Bishop Lorenzo Lee Kelly was born in Winter Park, Florida on February 18, 1943, the son of Thomas and Beatrice Kelly and brother of Barbara, Charles and Neva. Mrs. Beatrice Kelly and her family moved to Evanston, Illinois in 1955, where he attended Haven Junior High School and Evanston Township High School, graduating in June 1961. He worked one year and attended Loop Junior College the next year. In August 1963, he had the honor of being the first black male to be hired in a North Shore Bank during those heated times of civil unrest of the 60's. As his job became a career, he worked his way up within the bank being promoted as he went and while pursuing higher education through the American Banking Institute.

As a young boy in Florida, the Kelly family had been members of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Park. They became members of the Springfield Missionary Baptist Church, in Evanston, and this is where Kelly met his bride-to-be, Evelyn Ann Heard. On October 10, 1964, he and his fiancée were wed at the Springfield Missionary Baptist Church in a beautiful ceremony. In 1969, Kelly moved his church membership from Springfield Baptist to Faith Temple Church of God in Christ; also, in Evanston, Illinois where the pastor is Bishop Carlis L Moody, Sr. In 1973, Kelly under the leadership, teaching, and tutelage of Bishop Moody, acknowledged the Lord's call upon his life as a minister of the Gospel. Kelly became a licensed minister on January 20, 1974. Graduating from Moody Bible Institute in May 1978, he continued to serve in the ministry of Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Evanston. Upon achieving the requirements for ordination as an elder, he was ordained as an Elder on August 25, 1979 by the late Bishop Louis Henry Ford of Chicago, IL. In August 1982, the Kellys were led by the Lord to move to Rapid City, South Dakota, to begin their ministry. The new church which they founded in Rapid City was named after their home church in Evanston, Illinois, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ.

On November 12, 1990, Kelly was promoted to the office of "Bishop". He was officially consecrated to the office of Bishop on May 30, 1991, in Rapid City at a service officiated by the late Bishop Ford. He served as Jail Chaplain and has ministered to inmates at the Pennington County Jail as well as State Prison inmates for more than twenty years. In addition, he served on the Pennington County Jail Advisory Board for over twenty years. Over the years, he taught a weekly life-changing class entitled "Maximized Manhood" for the male inmates. He wrote and visited prisoners throughout South Dakota and the surrounding states as a follow-up to those from the jail. He retired at the end of December, 2006 from his regular involvement with the jail. Because of his work in the Rapid City community, Bishop Kelly received the South Dakota Education Association's Human and Civil Rights award in 1995. In May of 2002, he received the "Liberty Bell" Award from the Pennington County Bar Association for his work with jail and prison inmates. In May of 2006, he received the "I Believe In Kids" award from Well Spring, Inc.

Bishop Lorenzo L. Kelly was quite a MIRACLE as he is the survivor of an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta which he suffered and underwent emergency surgery for replacement of 18" of his aorta on January 28, 2006. Medically speaking, only ten percent of people are blessed to get off the operating table but then to be able to go on and live a good, healthy life is rare. He died approximately five times on the operating table and had other severe complications including accidentally receiving fourth degree burns to the front of both legs. He had a number of surgeries while he lay critically ill for several weeks (and was revived, at least, twice more from death) during those weeks. Later he required additional skin graft operations to repair the damaged legs. During hospitalization, he sustained the hospital staph infection, MRSA, which has killed hundreds of people but thank God he lived. He also had an e-coli infection in his left knee cap, twice, between the two skin graft surgeries. During the surgery to replace his aorta, his body had to be frozen and in that frozen state without blood supply reaching the eyes he suffered strokes to both eyes. For a number of weeks, he could not see and when his vision partially returned, the doctors could not promise a complete recovery. Additionally, because he was on life support for a number of weeks, the breathing tube inserted down his throat which rested on his vocal cords caused some damage. The diagnosis seemed pretty grim that he would speak barely above a whisper and, hopefully, after about a year the good vocal cord would begin to compensate for the damaged one. Our God is so awesome because Bishop Kelly continued to preach and sing and his vocal abilities were completely restored. He recorded a CD which was released during the summer of 2007 and features songs that have been dear to him over the years.

His sons, Scott (Shelly) and their children, Mikaela (Justin and princess Auden Lea) Westerfield, Aleah (princess Nyla Evelyn Flomo) and Jahnaya Kelly; Loren (princesses Beatriz and Grace) Kelly; Bishop Troy Carr and Joseph Moore and daughters, Mae Hoffman, Twana Carr, Rosellen Reese, Treva Afraid of Lightning, Cara Kelly and Kresta Moore and grandsons, Tyrus, Hezekiah, Malachi and Johnathan Carr, are forever grateful for the love and support that he has provided. He always said that the greatest gift and calling he had was that of being a "Father".

Many call him dad, friend, pastor and mentor. Bishop Kelly has been a lot of things to a lot of people around the world. His legacy has expanded to various parts of the country and overseas. He leaves behind many sons and daughters that we cannot name in this space. Those whose lives have been greatly influenced by him will continue to carry out the richness in spirit of his work for Christ. Bishop's heritage will continue to live on through these great men and women.

It is difficult to pinpoint the number of lives, marriages and hearts he has touched throughout the years. The world has lost a great man but heaven is rejoicing to have him back.

Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3, at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ.

Services will be at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 at First United Methodist Church.

Burial will be at Mountain View Cemetery.

A memorial has been established to the Scholarship Memorial Fund in Bishop Lorenzo L. Kelly's name.