The Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) has selected Pastor Milton R. Hawkins as a Bishop Designee within the 107-year old Pentecostal denomination. Rev. Hawkins is the pastor of one of the nation’s largest and flourishing congregations, The Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC), located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee’s inner city. Under his leadership, the church has developed a strong reputation for philanthropy and charity – locally, nationally and internationally. Rev. Hawkins will be confirmed Auxiliary Bishop during the Church of God in Christ’s 107th Holy Convocation taking place November 3-11, 2014 at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Missouri.
“Being selected to be a Bishop in the Lord’s Church, is one of the greatest honors that any pastor could experience,” says Bishop Designee Hawkins, 53. “When our Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake called to inform me, I was elated and humbled by the elevation to this sacred office. The bishop in the Church of God in Christ is a chief servant in his area of responsibility. It is more than a position of honor; it is a summons to greater service. As a bishop, I will assist in promoting the vision of the church, which focuses on spirituality, education, economic development, family issues, crime prevention and rehabilitation, as well as, financial literacy. I will work with my Jurisdictional Bishop, Bishop Jerry L. Maynard as well as the national church to ensure the work of the Lord is continued at every level.”
After a successful career with FedEx, Bishop Designee Hawkins served as Pastor of New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ in his native Detroit, Michigan for nearly seventeen years. He resigned after the demise of his late uncle, Bishop G.E. Patterson, and was appointed to pastor the church Bishop Patterson founded in Memphis. He is dedicated to local and worldwide service relief programs. Under his leadership, Temple of Deliverance COGIC has participated in several natural disaster relief efforts that have raised over $75,000 for the hungry in Haiti and Hurricane Sandy victims to tornado survivors in Mississippi. He is the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, such as: Southern Christian Leadership Conference Presidential Award, Hobson-Goodlow Foundation/Phi Beta Sigma’s African American Male Image 0Award and a Special Commendation Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Bishop Designee Hawkins is happily married to the lovely Evangelist Catherine Crawford Hawkins. The couple has one son, Joshua Nathanael Hawkins, who will attend Harvard University in autumn 2014.