COGIC Board of Bishops Honors Bishop Blake at Indian Wells Conference
The Church of God in Christ held its 2026 Board of Bishops Conference from September 14 to 17 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells, California. During the conference, Bishop Donald R. Murray presented a special award to Presiding Bishop Emeritus Charles E. Blake Sr. in recognition of his decades of leadership.
The Church of God in Christ held its 2026 Board of Bishops Conference from September 14 to 17 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, California.
The four-day gathering brought together church leadership from across the United States for fellowship, strategic planning, and spiritual development.
A highlight of the conference was a special ceremony honoring Presiding Bishop Emeritus Charles E. Blake Sr. Bishop Donald R. Murray, Chairman of the Board of Bishops, presented Blake with an award recognizing his long tenure and contributions to the denomination.
Blake served as Presiding Bishop of COGIC for many years before transitioning to emeritus status. He is also the senior pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, one of the largest congregations in the denomination.
The conference served as a key planning session for COGIC's national leadership ahead of the denomination's annual Holy Convocation, which typically draws tens of thousands of members each November in Memphis, Tennessee.
COGIC is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, with millions of members across thousands of congregations worldwide. The denomination was founded in 1897 by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason.
