COGIC Bishop G.E. Patterson dead at 67

 COGIC Bishop G.E. Patterson dead at 67

March 21, 2007 06:16 AM EDT

The saints of Church of God in Christ were in grief Tuesday after the loss of their beloved bishop.

They say they will rejoice in his memory with tears in their eyes.

As the sun set, the saints arrived to mourn the passing of Bishop G.E. Patterson.

"He loved people. A man of great humility even with all that God had blessed him with, and just a wonderful example to anybody who seeks to serve," said COGIC Elder Bobby White.

Saints hung flags at half mast outside Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ.

Inside, Tuesday night service became a time for deep prayer.

"We all loved him and cared about him and respected him and we've come to give him honor in prayer," said COGIC Saint Ollie Jones.

Though Bishop Patterson was ailing for some time, followers like Ollie Jones say it was hard to believe he was actually gone.

"It's not true, it;s not true. I said I can't believe it, it's not true," said Jones.

Elder Bobby White says it's a time to rejoice in Bishop Patterson's legacy and to pray. "We hope that they would pray for the strength of the family."

He says it will be hard to replace the world renowned leader. "We're just following the leading of the Lord into the future."

"We've still got to keep the church going, because this church here is a lighthouse for the world," said Jones.

Saints say their Bishop is now in the place where the saints hope to go.

Patterson often said, "Be healed, be delivered and be set free."

Earlier coverage:

Action News 5 has learned that Church of God in Christ Bishop G.E. Patterson passed away Tuesday afternoon. 

The following is a statement from the Carter Malone Group, which acted as spokesperson for Patterson and COGIC:

This afternoon at 4:03 p.m. at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In Christ, Bishop G.E. Patterson, passed away as a result of heart failure.  Patterson was surrounded by his wife, Mrs. Louise Patterson, and his family.

Patterson served as the leader of the fourth-largest Protestant religious denomination in the world with an estimated membership of 6.5 million members.  He led the denomination since November 2000.

Two years ago, Patterson disclosed he had prostate cancer.  In January, he was hospitalized with undisclosed illness.

Below is Patterson's bio (bbless.org):

Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson was born in 1939 to Bishop W. A. and Mrs. Mary Patterson, Sr. in Humboldt, Tennessee.  He was reared in Memphis, Tennessee and Detroit, Michigan.  Bishop J. S. Bailey ordained him in 1958 as an elder in the Church of God in Christ.  In 1962, Bishop Patterson became co-pastor with his father at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. Bishop Patterson continued his pastorate in 1975 as the founder and pastor of Temple of Deliverance, the Cathedral of the Bountiful Blessings in Memphis, Tennessee.  Today, Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ is one of the nation's fastest growing congregations with over 12,000 on its membership roll.  The church is located at 369 G. E. Patterson Avenue.

Temple of Deliverance also serves as the home church base for the rapidly growing Bountiful Blessings Ministries (BBM) which is viewed internationally on BET and TBN cable networks weekly, as well as on local TV stations throughout the nation.  BBM has amailing list of over 100,000 active donors from outside the Memphis viewing audience.  Bishop Patterson is founder and president of BBM.

Bishop Patterson is a learned minister.  He has studied at the Detroit Bible Institute, and LeMoyne Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee.  He holds an honorary Doctorate from Oral Roberts University and is the president of the Charles H. Mason Bible College of Tennessee Fourth Jurisdiction in Memphis, Tennessee.  Bishop Patterson is the publisher of Bountiful Blessings Magazine and a contributing writer in the Spirit Filled life Bible (King James Version) published by Thomas Nelson Publishers and edited by Dr. Jack W. Hayford. In July 2002, Whitaker House Publishers released Bishop Patterson's first book entitled "Here Comes The Judge".

Bishop Patterson is a 20th century Apostle of Jesus Christ.  He is a renowned national speaker, known for his simplistic messages that transcend all barriers of race, gender, age and walks of life for people around the globe.  One of his themes, "Be healed, be delivered, and be set free" has become a popular expression.  The nation demand for audio and video tapes is overwhelming.  Bishop Patterson is the president and general manager of the Memphis based Radio Station WBBP (1480 AM), a full time gospel station with over 100,000 daily listeners.

Bishop Patterson humbly serves God and his community through the ministries he has established at Temple of Deliverance Church (TOD).  These ministries have a positive and direct impact on:  unemployment-TOD employs over 100 people and has over 100 local and national vendors; wellness-TOD is a member of the Church Health Center;  education-TOD issues scores of $1,000 scholarships annually to students entering or returning to colleges or universities;  family life-a prayer ministry with more than 40 telephone lines and a prison ministry that serves in the Criminal Justice Center and the Penal Farm in Memphis, Tennessee.  There are numerous other ministries at TOD that address the needs of the community.

Bishop Patterson is a leader of church leaders.  He is the Presiding Bishop of Church of God in Christ, Incorporated.  Bishop Patterson has helped finance many local churches and helped organize seven other churches across the nation.

Bishop Patterson has been married to his lovely wife, Louise D. Patterson for 35 years.  We are proud to present to you this highly respected and committed man of God.