A Virginia Bishop who said, “God is larger than this dreaded virus” has died of complications of COVID-19, according to a statement from an elder at his church.
WTVR reported Bishop Gerald O. Glenn preached New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, in North Chesterfield, Virginia, where it was revealed he had tested positive for the coronavirus April 5.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, the Founder and Pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Saturday, April 11, 2020 @ 9:00 PM,” a statement on the church’s Facebook page said. “Please be in prayer with us for Mother Marcietia Glenn, our first family & the NDEC church family.
“We ask that you respectfully allow our First Family to grieve in their own way.
"I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," Glenn said in a March 22 sermon, which aired April 5.
CNN reported that Glenn also said he was not afraid to die.
The sermon was delivered a day before the state of Virginia banned gatherings of 10 or more people. At the time officials were encouraging social distancing.
Mar-Gerie Crawley, Glenn’s daughter, said her father had diverticulitis and, as such, fevers and viruses are not uncommon.
But his health worsened and he ended up taking multiple trips to urgent care and the emergency room, eventually testing positive for COVID-19.
Glenn’s wife and Crawley’s mother, Marcietia Glenn, also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Crawley said the March 22 gathering was meant for those who were scared and not meant to defy the state order. She now urges everyone to stay home.
"It becomes very real to you," she said. "I just beg people to understand the severity and the seriousness of this, because people are saying it's not just about us, it's about everyone around us."
According to New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, funeral arrangements will be announced within the next few days.
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