former presiding bishops of cogic

The beliefs of the Church of God in Christ are briefly written in its Statement of Faith, which is reproduced below:[41] It is often recited in various congregations as part of the order of worship and all national and international convocations. As the church continued to grow, she created women auxiliaries including the Purity Class and the Sunshine Band. On April 24, 2022, while addressing his local congregation at the West Angeles COGIC for their sunday morning service, he announced that he has been dealing with and coping with Parkinson's disease, "for the past ten years", and that as of April 2022, he was going to be retiring as the senior pastor of West Angeles COGIC, and that his two sons who are also COGIC elders and ministers, Reverends Charles, Jr. and Lawrence Blake, would be taking over as the de facto pastor and assistant pastor of the West Angeles congregation, respectively. In 2014, at the COGIC International Holy Convocation held in St. Louis, Missouri, COGIC minister Elder Earl Carter was selected by the General Board to be the keynote speaker for Saturday night. The most notable rift occurred in 1969, when fourteen bishops met in Evanston, Illinois, to form the Church of God in Christ, International. Drew Sheard was born on January 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. John Henry Sheard. The former Detroit-based math teacher was elected as the new presiding bishop over the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country in March. She served as chairperson of the board of supervisors, member, Executive Board, member, Screening Committee, member, Program Committee General Church, coordinator, Leadership Conference, International Marshall, secretary, and Assistant General Supervisor for the Department of Women. Among those who died after reportedly contracting the virus were: First Assistant Presiding Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, a preacher, and leader from Detroit who was No. [29] She is also the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for the South Carolina Jurisdiction. Military chaplains have also been instrumental in spreading COGIC through military installations. Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Martin Luther Johnson. Robinson was a staunch advocate for holiness and taught strict guidelines for the women with regard to dress and worldliness. "[90] This excerpt of Elder Carter's sermon went viral throughout social media and was picked up by major television news broadcasts. In 1981, Bishop J.O. Detroit pastor J. Drew Sheard elected COGIC presiding bishop Elder Carter called for a Church trial before the COGIC General Assembly and Judicial Board according to the Constitution of the COGIC. The denomination teaches that God gives life to human beings, biologically and spiritually, through the moment of conception in the womb of the mother, using Jeremiah 1:5, Genesis 1:2627, and Psalms 139:1316 as their scriptural basis for this belief. As Senior Pastor of the 26,000 member, West Angeles Church of God In Christ in Los Angeles, California, Bishop Blakes leadership is positively impacting lives and enhancing the community through the work of the many ministries offered. [2][4] The church teaches three separate and distinct works of grace that God performs in the life of believers: salvation, entire sanctification, and the baptism or infilling of the Holy Ghost. Sister Church Support Ministry a church in the USA giving support to a church on the mission field. Some of these African-American Baptist pastors in local Southern areas such as Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas considered Jones and Mason to be controversial. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. [45] It teaches that salvation is a work of grace brought about through faith in Jesus Christ; it does not promulgate nor encourage the doctrine of eternal security, also known as "once saved, always saved. In her brief tenure, she encouraged the women to stay focused and supportive to the leadership of the church. We believe that the regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation. In Chicago, Ford organized voter registration initiatives. Patterson, Evangelist Joyce L Rodgers#, Jurisdictional Supervisor, Former Chairlady of Youth Dept., international evangelist, Dr. Lytia R. Howard, Emeritus, President of the Sunshine Band, COGIC Pastor, Mother Leatha Herndon Chapman Tucker#, church organizer, national evangelist, Mother Elizabeth White#, foreign missionary, Dr. Rita Womack, national evangelist, former Elect Lady, Mother Willa Mary Collins#, founding First Lady of Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ in Evansville, Indiana. After being removed from the office of Senior Bishop, he remained the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until his death in 1972. Adelle M. Banks. However, after a meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas that led to the founding of the Assemblies of God, the white constituency of COGIC continued to decline, until it was almost nonexistent by the 1930s. A Jeter and D. J. The Five Presiding Bishops of the Church Of God In Christ COGIC has always been traditionally anti-abortion. Treasurer of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Pastor William Ward. It had a membership of more than 400,000, who supported more than 4,000 churches. Holy Temple COGIC was the first church to open its doors to the garbage workers. Bishop O. T. Jones Sr, however, did not leave the COGIC. Blake, Sr. and the late Evangelist Lula M. Blake. Mason Theological Seminary to train its ministers and ministry leaders. Today the International Women's Convention/Crusade meets annually in May in different cities throughout the nation drawing thousands of women from around the world. The current General Supervisor of Women is Dr. Barbara McCoo Lewis of Los Angeles, California. He has one older brother, J. Bishop Jones was the only living bishop of the five original bishops consecrated by Bishop Mason. There is one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. COGIC became a major force in the collective Black Church and worldwide Pentecostal movement. Vice Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Enoch Perry. There was the creation of the Sunday School Field Representative. Mason was given authority to lead the new denomination. As a visionary who is both inspiring and influential, the awards and recognitions that Bishop Blake has received are extensive. They determined to separate from COGIC and form what would eventually become the Worldwide Fellowship of the Assemblies of God. Most recently, Biola University conferred an honorary doctorate upon him on June 12, 2010. By that time, it was known as Saints Academy and Junior College. Since so many new holiness groups and fellowships were forming that used the name "Church of God," C. H. Mason sought a name to distinguish his Holiness group from others. These elders became the first Pentecostal General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ. According to the Articles of Religion, "We believe that we are not baptized with the Holy Ghost in order to be saved, but that we are baptized with the Holy Ghost because we are saved". All officers are elected by the General Assembly. Jesse Jackson was invited to speak during the COGIC International Holy Convocation when he was running for the presidency. Today, the International Youth Department (IYD) is led by the International Youth President, Superintendent Nathaniel Green of Dallas, TX, and the International Chairlady, Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy of Queens, NY. They have two children, Kierra Kelly and John Drew Sheard, II, one son-in-love, Jordan Kelly, and two grandchildren. At the 1907 COGIC Convocation held in Jackson, a separation occurred among Jones and other leaders in the church because of such disagreements. Church of God in Christ elects new Presiding Bishop Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. is the fifth Presiding Bishop and the seventh leader in succession, appointed in November 2007 by the General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ. The early conventions of the Evangelist Board were basically crusades led by Page and a few other Evangelists from across the country. [29], Bishop Louis Henry Ford of Chicago, Illinois, was elected after the death of J.O. Her life story led many African-Americans into the Holiness movement, including Mason. The COGIC emphasized the use of the choir as an integral part of the worship experience. [5] He officially retired on March 19, 2021, and was succeeded by Bishop J. Secretary of the National Judiciary Board Attorney Peter Davis. She was the wife and companion of Bishop John Seth Bailey, a trusted adviser of Bishop Mason, and later the first assistant presiding bishop of the church. On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. His ministry spanned more than seven decades. During the 1950s and 60s, during the height of the civil rights movement, COGIC ministers and congregations played host to many significant events. During the tenure of Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. as Presiding Bishop in the 1970s and 80s, Bishop Patterson established several interdenominational Christian schools and seminaries, and helped to establish the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches as well, a national caucus of Black church denominations that represent different denominations and organizations of the Black Church in America. Another body operating under the same name Church of God in Christ, International, split and organized in the Northeast area under Bishop R. T. Jones of Philadelphia and later Bishop C. E. Williams Sr. of Brooklyn, New York. WATCH: COGIC Inaugural Installation, Consecration Service of Rev. J On the local church level in addition to the office of missionary, COGIC developed and has maintained the position of the "church mother." Amen. A. The current president of the Missions Department is Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr. of South Africa. The designated church mother along with other "older and seasoned" women of the church provided the practical teaching of holiness in daily life and practice. These auxiliaries are found in nearly every church, district, and jurisdiction within COGIC and function to support the holistic approach that COGIC has toward ministry within the church and the larger community that COGIC congregations serve. He was assassinated the next day, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.[54]. Washington, Bishop Chandler D. Owens, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Bishop J. National officers of the church are chosen at the general assembly every four years unless special elections are warranted. This convention brings thousands of COGIC members representing all the major departments including Sunday School, Missions, Evangelism, Music, and Youth together in July and meets in cities around the U.S. He is credited with systematically restructuring church departments and ministries, expanding the church in Asia, primarily India and the Philippines, and placing the COGIC on a solid financial status. During her leadership, several new buildings were constructed on the 350-acre campus to serve this expansion. In 1988, he was installed as Pastor of Greater Emmanuel Church. Bishop Blake led COGIC through the death of G. E. Patterson while preparing the church for its 100th Holy Convocation; an important milestone for the church. Mother Lillian Coffey appointed Mother Reatha Herndon as president of the National Women's Evangelist Board in 1951. Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and . He established COGIC Charities which has provided thousands of dollars in college scholarships and disaster relief efforts such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mother Deborah Mason Patterson#, daughter of founder, Bishop Mason and wife of first presiding bishop James O. Patterson Sr. [31], Bishop Ford also renovated several COGIC structures in Memphis, including Mason Temple. We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing prayer. Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. Sin originated in eternity when Satan committed open rebellion against God in heaven. [7] The leadership of the Mississippi State Convention of the National Baptist Convention intervened and expelled Jones, Mason, and others who embraced the Wesleyan teaching of entire sanctification. Charles Blake was born on August 5, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the late Bishop Junious Augustus (J. [15], In 1951, when Bishop Mason was approaching 85 years of age, he set up a "special commission" to help with the administration and oversight of the church. [19], Mason continued to travel across the nation preaching and establishing COGIC churches. COGIC clergy are also allowed to be married. He protested during the 1950s and 1960s against lodging segregation in Memphis, while participating in COGIC Holy Convocations there during the Civil Rights era before federal laws prohibiting such segregation. Dr. Mattie Moss Clark#, second and longest-serving president of Int'l. Nurses Aid Ministry nurses taking their skills to the mission field. [53], In 1965, during the March to Selma, a young COGIC minister Charles E. Blake, (previous COGIC Presiding Bishop) was studying at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA. COGIC believes, though, that even then in the case of saving the life of the mother, that abortion should still only be considered as a last resort, if all other options to help the mother and the unborn fetus have been thoroughly exhausted. It is a separate and distinct work of grace that occurs in the lives of believers after conversion. [8][9] In 1984, after the death of his father, he was ordained and consecrated as a jurisdictional bishop of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Southern California for the COGIC denomination, and remained in that position until 2009 when he stepped down from the position to dedicate himself fully to the duties of the Office of the Presiding Bishop.