Pastor Jonathan E. Ford is a true Philadelphia son. He was born and raised in the Germantown and Mt. Airy sections of Philadelphia and educated in the city’s finest educational institutions, including Central High School and Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Pastor Ford has remained local and been a real driver of change on a variety of fronts. Many years ago, he met the love of his life, N’Jameh Samuels and they married in the spring of 1998. To date, their union has produced three sons, Jordan, Jackson, and Jacob.

The Ford Family
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Pastor Ford has been a member of Taylor Tabernacle since his youth and throughout his adult life has served in a number of leadership positions within the church. In 1996, he was ordained as a deacon and in 1999 as a minister. A few years later he was raised to serve as the assistant pastor and in 2009, he was ordained as an Elder in the Lord’s Church and has since been elevated to assume the pastorate of Taylor Tabernacle and “lead the church into the twenty-first century.”

Pastor Ford also serves as the executive director of Turning the TIDE, a technology and employment training center operated as a separate non-profit subsidiary of the church. Turning the Tide has received a number of federal grants to support its renowned program, Project ECHO, which focuses on providing job training and job placement services, along with entrepreneurial training for ex-offenders. Turning the Tide was recognized in March 2007 by the U. S. Department of Labor with it “Compassion Award” for its exemplary services and long-term success. Under Pastor Ford’s leadership, Turning the Tide has also become one of the leading faith-based organizations providing HIV/AIDS education, counseling and rapid-testing in the city of Philadelphia. Most recently, Turning the Tide has launched a Christian based after-school youth program. One of the funders and supporters of the after-school program has been the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia initiative launched by Pennsylvania State Representative Dwight Evans.

In addition, Pastor Ford is Chairman of the board of directors for The Partnership CDC, an organization dedicated to proving affordable housing and employment opportunities to low income individuals and families throughout the Delaware Valley. He has also been a past board member of the Central High School Alumni Association.

After a number of successful years in corporate America, Pastor Ford left to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Currently, He is the managing partner for Urban Harvest Partnership, LLC, a U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) certified firm specializing in wireless technology solutions for commercial businesses and municipalities across the country. In 2007, it was voted one of the fastest growing companies in the Delaware Valley by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Pastor Ford is a desired speaker and thought leader for faith-based partnerships and programs. He has been a speaker at the White House on behalf of the Center for Faith-Based Initiatives and on numerous other occasions for the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Labor. In May 2010, Pastor Ford received the Distinguished Leadership Award from Community College of Philadelphia for his contributions to community enrichment and outstanding support to education.