J.O. Patterson, Sr.
James Oglethorpe "J.O." Patterson, Sr. (July 21, 1912 - December 29, 1989) was an American Pentecostal-Holiness and Charismatic, denomination leader. He was the Chief Apostle and first international Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. In 1968, he followed in the footsteps of his late father-in-law, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason who served as the First Chief Apostle and Senior Bishop from 1907-1961. Bishop J.O. Patterson, Sr. was also the father of former interim Mayor of Memphis, TN, J.O. Patterson, Jr. and the uncle of late Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Presiding Bishop, Gilbert E. Patterson.
BIOGRAPHY
The young J. O. Patterson was taught divine precepts and given spiritual guidance by his parents. This training was also supported by his family and others who were able to detect a uniqueness AbOUT him. While growing up in Derma, Mississippi; Heth, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, he received his formal educational training in the public schools of those cities. The majority of his training, was received in the Memphis City School system and the Howe School of Religion, which later became a part of the school presently known as LeMoyne-Owen College.
The godly principles instilled in this young man led him to commit his life to Christ as a young man. In 1934, he married Bishop Mason's daughter Deborah and to this union two children James Oglethorpe, Jr. and the late Janet Laverne were born . After over fifty years of marriage, their union was ended at her demise in 1985. Four years later he married Mary Peak.
Bishop Patterson was called to the Gospel Ministry and later was ordained an elder in 1935 by the late BISHOP A. B. McEwen, Sr. A year later he received his first charge as pastor of the church at Gates, Tennessee. Bishop Patterson also served the churches in Brownsville, Tennessee; Memphis, Tennessee and in East Orange, New Jersey.
A shrewd businessman, he established J.O. Patterson Funeral Home in 1939 and it was change to J.O. Patterson Mortuary in 1986. He was also an organizer of the Tennessee Burial Society.
Bishop Patterson founded Pentecostal Temple COGIC in 1942 and served as Pastor for the next near fifty years until his demise. Pentecostal Temple was started with less than twenty members, but through the years God blessed and the congregation grew to be one of the largest in the COGIC, with over 3,000 ACTIVE members.
He was consecrated to the Bishopric in 1955 by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, with his first appointment as Prelate of the Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Tennessee. Later this he would be appointed to the secretariate of the Executive Committee of the Church which was created by Bishop Mason to assist with the executive and administrative affairs of the Church. After the death of Bishop Mason, this committee became known as the Executive Board, and Bishop Patterson served this board as its' secretary. In addition to these duties, he also served as the Church's General Secretary, member of the Board of Directors and Manager of the Church's Publishing House.
At sixty-first General Assembly of the Church in November of 1968, Bishop Patterson was elected the first Presiding Bishop of the COGIC, making him the spiritual leader of the 3.5 million followers of the church. In 1969, he became the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Headquarters Jurisdiction at Memphis, Tennessee.
During his administration, the Church enjoyed trememdous growth in many areas. His achievements in educational related entities were the establishment of the Charles Harrison Mason Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia; the C. H. Mason System of Bible Colleges; the J. O. Patterson Fine Arts Department; the Historical Museum and Fine Arts Center and organizer of the Charles Harrison Mason Foundation and the Presiding Bishop's Benefit Fund which provides scholarships to deserving youth. Other ministries brought about through this servant include the COGIC Bookstore and the COGIC Publishing House.
Other involvements include Founder and President of the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches; serving on the Boards for the Boys Club, The Boy Scouts of America, Y.M.C.A., Memphis Landmark Commission, Lorraine Historical Museum Commission, Tri-State Bank of Memphis, The Black Church Summit of the World Council of Churches and the Congress of National Black Churches. He also served with the Rotary Club of Memphis, Save the Children Foundation and the Shelby County SHERIFF's Summit on [...] Prevention.
In February of 1972, the five-hundred-room Chisca Plaza Hotel was given to Bishop Patterson by its owners, Mr. Robert Snowden and his sister, Mrs. Mary Todd. Bishop in turn gave this property to the church. His initiatives allowed the Church's growth to exceed 4 million in the fifty states and 47 foreign countries at the time of his death.. During his tenure as Presiding Bishop he consecrated and appointed in excess of 100 prelates (Jurisdictional Bishops).
Honors and awards presented to Bishop Patterson were numerous. Among those received were honorary degrees from Trinity Hall College of Springfield, Illinois, which were Doctors of Divinity, Laws, and Philosophy. He also received an honorary Doctor of Law from Saints College of Lexington, Mississippi and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
He was recognized annually since 1975 as one of the one-hundred most influential blacks in America. He has received some one hundred keys to cities and citations for meritorious service to the Boy's Club, The Boy Scouts of America, Y. M. C. A., Memphis Landmark Commission and other civic and religious organizations.