Dr. Marilyn Cross, Ph.D.

Jurisdictional Supervisor  – Third Illinois Jurisdiction 

Dr. Marilyn Cross has served the Church Of God In Christ for more than 30 years. She is the wife of Superintendent Arthur Cross who is the Pastor & Founder of United Missions COGIC and District Superintendent of the Bishop Moses Cross, Sr. Memorial District. Together they have six sons, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild. In addition, Mother Cross is a licensed Evangelist and has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, a Masters Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Management.  

She received her early training under the late Bishop Moses Cross, Sr. (Pastor and Founder of Cross Temple COGIC) and the late Mother Priscilla Cross (former State Supervisor of 5^th Illinois Jurisdiction). During this period, Mother Marilyn served as a helper with Minister’s Wives, Business and Professional Women, YWCC, Hospitality, Missionary Board, Sunday School and Purity Class.

In addition to the above, she served with the late Mother Consuella York in the Cook County Illinois prison outreach ministry at the maximum security section of Cook County Illinois. Her compassion for souls also led her to serve as counselor and mentor to young people in the juvenile retention center of Chicago’s Audi Home. 

Dr. Marilyn Cross was among the first Assistant State Supervisors appointed in 1996 to the Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Illinois by Bishop Robert R. Sanders, State Prelate, and Mother Joyce Wells, State Supervisor of Women. Mother Cross created and developed the first national issue of the Assistant State Supervisor’s – COGIC Women’s Department. Mother Cross served Mother Wells faithfully in several capacities, including District Missionary, until Mother Wells’ home going in May, 2004.  

Under the leadership of Bishop Sanders, Dr. Cross continued to serve as Assistant State Supervisor, a District Missionary and President of the Christian Women’s Council, Young Women’s Christian Council, Hulda Club, member of the State Examining Board and is a member of the Pastors’ & Ministers’ wives Circle. 

Dr. Marilyn Cross has worked diligently by her husband’s side in outreach ministry for over 20 years, and is playing a key role in the overall ministry, purchase and renovation of a new church facility and development of the Bishop Moses Cross, Sr. Memorial District. She serves as Assistant Pastor of United Missions COGIC and is founder of the Genesis Project where she provides Christian Counseling Services. 

Prior to her husband’s call to Pastor, Dr. Marilyn Cross served as President of the Missionary Board and a member of the Board of the Robinson Youth Foundation at New First Church COGIC, under the leadership of  then Supt. Robert R. Sanders who is now our Bishop.  As a result of Supt. Sander’s recommendation, Dr. Cross also assisted Mother Charlotte Eades as a member of the ancillary staff and  instructor for Christian Counseling in 1^st Illinois Jurisdiction’s C. H. Mason Bible College where Mother Eades was appointed as Dean by Bishop L. H. Ford. During her tenure, Dr. Cross helped write and develop the curriculum for the C. H. Mason Bible College. In addition, it was under Bishop L. H. Ford and Mother Carrie Cantrell, State Supervisor – First Illinois Jurisdiction, that Dr. Marilyn  Cross developed and implemented the Christian Women’s Council Prayer & Shut-In Retreat, which is still active today in Third Illinois Jurisdiction.  

Dr. Marilyn Cross is also a successful business woman and entrepreneur, having worked in an executive role for Quaker Oats/PepsiCo for 30 years.  During her tenure in supplier diversity, she was responsible for identifying and initiating Company spending of  $200 million – $300 million annually with minority-owned, women-owned and small businesses.  As Quaker’s Supplier Diversity Manager, she represented the Company as a participant in the Small Business Administration “Round Table” events and the Congressional Black Caucus Trade Fairs held in Washington DC.  Some of her fondest memories are of Company sponsored-visits to the White House during both President Clinton’s Administration and President Brush’s Administration resulting from recognition of Company achievements in minority-owned, women-owned and small business spending. 

In addition to Supplier Diversity, Dr. Cross served on PepsiCo’s ‘African-American Leadership’ and ‘Power of One’ teams. She wrote and implemented the Church Beverage Program for PepsiCo, which was supported by PepsiCo Community Affairs, Pepsi Bottlers Leadership and COGIC Leadership: Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson - International Presiding Bishop of COGIC, approved and launched the initial agreement between COGIC and PepsiCo in Memphis Tennessee which provided national church endorsement of  Pepsi products as its preferred beverages.  Dr. Cross is privileged to continue working directly with COGIC General Board Members: Bishop Charles Blake, Bishop Nathaniel Wells, Bishop P. A. Brooks, Bishop C.D. Owens; Bishop Patterson’s Chief of Staff, Bishop Jerry Maynard; and Members of the COGIC Board of Bishops, Bishop Robert R. Sanders and Bishop Ocie  Booker to implement the PepsiCo Church Beverage Vending Program in their various church marketing areas across the United States. 

If all the above is not enough, Dr. Cross is an inventor with two patent awards and assigned several copyrights in the Library of Congress. She is the recipient of many business and community awards for her work in diversity and service to minority and women-owned businesses. She has served as an adjunct professor as well as a member on several business and community boards, including member of the Trustee Board for the DuSable Museum of African-American History. She officially retired from Quaker/PepsiCo on August 20, 2004, but continues to serve as a pro bono business consultant & counselor.   

In November 2004, Dr. Marilyn Cross was appointed by Bishop Robert R. Sanders to the position of Jurisdictional Supervisor – Third Jurisdiction Illinois.  She was formally installed on November 12, 2004 in Memphis, Tennessee by Mother Willie Mae River, General Supervisor – Women’s Department COGIC.