Charles Harrison Mason
Encyclopedia
Bishop Charles Harrison 'C.H.' Mason (September 8, 1866 - November 17, 1961) was an American Pentecostal–Holiness
and Charismatic, denomination
leader. He was the founder, Chief Apostle and first Senior (Now referred to as the Presiding Bishop) Bishop
of the Church of God in Christ
, Inc. He was also the grandfather of Bishop J.O. Patterson, Jr.
, who served as interim Mayor of Memphis in 1982.
area near Bartlett
. His family was poor, Mason worked with his family sharecropping and he did not receive an early formal education, yet he still learned how to read and write. As a child, Mason was influenced by the religion of his parents and other former slaves. He admired their religious devotion to God (prayer ritual, spontaneous singing, and shouting). When he was twelve, Mason embraced the African-American Baptist faith; he was later baptized and worked in his older brother's church. Mason experienced an extreme and convincing "conversion experience"at the age of 18 when "the glory of God came down upon him"and his health was restored to him. He went out among the community with only the rudimentary education already achieved, feeling that God would lead him.
At this period he became enamored of the autobiography of Reverend Amanda Smith, an African American Holiness preacher, and began to claim that he had likewise undergone the experience of complete sanctification. Mason also became acquainted with Charles Price Jones, a popular Baptist preacher from Mississippi who shared his enthusiasm for holiness teachings. The men became embroiled in a series of disputes over the doctrine of Christian perfectionism that swept African-American Baptist ranks in Mississippi
, Arkansas
, and western Tennessee.
to distinguish the church from a number of "Church of God" groups which were forming at that time. Mason was sent by the church to Los Angeles to investigate the revival being led by Elder William J. Seymour, and in March 1907, experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues. Soon after, back in the south, he would advocate the new Pentecostal teachings, but found that Elder Jones was opposed to it. The two men split their group; Mason won the legal rights to the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) name and was elected the General Overseer of his group. In the years that followed, Mason ably directed his fledgling, Memphis-based denomination, commissioning traveling evangelists to spread COGIC's message, establishing working partnerships with various individuals, and particularly targeting the masses of African Americans headed for work in Northern cities. At the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had nearly 400,000 members. Today, it has a membership of nearly 6.7 million members, making it the fourth largest denomination in the United States. He is the creator of the Church of God in Christ.
Personal Testimony of his Baptism of The Holy Ghost=
The following are excerpts from Elder Mason's personal testimony regarding his receiving the Holy Ghost.
"The first day in the meeting I sat to myself, away from those that went with me. I began to thank God in my heart for all things, for when I heard some speak in tongues, I knew it was right though I did not understand it. Nevertheless, it was sweet to me.
I also thank God for Elder Seymour who came and preached a wonderful sermon. His words were sweet and powerful and it seems that I hear them now while writing. When he closed his sermon, he said 'All of those that want to be sanctified or baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to the upper room; and all those that want to be justified, come to the altar.'
I said that is the place for me, for it may be that I am not converted and if not, God knows it and can convert me..."
"Glory!"
"The second night of prayer I saw a vision. I saw myself standing alone and had a dry roll of paper in my mouth trying to swallow it. Looking up towards the heavens, there appeared a man at my side. I turned my eyes at once, then I awoke and the interpretation came.
God had me swallowing the whole book and if I did not turn my eyes to anyone but God and Him only, He would baptize me. I said yes to Him, and at once in the morning when I arose, I could hear a voice in me saying, " I see..."
"I got a place at the altar and began to thank God. After that, I said Lord if I could only baptize myself, I would do so; for I wanted the baptism so bad I did not know what to do. I said, Lord, You will have to do the work for me; so I turned it over into His hands."
"Then, I began to ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:41, which readeth thus: 'Then they that gladly received His word were baptized,' Then I saw that I had a right to be glad and not sad."
"The enemy said to me, there may be something wrong with you. Then a voice spoke to me saying, if there is anything wrong with you, Christ will find it and take it away and marry you...Someone said, 'Let us sing.' I arose and the first song that came to me was 'He brought me out of the Miry Clay.' O Glory Hallelujah! Praise His most wonderful name!
The Spirit came upon the saints and upon me...Then I gave up for the Lord to have His way within me. So there came a wave of Glory into me and all of my being was filled with the Glory of the Lord.
So when He had gotten me straight on my feet, there came a light which enveloped my entire being above the brightness of the sun. When I opened my mouth to say Glory, a flame touched my tongue which ran down me. My language changed and no word could I speak in my own tongue. Oh! I was filled with the Glory of the Lord. My soul was then satisfied.
Church of God in Christ
After Bishop Mason's death in 1961, the Church grew exponentially, until in 2000 it was estimated over 6 million people were members of the denomination. Several men have become presiding bishops succeeding one another. The current leader and presiding bishop is Bishop Charles Blake of Los Angeles. The church also has a women's convention and holy convocation both celebrated every year in various auditoriums around America (FedEx Forum, Pyramid Arena
, Edward Jones Dome
, America's Center
, Staples Center
, etc.).
External links
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
and Charismatic, denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
leader. He was the founder, Chief Apostle and first Senior (Now referred to as the Presiding Bishop) Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Church of God in Christ
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....
, Inc. He was also the grandfather of Bishop J.O. Patterson, Jr.
J.O. Patterson, Jr.
James Oglethorpe "J.O." Patterson, Jr. was a Bishop in the COGIC and a former Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee.-Biography:...
, who served as interim Mayor of Memphis in 1982.
Biography
Bishop Mason was born the son of former slaves Jerry and Eliza Mason in Shelby County, Tennessee. He lived with his family in an unincorporatedUnincorporated
Unincorporated may refer to:* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress has determined that only select parts of the U.S...
area near Bartlett
Bartlett
-United States:* Bartlett, California* Bartlett, Illinois** Bartlett , commuter railroad station in Bartlett, Illinois* Bartlett, Iowa* Bartlett, Kansas* Bartlett, Nebraska* Bartlett, New Hampshire** Bartlett Haystack, a mountain* Bartlett, Ohio...
. His family was poor, Mason worked with his family sharecropping and he did not receive an early formal education, yet he still learned how to read and write. As a child, Mason was influenced by the religion of his parents and other former slaves. He admired their religious devotion to God (prayer ritual, spontaneous singing, and shouting). When he was twelve, Mason embraced the African-American Baptist faith; he was later baptized and worked in his older brother's church. Mason experienced an extreme and convincing "conversion experience"at the age of 18 when "the glory of God came down upon him"and his health was restored to him. He went out among the community with only the rudimentary education already achieved, feeling that God would lead him.
At this period he became enamored of the autobiography of Reverend Amanda Smith, an African American Holiness preacher, and began to claim that he had likewise undergone the experience of complete sanctification. Mason also became acquainted with Charles Price Jones, a popular Baptist preacher from Mississippi who shared his enthusiasm for holiness teachings. The men became embroiled in a series of disputes over the doctrine of Christian perfectionism that swept African-American Baptist ranks in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and western Tennessee.
Ministry
In 1897, Mason and Jones, being expelled from the local Baptist Association for preaching Holiness, formed a new fellowship of churches named simply, "Church of God." Mason suggested the name, "the Church of God in Christ", a name he said came to him during a vision in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
to distinguish the church from a number of "Church of God" groups which were forming at that time. Mason was sent by the church to Los Angeles to investigate the revival being led by Elder William J. Seymour, and in March 1907, experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues. Soon after, back in the south, he would advocate the new Pentecostal teachings, but found that Elder Jones was opposed to it. The two men split their group; Mason won the legal rights to the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) name and was elected the General Overseer of his group. In the years that followed, Mason ably directed his fledgling, Memphis-based denomination, commissioning traveling evangelists to spread COGIC's message, establishing working partnerships with various individuals, and particularly targeting the masses of African Americans headed for work in Northern cities. At the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had nearly 400,000 members. Today, it has a membership of nearly 6.7 million members, making it the fourth largest denomination in the United States. He is the creator of the Church of God in Christ.
Personal Testimony of his Baptism of The Holy Ghost=
The following are excerpts from Elder Mason's personal testimony regarding his receiving the Holy Ghost.
"The first day in the meeting I sat to myself, away from those that went with me. I began to thank God in my heart for all things, for when I heard some speak in tongues, I knew it was right though I did not understand it. Nevertheless, it was sweet to me.
I also thank God for Elder Seymour who came and preached a wonderful sermon. His words were sweet and powerful and it seems that I hear them now while writing. When he closed his sermon, he said 'All of those that want to be sanctified or baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to the upper room; and all those that want to be justified, come to the altar.'
I said that is the place for me, for it may be that I am not converted and if not, God knows it and can convert me..."
"Glory!"
"The second night of prayer I saw a vision. I saw myself standing alone and had a dry roll of paper in my mouth trying to swallow it. Looking up towards the heavens, there appeared a man at my side. I turned my eyes at once, then I awoke and the interpretation came.
God had me swallowing the whole book and if I did not turn my eyes to anyone but God and Him only, He would baptize me. I said yes to Him, and at once in the morning when I arose, I could hear a voice in me saying, " I see..."
"I got a place at the altar and began to thank God. After that, I said Lord if I could only baptize myself, I would do so; for I wanted the baptism so bad I did not know what to do. I said, Lord, You will have to do the work for me; so I turned it over into His hands."
"Then, I began to ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:41, which readeth thus: 'Then they that gladly received His word were baptized,' Then I saw that I had a right to be glad and not sad."
"The enemy said to me, there may be something wrong with you. Then a voice spoke to me saying, if there is anything wrong with you, Christ will find it and take it away and marry you...Someone said, 'Let us sing.' I arose and the first song that came to me was 'He brought me out of the Miry Clay.' O Glory Hallelujah! Praise His most wonderful name!
The Spirit came upon the saints and upon me...Then I gave up for the Lord to have His way within me. So there came a wave of Glory into me and all of my being was filled with the Glory of the Lord.
So when He had gotten me straight on my feet, there came a light which enveloped my entire being above the brightness of the sun. When I opened my mouth to say Glory, a flame touched my tongue which ran down me. My language changed and no word could I speak in my own tongue. Oh! I was filled with the Glory of the Lord. My soul was then satisfied.
Church of God in Christ
After Bishop Mason's death in 1961, the Church grew exponentially, until in 2000 it was estimated over 6 million people were members of the denomination. Several men have become presiding bishops succeeding one another. The current leader and presiding bishop is Bishop Charles Blake of Los Angeles. The church also has a women's convention and holy convocation both celebrated every year in various auditoriums around America (FedEx Forum, Pyramid Arena
Pyramid Arena
The Pyramid Arena is a 20,142-seat arena located in downtown Memphis at the banks of the Mississippi River. The facility was built in 1991 and was originally owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County. Its unique structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, known for...
, Edward Jones Dome
Edward Jones Dome
The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...
, America's Center
America's Center
America's Center is a convention center located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and is situated next to the Edward Jones Dome, the home of the National Football League's St. Louis Rams. The venue opened in 1977 as the Cervantes Convention Center, and has held major events over the years,...
, Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
, etc.).
External links