Charles H. Mason (1864-1961), founding bishop of the Church of God in Christ.
Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA, is slated to be keynote speaker at a symposium honoring Church of God in Christ founder Bishop Charles H. Mason on his 150th birthday.
In an official press release, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake is quoted as stating, “The Church of God in Christ is honored and elated to have Dr. George Wood as the keynote speaker during the C.H. Mason Heritage Symposium & Celebration. The Church of God in Christ and the Assemblies of God have a long history together that dates back to the late 1800s. I am personally looking forward to this time of sharing and fellowship.”
Dr. Wood will speak at the C.H. Mason Heritage Symposium & Celebration on Monday, September 8, 2014, 7 p.m., to be held at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. The event will be held September 8-10, 2014. The public is invited to attend.
The invitation to Dr. Wood to speak comes on the heels of another important milestone in the history of the relationship between the Assemblies of God and Church of God in Christ. Executive leaders from both denominations came together for two days of meetings in November 2013, during which they forged personal relationships, prayed, and discussed how the two churches might cooperate. Bishop Blake spoke at the Assemblies of God National Office chapel service on November 26, 2013.
AG General Superintendent George O. Wood and COGIC Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, November 26, 2013, at the Assemblies of God National Office chapel.
The November 2013 meeting was preceded by a symposium in honor of the 100th birthday of former Presiding Bishop J. O. Patterson, Sr. The symposium, held in Springfield, Missouri, drew 1,000 people to events over September 17-18, 2012. The highlight of the symposium was the dedication of the Bishop J. O. Patterson Collection, consisting of the former presiding bishop’s personal papers, which his widow, Mother Mary P. Patterson, deposited at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, which is located in the Assemblies of God National Office.
According to the Mason symposium press release, the Church of God in Christ has nearly 6.5 million adherents in 63 countries. While the number of adherents in the U.S. is not provided, it is widely believed to be the largest Pentecostal denomination in the nation. The Church of God in Christ is historically black, although from its earliest years it has included ministers and members of other races. The Assemblies of God USA is a multi-ethnic fellowship of over 3.1 million adherents, 41 percent of whom are non-white. In 2013, 9.6 percent of Assemblies of God USA adherents were black. The Assemblies of God USA is a constituent member of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which claims over 67 million adherents.
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center 