PASTOR G.R. PATTERSON

A man of faith and determination Pastor Godfrey R. Patterson is a nationally-traveled preacher, evangelist, social justice advocate, organizer, and writer.

As a teenager he overcame a crippling injury to become an All-Conference college basketball player, the account of which he shares in his book, Just Trusting in God (2006). He believes that his ministry is the embodiment of the words of the hymn, “As I journey through the land, singing as I go. Pointing souls to Calvary - to that crimson flow. Many arrows pierce my soul from without, within; But my Lord leads me on, through Him I must win.”

Pastor Patterson is a firm believer that the Church of Jesus Christ, in addition to addressing spiritual needs must also address improving the conditions in which people live such as systemic racism, other-imposed teachings of self-hatred, economic inequality  of opportunity, a broken educational system, and a prison-industrial complex which seeks to warehouse our young men.

In attempting to reach young people before they made life-altering negative decisions he instituted Friday night "infotainment" - combining information and entertainment — in an East Baltimore community and sought to spread the concept across the nation.

To this day, after more than forty years in ministry, he regrettable feels that the black church has failed black youth by not properly teaching them the glorious and courageous history of our race thus inspiring them do positive things with their lives.

Pastor Patterson’s personal motto is taken from the words of Hale: “I am only one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And what ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.”


He has one child, a daughter, Angela.