R.I.P Bishop J.O. Patterson Jr.

    Bishop J.O. Patterson Jr.has just pasted away at the age of 75. Bishop Patterson Jr. was a strong leader in Memphis, TN,. He was both a civic leader in the community and a leader in the church.  Bishop Patterson Jr. died of kidney failure.

    "Patterson was a bishop of the Jurisdictional Headquarters for the Church of God in Christ in Memphis. He was also a pastor at Pentecostal Temple on Danny Thomas Boulevard.He was among the first Memphis councilmen, the first appointed African American mayor, an attorney and a doctor of religion. Loved ones said Patterson was blessed and that he strived to share those blessings with others."
   

     "Memphis Mayor A C Wharton issued the following statement regarding Patterson's death:

"Memphis has lost a true pillar for our city and community with the passing of Bishop J. O. Patterson, Jr.As the grandson of the founder of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., Charles Harrison Mason, and the son of the denomination's first Presiding Bishop, J. O. Patterson, Sr., Bishop J. O. Patterson, Jr. followed in this great tradition of Christian service as a pastor and denominational leader.

     However, his life and pioneering accomplishments expanded into his career as an attorney, a businessman, and an elected official, most notably as our city's first African-American Mayor.

I'm happy to have had the chance to spend some time with him recently at an event held in his honor. The number of people at that event reflected his sphere of influence and network of supporters, locally and nationally,

     Our hearts are with his family, his church and denominational family, and all of those whom he's touched in a special way."(http://www.wmctv.com/story/14976607/cogic-bishop-jo-patterson-jr-dies)

    Bishop Patterson Jr.is a great man that will live on within his church and through the hearts he has touched throughout his life. R.I.P COGIC Bishop J.O. Patterson Jr.