Dr. Betty R. Price was born Betty Ruth Scott on February 9, 1934, in Gloster, Mississippi. In 1943, at the age of nine years old she, along with her parents and siblings, moved to Los Angeles, California where she became a student of the Los Angeles public school system and attended Ritter Elementary School and Jordan Junior High School. In 1952 she graduated from Dorsey High School where she met Frederick K. C. Price, whom she later married on March 29, 1953, at the age of 19.
Apostle Fred and Betty Price have four children — Angela Marie Evans, Cheryl Ann Price, Stephanie Pauline Buchanan, and Frederick Kenneth Price, Jr. All of the Price children and their sons and daughter-in-law (A. Michael Evans Jr., Danon Buchanan and Angel Price) work or have worked for the Ministry at Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles. Apostle Fred and Betty Price are the proud parents of four children, ten grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
The marriage of Fred and Betty Price has spanned 67 years. The fact that all but one of those years was spent in the ministry is a story within itself. In 1962, Apostle Fred and Betty Price’s eight-year-old son, Frederick K. C. Price III, was struck and killed by a car while he was coming home from school. This was a very devastating blow to the Price family. In her book, “Standing by God’s Man,” Dr. Betty remembers, “Fred and I tried to console each other as best we could, and leaned a lot on one another during this time of hurt. My husband particularly found it hard to get over this tragedy, but he knew and continued to say, that it was not God who had taken our son from us. Looking back now, we can see how the devil was trying to destroy us as a family.”
A devout Christian since early childhood, Dr. Betty continues to play a vital role in her husband’s ministry, as well as in the operation of the church. She and Apostle Price travel extensively all over the world, ministering the uncompromising Word of God. Dr. Betty also shares her personal testimony, along with the Word, with women’s groups and organizations. Her love and concern for others have led to the establishment of numerous programs and groups at Crenshaw Christian Center. They include:
- Women Who Care, a support group for women dealing with a variety of issues facing women today.
- Women’s Fellowship (now known as the Women’s Network), which has served as a prototype for many women’s fellowships throughout the country.
- Alcohol/Drug Abuse and Co-Dependency Programs, which provide a means of helping those afflicted with the scourge of drug abuse.
- 24-hour Intercessory Prayer Network for members, visitors, and friends of the Ministry.
- Cancer Support Group, which meets weekly, uses the Word of God to assure participants that they can overcome cancer.
- Other support groups which include Domestic Violence, Young Mothers, and Relief from Grief meet once a month in an effort to help bring healing and restoration to God’s people.
- Vermont Village Community Development Corporation (VVCDC), which is a massive effort to restore beauty and viability to the Vermont Corridor.
- Community Outreach Program (COP), which distributes food and clothing to hundreds of recipients weekly, as well as God’s Word.
Dr. Betty was bestowed an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in January 1992. She was ordained to the ministry of the Gospel in January 1994.
Over the years Dr. Betty received numerous awards and commendations from local, state, and federal government agencies for her community service work, and most recently, received the honor as “Woman of the Year” from the Los Angeles County Commission for Women in the Second District.
She is the author of six books, Standing by God’s Man, which details her many experiences as a pastor’s wife; Through the Fire & Through the Water: My Triumph Over Cancer, the story of her battle with and victory over a dreaded enemy cancer; Lifestyles of the Rich & Faithful, A Handbook for Successful Christian Living; Wisdom From Above Vols 1 & 2; and A Warning to Ministers, Their Wives, and Mistresses.