ". William Bickerton presided over the conference. Bickerton's two counselors in the newly organized First Presidency were George Barnes and Charles Brown who were ordained apostles. The members of the Quorum of the Twelve of that organization (ordered by seniority) were Arthur Bickerton, Thomas Bickerton, Alexander Bickerton, James Brown, Cummings Cherry, Benjamin Meadowcroft, Joseph Astin, Joseph Knox, William Cadman, James Nichols, John Neish and John Dixon. At the conference George Barnes reported receiving the "word of the Lord," which he related:

Hear the word of the Lord; Ye are my Sons and Daughters, and I have committed unto you the Keys of the Kingdom, therefore be ye faithful .[1]

List of members

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# Year Name(s); * = reordination
1 July 1862 Joseph Astin, Alexander Bickerton, Arthur Bickerton, Thomas Bickerton, James Brown, William Cadman, Sr.; Cummings Cherry, John Dixon, Joseph Knox, Benjamin Meadowcroft, John Neish, James Nichols
2 January 1863 George Barnes, Charles Brown
3 July 1863 William Bickerton
4 July 1865 William Bacon, William Skillen
5 January 1870 Andrew Rattray
6 July 1873 James Louttit
7 July 1904 J. L. Armbrust, William H. Cadman, Marion Campbell, Alexander Cherry, Thomas Dixon, William Lynch, William T. Maxwell, James Skillen, Thornton Welch, John Williams, Allen Wright
8 July 1905 Solomon Van Lieu
9 July 1906 William Helms
10 July 1907 Francis Federer, Nephi Federer, John Grimes, Charles Tickhill
11 July 1908 Robert Anderson, Charles Ashton, Gustave Blum, Alma Cadman
12 July 1909 James Caldwell
13 July 1910 John Penn
14 July 1911 Vernon Chester, John Majoros
15 October 1911 George Neill, Isaac Smith
16 April 1912 Samuel Sanders, Fred Smith, John Ward
17 July 1914 Herman Kennedy, Harry Nicholson
18 October 1917 Thurman Furnier
19 Circa 1918 James C. Cowan
20 July 1919 Gustave Bloom *, E. J. Perry
21 August 1923 Charles Behanna, Joseph Corrado, Martin King, Ishmael D'Amico
22 July 1925 Alma Cadman *
23 July 1931 Isaac Smith *
24 April 1934 John Falola, Sr.
25 July 1934 John Dulisse
26 July 1939 Rocco Biscotti, Joseph Lovalvo
27 July 1941 Angelo Antonio Corrado, Samuel Kirschner, V. James Lovalvo
28 January 1944 James C. Cowan*
29 January 1948 Charles Behanna*
30 April 1953 Joseph Bittinger, Paul D'Amico
31 April 1956 Russell Cadman, Gorie Ciaravino, William Gennaro
32 April 1964 Frank Calabrese, Dominic Thomas
33 May 1974 Nick Pietrangelo
34 April 1979 Robert A. Watson
35 October 1986 Paul Palmieri
36 April 1989 Paul Benyola, Joseph Calabrese
37 October 1995 Thomas M. Liberto
38 October 1997 Peter Scolaro, Isaac Smith
39 October 2003 Richard T. Christman, John R. Griffith
40 April 2005 Paul Liberto, Philip R. Jackson
41 April 2007 Leonard A. Lovalvo
42 October 2007 James Crudup
43 October 2012 Joel Gehly
44 October 2015 Frank Natoli, Paul Aaron Palmieri
45 April 2018 Jerry Valenti
46 October 2021 Pete Giannetti, Scott Griffith

Current members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are: Thomas M. Liberto, Peter Scolaro, John R. Griffith, Paul Liberto, Leonard A. Lovalvo, James Crudup, Joel Gehly, Frank Natoli, Paul Aaron Palmieri, Jerry Valenti, Pete Giannetti and Scott Griffith.

Joel Gehly currently serves as church president, with Peter Scolaro and Frank Natoli as counselors.

Notes

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  1. ^ Cadman, W. H. (1945). A History of the Church of Jesus Christ. Monongahela, PA: The Church of Jesus Christ.

References

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  • The Church of Jesus Christ (2005). Faith and Doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ. Bridgewater, MI: The Church of Jesus Christ.
  • Valenti, Jerry (1986). "Volume 56", "Welcome to The Church of Jesus Christ". Bridgewater, MI: Gospel News, 9.