- Our History
- What We Do
- About Pastor Vitale
- Pastor Vitale's Testimony
- Pastor Vitale's Bio
- Portfolio of Books
Our History
The vision that became Living Epistles Ministries was initiated by the Lord Jesus Christ one day in the Fall of 1987, when the Lord Jesus Christ asked Sheila Vitale, the Pastor, Teacher and Founder of Living Epistles Ministries, if she would teach His people.
While driving from a church service to the house of friends who had invited her for dinner, Pastor Vitale spoke to the Lord about her need for mature teaching. Where is the church that will satisfy me? she asked, and, much to her surprise, the Lord answered, saying, Will you do it?
At that time Pastor Vitale was traveling 2-1/2 hours to work in Manhattan, and 2-1/2 hours back, five and sometimes six days a week. In addition, Pastor Vitale had been chronically ill since she was twelve years old, and was a physically weak and sickly person. In view of Pastor Vitale's circumstances at the time, it is understandable that she respectfully declined, saying, Lord, how can someone in my condition, who does not know, from day to day, whether they will be able to get up and go to work, make a commitment to study and teach on a regular basis?
Shortly thereafter, in the Fall of 1987, the Lord approached Pastor Vitale again, and this time Pastor Vitale submitted saying, if You want me to do it, Lord, I will try.
The initial meetings were casual and the ministry spontaneous. The first prepared message, The Truth About Witchcraft, was delivered by Pastor Vitale in January of 1988, and the second prepared message, The Seduction of Eve, was preached on March 12, 1988. Pastor Vitale then began to teach, weekly, beginning with Evil Children, which was brought forth under the anointing of the Holy Spirit on March 20, 1988. Eventually, the meetings increased to two, and then three, each week.
Pastor Vitale had moved in the Office of Prophet for several years before she began to teach, so now she was a Prophet and a Teacher of Apostolic Doctrine. She did not begin to move in the Office of Pastor until 1992 when she returned from her first trip to Nigeria, West Africa, where the Ministry of the Evangelist was birthed in her. Pastor Vitale has been training as a Pastor under the strong hand of Christ Jesus since 1982, and will continue to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ until such time as she accurately reflects His nature. (Top)
What We Do
Living Epistles Ministries is a teaching ministry that dispenses free Christian literature to the Body of Christ (our literature may be viewed or printed from the internet, free of charge), and free books and MP3s through the establishment of lending libraries in the United States, Africa, Europe and various other geographic areas.
Living Epistles Ministries allocates more than 15% of its income, in the form of tithes and free-will offerings, to various ministries that provide food, clothing and medical treatment to the poor and needy, and to organizations that support Christian principles and defend the Constitution of the United States. A list of the recipients of Living Epistles Ministries' Tithes and Offerings is posted to the LEM Donate Page. (Top)
About Pastor Vitale
Prior to Pastor Vitale's initiation into the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, she spent five years studying under Pastor Charles Holzhauser, an anointed Deliverance Minister who supported her during many difficult times. He taught her many things, including how to pray and cast out demons.
Pastor Vitale has been the recipient of Deliverance Ministry, the program that the Lord Jesus provided during that period of her life, to save her from premature death. Three curses of death were broken over her life.
Pastor Vitale fought her last battle with premature death in 1990, when she was hospitalized for 3 months. No one thought that she would survive, BUT JESUS...
Pastor Vitale was delivered from an incurable disease in 1991, and has been healing, spirit, soul and body, ever since. Today, Pastor Vitale maintains a heavy work schedule, teaching, preaching, translating, ministering prophetic and personal counseling, and evangelizing. Pastor Vitale also oversees the LEM Transcribing, Editing and Translating Teams, as well as the overall operation of Living Epistles Ministries. (Top)
Pastor Vitale's Testimony
I was born a Jew, of secular Jewish parents. There are no Christians in our family. I attended an orthodox Hebrew school as a child, where I was encouraged to attend synagogue on Shabat. I did not know what was happening to me, but I would cry throughout the whole 3-hour service. I did not understand the Hebrew prayers, but the melodies were so beautiful, it was almost too much for me to bear. I wanted God so much.... my mother let me light Shabat candles, and I would cry out of my soul to God with all of my strength.
I wanted to understand the Scripture so badly. I asked and asked, until my father finally took me to the Jewish book store and bought me a Bible. I was devastated, however, to find out that the Scripture made no sense to me at all.
Shortly after that, at 12 years old, I became very ill and almost died. I left Mt. Sinai hospital in New York alive, but was chronically ill for years thereafter. I begged my parents to send me to yeshiva. My mother went from yeshiva to yeshiva, but could not find one that was affordable, so I went to public school. I stopped attending Hebrew school, but never forgot about that wonderful feeling that had touched me in the Young Israel of Tremont, in the Bronx, New York. I did not know that I had been touched by God.
To make the story short, I suffered with infirmities for many years. I went to all kinds of synagogues: Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed... I was so desperate to find that feeling again that I looked for God everywhere, even in church, but He was not in church either. I still wanted to understand the Scripture, but had no idea how to pursue that desire, and eventually that desire took a back seat in my life.
Years later, while I was still suffering from infirmity and from many problems in my life, I was invited to a church service where I was happily surprised to hear a man teaching the Scripture. I started to attend church regularly and to read the Bible, but still could not understand a word that I was reading, especially when I read the Prophets. I would not give up, however, and forced myself to read several chapters a day.
After about six months, while I was reading the Scripture, a vision appeared in my mind, of a very large angel. He had one foot on the water, the other foot on the land, and was waving his right arm at Heaven. I had absolutely no idea what this meant, but from that day forward, I started to understand the Scripture.
Soon, thereafter, I realized that I was dissatisfied with what I was being taught in church, and started to study the Hebrew Scripture, one word at a time.
I spent approximately eighteen years pouring over reference books which enabled me to study the Scripture in Hebrew, one word at a time, and praying over each word, sentence and spiritual concept that I could recognize. At the time, I was only seeking God for the improvement of my health and my life, in general. I had no intention of becoming a teacher. I just wanted to stay alive long enough to see my daughter grow up, and pouring through the Hebrew and Greek texts seemed to be keeping me alive.
What I was learning, however, sounded nothing at all like what was being taught in the Church. On the contrary, I was criticized severely and called a heretic by many. But I knew that the wonderful presence that had touched me in my early childhood was with me. I prayed fervently that God would deliver me if what I was learning was coming from an unholy influence, but the wisdom kept coming, and I developed (what I now understand to be) a system of wisdom and knowledge that the Lord calls The Doctrine of Christ. (Top)
Pastor Vitale's Bio
Sheila R. Vitale is the founding teacher and pastor of Living Epistles Ministries and Christ-Centered Kabbalah. In that capacity, she expounds upon the Torah (Scripture) and teaches Scripture through a unique Judeo-Christian lens.
She has been studying Torah (Scripture) and the New Testament, in-depth, since the 1970s, and began to teach her understanding of it, which she calls The Doctrine of Christ, in January of 1988. Since then, she has woven her constantly evolving understanding of the Doctrine of Christ and Jewish spiritual philosophy into a fascinating and unparalleled course of study.
Pastor Vitale’s signature work is the three volumes of The Alternate Translation Bible: The Old Testament, The New Testament and The Book of Revelation, which has been translated into Spanish. The Alternate Translation Bible is an esoteric translation of the Scripture. It is not intended to replace traditional translations.
She has also developed more than 800 transcribed messages, many of which may be viewed at no charge through the Living Epistles Ministries’ website.
She has been responsible for the distribution of free Judeo-Christian literature for many years since she founded Living Epistles Ministries in the late 1980s. She has also overseen the creation of lending libraries across three continents as well as the organization’s charitable giving. Under her direction, Living Epistles Ministries donates a significant percentage of its income to organizations that advocate for Judeo-Christian values, defend the US Constitution and serve individuals most in need.
Today, she remains a passionate teacher and author. She has written more than forty books, including Not Without Blood, The Three Israels, Quantum Mechanics, The Science Of Spiritual Activity, and The Prophesies of Daniel According to Kabbalah, Chapter 11. Several of her books have been translated into Spanish.
Additionally, videos of her twice-weekly messages can be viewed on the Living Epistles Ministries YouTube channel as well as her “Short Clips” channel. The YouTube “Short Clips” channel contains concise, condensed videos on specific topics meant to be viewed in 15 minutes or less.
Pastor Vitale focuses daily on studying, teaching and writing. (Top)
Portfolio of Books
