In the crucible of battle, James Gooden made a life-long commitment. Bishop Gooden was born in 1923 in Lee County, South Carolina. Like most men of his generation, he answered his country’s call to serve in the armed forces during World War II. Already married to Evelyn Smith and the father of one child, the young Gooden left for England in 1943. He later served with distinction in France, where he received Good Conduct Medals, a Sharp Shooter Medal, and three battle stars.
Not long after his arrival in England, an incoming German robot bomb forced the American troops to take cover. Finding the closest foxhole already full, Gooden promised that if he lived to return home, he would serve God for the rest of his life.
Bishop James and Mother Evelyn Gooden
Employment following the war included construction work, repair service for the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and a supervisory post with the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel. But James Gooden did not fail to keep his battlefield commitment to the Lord. Brother and Sister Gooden joined what is now the Fifth Avenue Church of God Temple in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. James served the congregation as deacon, president of the Young People’s Endeavor, president of the Ushers Board, member of the Board of Trustees, and eventually pastor.
The Church of God credentialed James as a licensed minster, with ordination as a bishop following in1962. He served as a Church of God pastor for over 45 years. Evelyn was licensed as an evangelist (now ordained licensed minister). While faithfully supporting his ministry, she also served as an evangelist, conference speaker, and member of the state Women’s Ministries Board. During her ministry the churches in Florida honored her as “Evangelist of the Year” and “Mother of the Year.”
When Bishop Gooden first entered the ministry, the Church of God was segregated like much of America. At the request of black ministers, the 17th General Assembly in 1922 appointed an overseer over all black churches in the United States. The “Church of God (Colored Work),” as it became known, credentialed ministers, planted churches and held an annual Assembly in Jacksonville, Florida. By 1966 the General Assembly agreed that racial segregation was incompatible with human rights and integrated black ministries into the general ministries of the church. At the same time, Church of God leadership honored the request of black ministers to appoint a black overseer for black congregations in Florida.
Throughout their ministries Bishop and Mother Gooden have been models of community and denominational leadership. The Broward County Hall of Fame inducted Mother Gooden in recognition of her ministry to the sick, hungry and homeless. Black ministers elected Bishop Gooden to their National Council of Twelve, and he subsequently served for over forty years on the black Florida (Cocoa) State Council. His service on numerous state boards included the education board and the ministerial examining board. Most recently, he chaired the Florida State Historical Commission, collecting documentation needed to preserve the heritage of the Church of God in Florida. Bishop and Mother Gooden continue to keep that battlefield promise.
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This article was written by Church of God Historian David G. Roebuck, Ph.D., who is director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center and assistant professor of the history of Christianity at Lee University. This “Church of God Chronicles” was first published in the February 2009 Church of God Evangel.