A Virginia pastor who vowed to continue holding packed church services “unless I’m in jail or the hospital” died from complications of the coronavirus on Easter Sunday.
Bishop Gerald Glenn died just weeks after he showed off his packed church on social media and told parishioners at the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Richmond, Virginia, to stand up to prove their large numbers.
“I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus,” Glenn declared, according to WTVR CBS 6. He told the parishioners that he believed that he was an “essential worker” and that he was not afraid to die.
The service, which took place on March 22, 2020, happened just a day before Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide order banning public gatherings of 10 or more people.
Unfortunately, his daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley, announced on April 4 that both Bishop Glenn and his wife, Marcietia Glenn, had tested positive for the coronavirus. And on Monday, April 13, the church posted a Facebook message stating that Glenn had succumbed to the virus.
The daughter also conveyed that her father initially ignored the symptoms because he had a heart condition that frequently produced “fever and infections,” TMZ reports.
“While they are mourning the heartbreaking earthly absence of their family patriarch & spiritual father, they also have family members who are struggling to survive this dreaded pandemic,” the church message states on Facebook.
Crawley is also imploring the congregation and the public to practice the “stay-at-home” orders issued by the state and medical experts.
Listen to the full report below:
