Bishop H.E. Honea

[OneAccord]

I'm requesting prayer for a long time friend and Brother in the Lord. I just got off the phone of with Bro. Honea (pastor of the 1st Church of Jesus Christ, Tullahoma, TN). I've known Bro. Honea many years and he just told me that he is suffering from kidney failure. His daughter is being tested for a kidney transplant for him. Please remember Bro. Honea in prayer- that God will move on his behalf.

[Sister Alvear]

sure will be praying here in Brazil.

[Sam]

How old is Bishop Honea?
I never really met him personally to shake hands.
I remember him as a skinny, blond kid when I saw him in Niles, Michigan back in 1958 (I think it was 1958). This was in The Church of Jesus Christ at 1335 Fort Street for a convention of the Church of Jesus Christ Pentecostal Faith. At that time he was Eld. H.E. Honea and was in Michigan. I think he had previously pastored a church in a theater building in Chicago but I'm not sure.

[Cindy]

Will be praying for him OA.

[OneAccord]

I'm not sure of his age. Bs. Lawson told me that other day that he is approaching 80 so I suspect Bro. Honea is about the same age. Not to sure of his history, but I do think he did minister in the north in the early days. He founded the 1stCOJC in 1966. I have been to his home and church many times. Heis always been a good brother to me, though I never could stand his "clerical collars". He tried to get me to a pastor a church in Decherd Tennessee years gao. Though I had been preaching for two years, I was too young, 17. He said that was okay, that he would have oversight of the church and would help...but I felt I was just too young.

I REMEMBER ONE TIME HE "STOLE" A RHUBARB PIE FROM HIS WIFE AND WE TOOK IT TO THE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL AND HE FORCED ME TO SPLIT IT WITH HIM. We ate the whole thing, though I dispised rhubarb pie! Awfullest tasting thing I ever put it in my mouth. So, no...hes not a skinny kid anymore. He's filled out pretty good. I went by yesterday to see him but he was resting... will go back to see him before long.

[Sam]

One Accord,
next time you see Bishop Honea, tell him that Jim Ellis in Ohio is praying for him. I'm quite sure he will remember me. If I remember correctly, we were not introduced nor did we speak to one another. He and I and some others were in a conference in Niles, Michigan in 1958 (might have been 1959). The church was pastored by Sis. Johnson who took over as pastor after her husband died. Bishop Steinbarger was on the Board of Bishops and was also part of that local church in Niles, I think. The organization was the Church of Jesus Christ Pentecostal Faith. Bishop G.R. Brock was the Presiding Bishop. Elder Bob Winstead and his wife Lena Mae were there and an African American minister named Sis. Jackson. There was also an Hispanic minister with quite a strong accent but I don't remember his name. I don't remember the names or anything else about any others. Sis Johnson used to teach off of charts. She was probably in her 70's then or close to it.

Bishop Brock told about going to preach in a church that Eld. Honea was trying to establish. I think it was in Chicago. It was so cold that Bishop Brock said he kept his overcoat on while preaching.

I was not a licensed minister with the Church of Jesus Christ Pentecostal Faith at that time but did take out a license in the early 1960's. I was going to a UPC church at that time. When we left the UPC church and started going to an ALJC church, I let my license expire.

I'm sure Bishop Brock and Sister Johnson have been dead for years. I heard that the organization they were part of (Church of Jesus Christ Pentecostal Faith) later merged with a group called Church of Jesus Christ with headquarters at Kingsport, Tennessee but maybe their headquarters were in Oxford, Pennsylvania at that time. I did meet up with Bob Winstead in Eskdale, WV in 1959 when I was there for a conference of the Church of Jesus Christ (Bishop Lawson's group) and at that time I took out a license with the Church of Jesus Christ.

Two pictures are attached to this email. The single one is my 12th grade high school picture taken in the fall of 1955. The other picture was taken in 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the church pastored by Bishop Brock. It was in an old theater building. At that time Bishop and Sis. Brock were living in the garage of one of their church members. Emily was the daughter of those members and she played piano at Bishop Brock's church. I preached for Bishop Brock at least once that weekend. We were there on a Saturday night and a Sunday morning. We stayed with Bishop and Sis. Brock in that garage and we slept on a couch. My wife was pregnant. That's a maternity top she has on in the picture. Our first child was born a couple months after that picture.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

I'm not sure of his age. Bs. Lawson told me that other day that he is approaching 80 so I suspect Bro. Honea is about the same age. Not to sure of his history, but I do think he did minister in the north in the early days. He founded the 1stCOJC in 1966. I have been to his home and church many times. Heis always been a good brother to me, though I never could stand his "clerical collars"....

I guess Bishop Honea is still Presiding Bishop of the organization he is in? I think I read a while back that it had decreased in membership to about 12 ministers or so.
As far as the clergy collar, I notice that Bishop Tom Stinnett (I've never met him --just exchanged email with him and he included my website called PentecostalSite.com in the links of his website) has on a clerical collar in one of the pictures on his website http://pcojc.org/ Bishop Stinnett also put a link to my site on the Church of Jesus Christ International site but it's never been put on the new site that's being developed.

[Sam]

I found this on the web from an article with a copyright date of 2003

First Church of Jesus Christ

1100 E. Lincoln St.
Tullahoma, TN 37388

The First Church of Jesus Christ is a Pentecostal group chartered in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in 1965 by Bishop H. E. Honea (b.1938), who has served as its chairman for thirty years. Honea grew up in Taft, Tennessee, and was called to ministry as a teenager. He began to preach when he was 16 years old and pastored churches in Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, and Illinios before becoming pastor of the church in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in 1961. He remains pastor of that church.

The church is composed of those ministers, missionaries, and deacons licensed by the church and the members of the local congregations affiliated with it. It is their belief that the Church of Jesus Christ is a company of baptized believers who adhere to the form of doctrine preached by Jesus and his Apostles, who have associated in the faith and fellowship of Jesus Christ, who are governed by the rules of the New Testament church, and who possess the gifts of ministry (Romans 12:6–8). The church continues the revival begun on the Day of Pentecost, 33 A.D. (Acts2). The Church of Jesus Christ is the name of God's church and the incorporation and charter make no provision for ever changing its name.

The church affirms the One True God. Jesus Christ is the name of the One True God. He reveals himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is not considered the third person of the Godhead, but rather the manifestation of the Spirit of God (the creator) coming to dwell in the hearts and lives of men. This position is generally termed "oneness" or "Jesus only." The church practices the ordinances of the Lord's supper, foot washing, tithing, and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The church does not allow membership in secret societies and specifically decries the teachings of snake handling, the seed in the serpent doctrine, the spiritualizing of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, the denial of a physical resurrection, and the denial of marriage. This doctrine is similar to that of other Apostolic pentecostal churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport).

The First Church of Jesus Christ is headed by the Chairman, assisted by the Vice-Chairman, Assistant Vice-Chairman, and the state bishops. Together they constitute the board of bishops. The board of bishops holds the property of the church in trust. Missionary work is carried out in Jamaica, Haiti, Philippines, Africa, and India.

Membership: In 2002, the church reported 10,000 members and 250 ministers in the United States and an additional 8,000 members and 175 ministers on the mission field.

Periodicals: Banner of Love.

Sources:

Articles of Faith and By-laws of the First Church of Jesus Christ, Inc. Tullahoma, TN: First Church of Jesus Christ, n.d.

[Sam]

Bishop Honea's church/organization has a website at
http://thefirstchurchofjesuschrist.org/default.aspx

I noticed that they still use the title "Banner of Love" for their newsletter. If I remember correctly, that was the title of the newsletter published by the Church of Jesus Christ (Bishop Mark Lawson's group) back when I joined it in 1959

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Sam

One Accord,
next time you see Bishop Honea, tell him that Jim Ellis in Ohio is praying for him. I'm quite sure he will remember me. ....

Sorry, I meant to say I'm quite sure he will NOT remember me....