My Mother

The Spirit of God moved a 24-year-old young woman named Jessie Jimerson-Phillips to move from her home in Chicago to Memphis, Tennessee. In Chicago, Jessie was the choir director of a 100 plus voice choir at Greater Harvest Baptist Church and she also managed the successful Sylvia Boddie Music Studio. She had also heard that The Church of God In Christ (C.O.G.I.C.) specialized in Holiness, and the gift of The Holy Ghost was something the Baptist Church didn't fully understand. So, following God’s calling, she left Chicago with a one way ticket and a few dollars in her pocket, believing God would provide a way for her.

Jessie arrived in Memphis during the C.O.G.I.C. Holy Convocation, and was immediately hired by "Aunt Tiny", the daughter of Bishop C.H. Mason to wait tables and wash dishes for the many delegates attending the Convocation. Each night God blessed her with about $6.00, which covered her nightly rent for the boarding house she stayed in, taxi fare to and from the Mason Temple, food, and her Church offering.

Within a couple of days, Bishop C.H. Mason, his daughter Deborah Patterson, and Sister Crocket (who knew Jessie from Chicago) saw what a hard worker she was, and learned of her gifts in music, so they promoted her to direct the National C.O.G.I.C. Choir during that very Convocation. Also, Bishop Mason adopted Jessie as his “long-leg daughter from Chicago”, and in the later years of his life in Memphis she would help the family care for him as his adopted daughter. In fact, when Bishop Mason died, Jessie sang one of his favorite songs at his Home Going Service at Mason Temple.

Jessie Jimerson-Phillips lived in Bishop Mason's home & the Patterson home for seven years. The book "Prodigal Son, Child of The King," is a collection of my childhood and adult memories of my father, and my life growing up in C.O.G.I.C. as the child born out-of-wedlock from the man who would become the Leader and Presiding Bishop of The Church of God In Christ for 21 years.

It seems so ironic to me that so many men and women of God would actively and blindly take part in the cover up of my and my sister's identity, as children of the late Bishop James O. Patterson. What is even worse is how many people continue the cover up and lie to this day, preferring to keep a false memory intact of the man, but failing to acknowledge that my father was human and made mistakes. These folks involved in the cover up of my father would rather write me off, hoping I would just shut up. It seems they have forgotten how Jesus said that a good shepherd would leave his ninety-nine sheep to search for one lost one. They believe it is better to abandon the single lost one for the sake of the ninety-nine. The secrets, the shame, the lies, the deceit, the deaths, the hypocrisies, the brokenness, the forgiveness and the healing!!!!

While I greatly respect our Presiding Bishop Charles Blake, I can not understand why to this day the Leadership of C.O.G.I.C. refuses to publicly acknowledge the truth of my or identity, or even show any degree of remorse for the role members of the past General Board played in the cover up for my dad. God is going to judge the mistreatment of not just me, but the many others that have been abused, mistreated, and stolen from.

There is no God but Yaweh (Jehovah), manifested in Yeshua Christ (Jesus)!!!!! Stop making men false gods. Study the word for yourself, so you won't be deceived! Because it is obvious many of these so called leaders are more concerned with hustling dollars, than compassion for the fatherless & widows, or saving souls. It has become a big money making scam!!!

PLEASE ORDER THE BOOK AND HELP KEEP HER STORY ALIVE!!!It is with great sadness that I inform you, my Mother (Jessie Jimerson-Phillips) died at 12:45am on November 13, 2012 ... She was lied upon, despised, abused and mistreated; all for being taken advantage of by my dad (Bishop James O. Patterson Sr.) & not aborting me! Yet she never allowed it to make her bitter never felt God had done her wrong, never cussed or lied... A true Saint of God! The world seems much darker without her. She allowed me to have my first breath, and thank God I was able to give her, her last breath (when she could no longer breath I gave her mouth to mouth). She always taught me the love of God is the answer: "The world will know you are my disciples by your love for one another"........ where is your love?

A day or two after her arrival in Memphis, Sister Crocket called Jessie stating: "Sister Patterson said she couldn't sleep all last night for worrying about you. She and her husband (Elder James O. Patterson Sr.), said they want you to come live with them and help build up their church and choir at Pentecostal Temple", (a small wood frame building) located at 1010 Woodlawn, which had 35 members. She did so and the church membership and choir grew into The Pentecostal Ensemble, started by Sister Deborah Patterson, and their fame grew nationally.

Incidentally, my Mother wrote the song titled: "I Have Hope", because of the trials she was going through as result of my Dad. The song was so touching that when my Mom sang it for Gospel recording artist: Roberta Martin although she had retired from music and was in great pain from her battle with cancer. She came out of retirement to record the album: "Praise God (from whom all blessings flow)". And "I have Hope", was the only song on the album that Roberta Martin sang... making it the last song she would ever record (here is a link to that song).

My dad was a success in the eyes of outsiders. He was the head of an international organization and he had an estate worth over 16 million dollars. Yet, in one of the most important areas of all (morally), he was a failure. A few of the courageous men and women of God who know the truth about my identity as Bishop Patterson Sr.’s son were: Bishop William James, Bishop L.T. Walker, Mother Fanny Paige, Bishop H.W. Goldsberry, Elder William Mott. Still others who knew but would only acknowledge me in private were: Bishop L.H. Ford, Bishop Chandler Owens, and two current General Board Bishops.

Some have questioned my book title and asked, “Do you think your father was some kind of King?” Stating that view is why so many preachers consider themselves above the law. But the answer is no. The title of this book is my statement that I am a child of my Heavenly Father (The King), the only real Father I have ever truly known. I cannot understand how the members of the Patterson family can be so heartless, continuing to deny my sister & I, simply to protect the memory of my dad. When a false memory for the dead means more to you than justice and compassion for the living, you have lost sight of your true calling in God. Yeshua (Jesus) said, “They will know us by our LOVE for one another! Not that the world would know we are no different because of our hate and hypocrisy with one another.” Saints, it's time to pray!!!