Bishop Hewett Richardson Sr.

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 Bennington 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 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 His 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, 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.

Bishop Richardson served as the founding Pastor of Emmanuel Church of God in Christ for 56 years (1966 to 2022). During this time, he held numerous positions within the Texas South Central Diocese of the Church of God in Christ, including 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, He served as Chairman of the Texas Central East Fellowship (2007–2009), which was officially recognized as a new COGIC jurisdiction in April 2009 and renamed the Texas Central Metropolitan Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (TCMJ). Due to unforeseen health challenges and his deep desire to never hinder the work of the Lord, Bishop Richardson prayerfully retired as Jurisdictional Prelate in 2015. In 2025, he celebrated 62 years of ministry.

Bishop Richardson will be lovingly remembered as a praying man, visionary leader, deeply rooted in the word of God. A Pastor who was willing to roll his sleeves and work to build God’s house. Above all, he loved God, his family, and the saints, and took seriously his role as a servant leader to God's people. He celebrated biblical family principles, leading by example and teaching God's people to live holy because God is holy.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 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. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Ola Johnson Richardson; parents, Alf and Mattie Richardson; brothers Leo, Alf (Josie) and Amos (Linda); sisters Bernice, Joann Carrington (Robert) and Loston Taylor (Johnny); and son, Reginald Richardson.

Those he leaves to cherish his loving memory are his sons, Hewett Richardson, Jr., Michael Richardson (Ten), and Daryl Richardson (Elizabeth); six grandchildren – Michael II, Justin, Maya Paul (Dwayne), Bria Brown (Kerrick), Jordan, Leah; 2 great-grandsons– Kai and Greyson; 1 great-granddaughter, Bella; one brother, Jeremiah Richardson; three sisters, Triana Banks (Albert), Azzie Mitchell, and Dorothy Rogers (Michael); and a host of nieces, nephews, Godchildren, cousins and other family members; many friends and co-laborers in the Gospel, his loving spiritual family, the Emmanuel Church of God in Christ, and the Texas Central Metropolitan Ecclesiastic Jurisdiction.