Ernest was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. However, his high school years were spent primarily in Arkansas and Louisiana. In 1971, while in high school, he was licensed to preach, and encouraged to attend Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, to prepare for the Gospel Ministry. He and his wife, Andrea, were married in 1976 and have two adult children, Stephen and Leah. In 1982, while pastoring a church plant in the inner city of Detroit, God graciously opened Ernest’s eyes, and granted him saving faith and repentance unto life. After which, God led his family to a church that nurtured him, and in 1986 sent him to the Trinity Ministerial Academy in Montville, New Jersey, for further training. In 2004, he and his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and joined Grace Fellowship Church in 2005. After 46 years of gainful employment in the skilled trades and trucking industry, he retired in 2020. Ernest was ordained as an elder at Grace in February 2022. It is his desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, and to help shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood, for His glory alone.