COGIC Celebrates 100 Years of Life

A movement generally begins with one individual, man or woman, whose passion and drive captivates others to join in to whatever it is that they are doing. When Charles Harrison Mason (CH Mason) started the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) one hundred years ago, it is unquestioned that he could never have imagined over five million people buying in to the vision and values that he expressed when he started Temple Church and the COGIC organization of churches early in the 20^th Century.

But with COGIC celebrating their centennial celebration in Memphis this week and the over 50-60,000 persons who visited the city and a COGIC event the impact of CH Mason's decision looms large as COGIC has entrenched itself as the preeminent African-American based religious denomination in the world. That influence begins in Memphis and travels to the over fifty countries where a Church of God in Christ affiliated congregation preaches and teaches a Gospel that is Jesus-centered and holiness-lived.

As a young boy I had no real appreciation for the saints. As a man, when I stand outside Mason Temple and look at what has taken place both inside that building as well as through the vision of CH Mason there is no doubt that COGIC's influence is immeasurable. When Martin Luther King came to Memphis in April of 1968 to march with striking sanitation workers the move was heralded as another moment in the civil rights movement. When Martin decided to stand up and preach his 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' sermon at Mason Temple, the words were a clarion call for continued hope and fight by African-Americans in a society that held them as second-class citizens. When King was assassinated just 2-3 miles from where Mason Temple is, more than a man died; the movement changed.

In Memphis under the leadership of J.O Patterson Sr. who married CH Mason's daughter as well as GE Patterson who recently passed away, the Church of God in Christ has been an active, impassioned part of the rebuilding of downtown Memphis. With their development of residential communities and the launch of a new hotel their footprint is more than scant. They are as invested in the success of Memphis as any organization can be. And that is a tribute to the movement that CH Mason began after visiting the Azusa Street Revivals at the turn of the 20^th Century.

Today, the Church of God in Christ has a roll that rivals any denomination. But rivaling is not something they talk about or are even concerned with. Their belief is in their ability to come together and effect change both on a local and national level. As presiding bishop, GE Patterson had more than just a cursory relationship with the White House. The last time I saw Bishop Patterson in person I had a hard time not being mesmerized by how much he had accomplished. Gentle and wise, Bishop Patterson did more than preach the Gospel of Christ; he lived the Gospel of Christ. With his death change again is on the brink for the Church of God in Christ.

And in any movement, change begins with a single individual who is able to captivate others to buy in to what they are doing. Will Charles Blake from West Angeles COGIC look to blaze a new trail or follow the footprint that GE Patterson blazed? In either way, one thing is certain, the roots of the church rest in South Memphis near Booker T. Washington High School. And those roots were planted by one African-American man who believed that the Gospel of Christ permeated beyond racial divides into the hearts and minds of men. It was His church that CH Mason preached. One Lord. One Faith. One baptism.

Happy birthday to the movement that is COGIC.