Dr. Jessie M. Herring

Senior Pastor & Co-Founder of Table of Life Ministries

A Life of Ministry and Obedience

Pastor Jessie M. Herring is the Senior Pastor and co-founder of Table of Life Ministries, a non-denominational, Bible-based church founded on October 31, 2010, in Springfield, Illinois. This year, she celebrates 15 years of pastoral leadership and 26 years as a licensed and ordained minister.

Born in Charleston, Mississippi, Pastor Herring dedicated more than 40 years to St. John Missionary Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School, served as an Associate Minister, and sat on the Board of Trustees. She also founded the Seeking Soul Outreach Ministry, leading impactful Prison and Hospital Ministries for six years.

A Call to Build the Table

After relocating to Springfield in 2007, Pastor Jessie began a home Bible study while working as a substitute teacher and later retiring from her role as a Treatment Specialist at the Sangamon County Juvenile Center. In 2010, following a season of prayer and fasting, she and her husband, the late Pastor Paul Herring, were led by the Spirit to establish Table of Life Ministries. They launched the church on October 31 as a declaration of light, reclaiming the day with their now-annual Hallelujah Festival.

Though Pastor Paul has gone on to be with the Lord, Pastor Jessie continues to lead with grace, strength, and an unwavering commitment to hearing and obeying God's voice. Her faithful leadership has allowed the church to flourish and remain a beacon of love, peace, and joy in the community.

A Legacy of Leadership &
Community Impact

Pastor Herring is a trailblazer, serving as the first African American woman Vice President of the Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity. She is also the visionary behind the Prayer of Protection, an initiative focused on interceding for leaders across the city and nation.

She oversees the Hope of Life Outreach Project, which fights food insecurity and provides nutritional education and weekly meals. Under her leadership, Table of Life Ministries has fed over 16,500 people and distributed more than 90,000 pounds of food in recent years. She continues to minister at Helping Hands and the Juvenile Detention Center, offering hope and encouragement to the hurting and forgotten.

Pastor Herring serves faithfully on multiple community boards, including:

Memorial Behavioral Health
WLUJ Christian Radio
S.E.E.D. – Springfield Engage Encourage Development

Committed to God, Family & the Community

Pastor Jessie M. Herring is a woman of unwavering faith, bold love, and profound compassion. Whether preaching the Word, feeding the hungry, mentoring the next generation, or simply listening to God's direction, she lives to serve others and glorify Jesus Christ.