Pastor Cliff Beckford, since 2015 is the succeeding Pastor of Living Word Church located in Washington, DC, founded by Apostle Eugene & Patrice Sheppard. He answered the call of God to preach the gospel while under the watchful eye of Bishop Ralph E. Green of the Free Gospel Deliverance Temple, Coral Hills, Maryland and launched Laurel Lakes Christian Center in 2006.Gifted as a teacher of the Word of God, Pastor Cliff founded Covenant Christian Center Ministries and Covenant Christian College, in 2009. His social and entrepreneurial reach led to the acquisition of a national restaurant franchise, the formation of a Workforce Development nonprofit and he now leads Lydia’s House Housing Counseling services providing over $100 Million in first time home buyer assist to the residents of Washington, DC metropolitan area. Pastor Cliff now oversees the $17 Million – 49 unit apartment complex, a 5,000 Sq. Ft retail space known as Trinity Plaza and the Community Development Corporation founded by the Sheppards. He recently teamed with the John Wall Family Foundation (Washington Wizards) to provide over $600K in rental assistance and has sights on launching joint pilot and avionics training center in Coco, Florida (2021). He has teamed with Wells Fargo Bank, Capital One Bank, TDBank, The Washington DC Department of Housing and Community Development, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, YACHAD and many more to deliver much needed community services. Above all, as the recently appointed Sr. Pastor of Living Word Church, Pastor Cliff is a proud servant of the Lord by impacting the next generation. Pastor Cliff & Lady Sherry, his wife of 27 years and family reside in Brandywine, Maryland where they make God the center of their existence. They have adopted the mantra of “Growing Children, Strengthening Families and Changing Neighborhoods.”