The Late Bishop Hewett Richardson Sr.

The Late Bishop Hewett Richardson, Sr. was the sixth of eleven children born to the late Deacon
Alf and Mother Mattie Richardson in Pelican, Louisiana. Raised in a COGIC home, he
was the first of his siblings to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost at the tender age of
six. After graduating from high school and relocating to Phoenix, Arizona, he married his
high school sweetheart, Ola Johnson. Bishop Richardson and his wife celebrated 56
years of marriage and were blessed with four sons, six grandchildren, and 3 great-
grandchildren.

After completing his primary and secondary schooling at the All Saints School in
Pelican, Louisiana, Bishop Richardson earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Pastoral
Theology from the Charles Harrison Mason Bible College in Houston, Texas. Afterward,
he received his Teacher’s Certification and served briefly on the faculty at the college. In
1993, he earned his Master of Ministry Degree from Union Baptist Bible College in
Houston.

Answering God’s call to preach, on June 3, 1963, he preached his first sermon in his
parent’s home. He received his minister’s license on March 14, 1965, in Phoenix,
Arizona. Following God’s prompting, Bishop Richardson and his family relocated to
Houston, where he founded the Emmanuel Church of God in Christ in October 1966. He
received his second minister’s license in Houston on March 23, 1967, and was ordained
as an Elder on July 13, 1969. One of his first major tasks as Pastor was relocating the
young congregation to a new location with better worship facilities. The Emmanuel
family soon moved from 4019 Bennington St. to 8813 Lockwood in the Houston/Trinity
Gardens Community.

During the 1970s, Bishop Richardson led the congregation through its first property
acquisition and the building of a new worship facility. Driven by a desire to maximize
opportunities for teaching God’s word, he guided the church in its next major
project—the construction of an education building and fellowship hall/cafeteria. This
new space was vital in expanding the church’s Christian education efforts, providing
classrooms for programs such as Sunday School, YPWW, Vacation Bible School, and
Children’s Church ministry. This period also saw significant growth in the church’s
membership and ministry.

Bishop Richardson accepted a special call to believe God for more souls to be added to
the kingdom and shared this vision with the congregation on December 7, 1980. God’s
directive was clear—to undertake a ten-year building project and complete it debt-free.
God proved faithful, despite the worst of economic times, and in 1990, exactly ten years
later, the congregation moved into their new worship facilities debt-free. Later, God
blessed Bishop Richardson and the Emmanuel family to purchase additional property
for parking and further expansion. In 2006, the church dedicated a new wing to
accommodate more conference rooms, classrooms, and space for the Children’s
Church ministry.

During the 1970’s through the early 2000’s, he held numerous positions within the Texas South Central Jurisdiction under the leadership of the late Bishop C. H. Nelson and the late Bishop N. H. Henderson, Sr.:
Member of the Ordination Board (1974–1992), District Superintendent for the Greater Houston District (1975–1993), Chairman of the Board of Superintendents (1982–1993), Field Superintendent (1993–2007), and member of the Executive Board of Directors (1981–2007). For several years, he also served on the Board of Directors for the C.H. Mason Bible College.

Later, after much prayer, he and other Pastors peacefully withdrew from the Texas South Central Jurisdiction to form the Texas Central East Fellowship. He served as the Chairman of that organization from 2007–2009. During these formative 2 years, the TCE Fellowship continued to hold worship services, organize its ministry auxiliaries and departmental structure, select leaders, and lay the necessary initial groundwork, “showing faith and trust in God,” that they would become a sanctioned COGIC jurisdiction. There were many tests and trials, but Bishop Richardson, a man of peace, never encouraged the Pastors to seek ill will toward their former jurisdiction.

With the help of the Lord, the Godly leadership of Bishop Richardson, and a committed group of Pastors and Leaders, the new jurisdiction made great first strides. During this phase, executive and department leaders were officially installed, and other new leaders were appointed also. The jurisdiction sought and received its 501c3 designation, established its initial By-laws, administered and encouraged vital training, and celebrated the official implementation of the key departments and auxiliaries of the National Church.

After 8 years of faithful leadership (2 years as Chairman of the TCE Fellowship and 6 years as the first prelate of the TCM Jurisdiction), Bishop Richardson prayerfully decided to announce his retirement as the Jurisdictional Prelate in 2015, due to health issues and his deep desire to never hinder the work of the Lord.

In 2022, he retired as Pastor of the Emmanuel COGIC, having served over 56 years as its founder.

Bishop Richardson will be lovingly remembered as a man of unwavering faith, a devoted servant of God, and a visionary leader deeply rooted in His Word. A humble servant through whom God performed many miracles, signs, and wonders, he exemplified true Christian leadership. As a pastor, he was always willing to roll up his sleeves and work diligently to build and enhance God’s house. Above all, his love for God, his family, and the saints was evident in every aspect of his life. He took seriously his calling as a servant leader, guiding God’s people with integrity and compassion. By living according to biblical family principles, he led by example, teaching others to live holy lives in reverence for the holiness of God.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, after 62 years of ministry, Bishop Richardson faced the sunset of his days on earth and entered victoriously into his sweet rest, joining his precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in eternity.