The late Pastor Derrick Anderson Sr. had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1980. Pastor and Sis Deborah Anderson have 7 children and 15 grandchildren. He had worked 35+ years in Information Technology. He first opened the doors of God’s Oasis COGIC in November, 1988, God giving him the theme scripture, Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. Shortly afterwards, the Lord directed him to return to his childhood home in the Brewster Projects to start a work there. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church has planted seeds and reaped the harvest there as well as in several areas of the city of Detroit including its’ current location in Eastpointe, MI.

He made his first mission trip to Haiti in 1997. Struck by the severe poverty of the people, he vowed to continue to work in foreign missions. Since that time he had made multiple mission trips to Haiti and The Dominican Republic. He dispatched missionaries to several other countries including, Trinidad, Africa and Mexico. He was an integral part of establishing support for missionaries in Liberia and in South Africa. Pastor Anderson led a team of pastors on their first mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2006. He then led a team of missionaries on his first mission trip to The Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa in 2007.

Pastor Anderson was appointed Jurisdictional Missions President under the leadership of Bishop A.M. Smith, Great Lakes Second Jurisdiction, in 2007. He served faithfully in this office for several years. One of his first projects was the support of the Bishop C.L. Anderson Jr. School in Dominican Republic, which was funded by the “Adopt-A-Child Program”, which he founded in 2002. The program continues to meet the educational, spiritual and natural needs of 200+ under-privileged children. In June 2017 the school was renamed to ”Anderson and Anderson Memorial Christian Academy”, and re-dedicated in honor of Pastor Anderson by Bishop Dwight E. Walls Sr., Prelate, Great Lakes Second Jurisdiction of MI COGIC (he had reappointed him to Missions President after his return to Great Lakes Jurisdiction) . The re-dedication ceremony was done during a mission trip led by Missionary Sandra Wright, GL2 Jurisdictional Missions President (appointed in October 2016 in Pastor Anderson’s stead), his wife, Deborah Anderson (her first mission trip to the DR), and a team of missionaries and pastors. It was a tremendous honor to make this trip with Bishop Walls as it was Pastor Anderson’s desire to take him and others prior to his passing in September 2016. The school and ministry work in The Dominican Republic was very dear to Pastor Anderson and monthly school support will be continued in his name.

Pastor Anderson was again appointed to the office of Jurisdictional Missions President of North Central Jurisdiction in October 2010 under the leadership of Bishop J. Drew Sheard. His first project was the formation and support for the North Central Jurisdictional School/Orphanage in The Democratic Republic of Congo (a project he had initiated in 2003 and had supported from God’s Oasis COGIC for 13+ years). It currently houses 100+ impoverished children, has been renamed to The Oasis Learning Center, and is again supported by God’s Oasis Church.

In 2012 Pastor Anderson traveled to Cuba with Youth On A Mission (YOAM) along with Bishop Carlis L. Moody Sr., President of the International Department of Missions and other national clergy on a farming project initiative. He made a second trip with YOAM to Guyana on a church planting mission. He made his final mission trip to The Dominican Republic in June, 2015, leading a team of 7 including pastors, missionaries and mission workers. He had begun planning for a roof construction project for one of the churches in the Dominican Republic (a generous financial donation was given to the church in his name during the school rededication).

Over thirty years ago, Pastor Anderson was dubbed a “soul winner” by his former pastor (deceased). He had trained and launched pastors, preached under many tent crusades and walked the streets of the city of Detroit winning many souls to Christ. He ministered in youth homes, hospitals, in boys training centers, prisons and men’s shelters. Hundreds of souls have been saved and sustained through his God given ministry and through community based outreach programs sponsored by God’s Oasis Church.

On September 17, 2016 Pastor Anderson went home to be with the Lord. One of his favorite passages of scriptures (very befitting to this great man of God) is II Timothy 4:7-8 (kjv), “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”.