With the Church of God in Christ denomination celebrating its 114th Holy Convocation, the denomination unveiled a statute of its founder, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason at its Mason Temple. Presiding COGIC Bishop J. Drew Sheard and other leaders of the church presided over the unveiling of the statue.
On the report of Local Memphis, it says that the annual conference is ongoing at the COGIC World Headquarters and Renasant Convention Center. For this year, the theme is 'The Challenge We Face' and is expected to have thousands of church leaders attending the event. This also marks the return of the in-person event at the church had to hold the 2021 convocation online.
114th Holy Convocation
According to Fox 13, it has been 11 years since the COGIC held the convention in Memphis and it is expected to boost business sales in the area as there are thousands of hotel rooms and plenty of restaurants that can accommodate the conference attendees. The event is expecting about $30 to $40 million dollars in revenue in one week's time.
COGIC general board member Bishop Brandon Porter commented that this event would be the return of the COGIC members to their 'mecca.'
The convocation has a roster of speakers scheduled for the event which includes Evangelist Sherriah Anderson, Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, and Bishop Malcolm W. Coby, to name a few. For the convenience of the attendees, there are also scooter rentals, food trucks, and even courtesy transportation by the denomination. Further, there's the Church of God In Christ, Inc., National Security Task Force making sure that the event goes smoothly.
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Bishop Charles Harrison Mason
According to the COGIC page, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason was the founder and first senior bishop of the denomination. It says that Mason joined the African-American Missionary Baptist Church and eventually received his license to preach from the Mount Gale Missionary Baptist Church in Preston, Arkansas.
He would later meet Charles Prince Jones in 1895 and the two set out to create a new fellowship of churches. Unfortunately, the two would have a rift due to Pentecostal teachings and Mason won the legal rights to the name of the denomination which would take root in Memphis.
Upon the passing of the first bishop, the denomination would already have more than 400,000 members making up 4,000 churches not just in the United States but also in other countries. Through his example, the church now has over 6.5 million members worldwide spread over 59 countries.
Featured Speakers for the 114th Holy Convocation
On the COGIC Page, it says that Bishop John Drew Sheard is the Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle of the denomination. The bishop has over three decades of experience, serving COGIC churches in multiple capacities.
Prior to his service to God, he served as a public school teacher. He is a graduate of Wayne State University with a Master of Arts in Mathematics.
It also features Mother Barbara Mccoo Lewis, the current and seventh General Supervisor of the denomination's International Department of Women.
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