[ad_1]
A Virginia pastor has succumbed to the coronavirus after saying he would keep his church open until he was “in jail or the hospital.”
Pastor Gerald O. Glenn of Richmond’s New Deliverance Evangelistic Church told parishioners at his last service on March 22 that, “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus. You can quote me on that,” reports the New York Post.
READ MORE: EMT worker, 59, who was 911 first responder, dies of coronavirus
Virginia did not issue a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people until the day after that sermon, reports WTFR.com, although social distancing was recommended.
His church remained filled despite dire statistics about the rate of African-American fatalities and the risk for those with underlying conditions. According to his daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley, her late father had diverticulitis, which can cause fevers and infections, so he initially dismissed the symptoms.
“I am essential,” Glenn told the church. “I talk to God.”
Glenn’s wife Marcietia Glenn has also tested positive for COVID-19.
The church announced Glenn’s passing on its Facebook page.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, the Founder and Pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Saturday, April 11, 2020 @ 9:00 PM. Please be in prayer with us for Mother Marcietia Glenn, our first family & the NDEC church family. We ask that you respectfully allow our First Family to grieve in their own way. We will announce final arrangements within the next few days.Be blessed and don’t stop praying for one another.“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.””Revelation 14:13 NKJV
Posted by The New Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Sunday, April 12, 2020
Crawley says her father didn’t intend to defy an order as it was not yet officially in place, but wanted to provide support to church members who were frightened by the virus.
Once her parents were diagnosed, she asked that people pay heed to the social distancing and stay at home orders.
READ MORE: NBA Star Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother dies of COVID-19
“It becomes very real to you,” Crawley said. “I just beg people to understand the severity and the seriousness of this, because people are saying it’s not just about us, it’s about everyone around us.”
The church is requesting prayers for Crawley’s mother.
Glenn is the second Virginia pastor to die of the coronavirus after holding services despite warning about the pandemic. Pastor Landon Spradlin, also a musician, died last week after attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
[ad_2]
Source link