Our Team

Rev. Richard F. Norris II, the eldest son of The Late Bishop Richard & The Late Mother Mary Norris, is married to Patricia E. Wilkie Norris, the proud father of 3 children, Jasmine, Richard III & TaNia, and has 2 granddaughters, Alani and Cai.  He is an alum of Gettysburg College and Payne Theological Seminary. 

In 1994, Rev. Norris founded AME Youth Mass Choir in 1994, which ministered throughout the Northeast for over 7 years.  Rev. Norris has also performed with the Grammy-Award Nominated Gabriel Hardeman Delegation and Changed, a contemporary male gospel group, and continues to lead “Rev. R2 & Da’ Crew" – a gospel-jazz musical group born out of the music ministry of St. Matthew AME Church, Philadelphia, PA, combined with the Music ministry of Bethel-Hosanna AME Church, Pennsauken, NJ.

Prior to his pastoral career, Rev. Norris served in the music ministries at various AME Churches in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg areas including Mt. Tabor AMEC (Philadelphia), Bethel AMEC (Harrisburg), Ebenezer AMEC (Middletown), AME Union (Philadelphia), Bethel AMEC (Bryn Mawr), and Mother Bethel AMEC (Philadelphia).  He also served as Minister of Music at Morris Brown AMEC (Philadelphia) and the 1^st Episcopal District for over 10 years. Immediately before beginning his Pastoral Ministry, Rev. Norris served as Minister of Music at St. Matthew AME Church (Philadelphia), his home church and is currently Director of the Philadelphia AME Mass Choir.

Richard was elected and ordained an Itinerant Elder at the Bicentennial Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference in 2016, and was appointed to his 1^st Pastoral Charge, Bethel AME Church, Pennsauken, NJ in June of that same year.  One year after his appointment, Rev. Norris led Bethel’s merger with Hosanna AME Church in Camden, NJ.  At the 146^th Session of the NJ Annual Conference, Rev. Norris was appointed the 1^st pastor of Bethel-Hosanna AME, Pennsauken, NJ, the newest congregation on the NJ Annual Conference, which resulted from the merging of these two historic congregations in 2017.

Richard is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., serving as Chaplin for the “Mighty" Mu Omega Chapter in Philadelphia, PA., where he co-founded the Mu Omega Chorus and was named 2023 Mu Omega Man of the Year.  He is also a member of Bethel Lodge #47.

Richard is also looking forward to releasing his 4^th Instrumental CD “Hymns, Anthems & Spirituals” in the near future.