Bishop Anthoneé J. Patterson is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and is the son of Elder George E. Patterson, Sr. and Gloria Delores Patterson. Raised in a loving and faithful household, he is the fifth oldest of thirteen children, seven boys and six girls—all of whom were raised in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. His parents found truth under the leadership of Bishop Sherrod C. Johnson in 1952 and stood steadfast in the Apostle’s Doctrine until they were called to the rest.
As a child, Bishop Patterson could be found constantly listening to the recordings of Bishop Johnson that his father kept in his collection of sermons. His fervor for understanding the scriptures was nurtured by Bishop S. McDowell Shelton, who grafted him into his household to teach him how to be abased and abound. These lessons, balanced with the encouragement of his parents, pushed Bishop Patterson to always seek after those things which are faithful, true, and meaningful.
Bishop Patterson is also a gifted pianist and songwriter. Bishop Shelton also charged him to lift the Church through music. He did so by writing many up-lifting songs and directing the Mass Choir for the Church in 1990.
A graduate of University of Florida, Bishop Patterson is a rebuilder of communities and visionary spiritual leader. The Ritz Theater in historic LaVilla in downtown Jacksonville is what it is today—a thriving artistic community and neighborhood—because of his vision and instrumental fundraising efforts. The $13 million dollars he raised was the catalyst to rebuild the theater that was once the pillar of the African American community in the 1930s. He is also known in the community for removing blight and re-building neighborhoods.
God called him to the ministry in 1994, He gave it all up—wealth and fame—to follow Christ and to lead the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. His calling, unbeknownst at the time, was the fulfilling of the prophetic writings of the late Bishop S. McDowell Shelton, which were later found and detailed the rightful succession of the Church leadership. Bishop Patterson’s commitment to the true Word of God is what drives him…what keeps him preaching and transforming the souls of those who seek the true knowledge of God’s word.
