COVID-19 hits close to home for west Louisville church
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The well-known pastor at Christ Temple Apostolic Church in west Louisville died from COVID-19 over the weekend.
“The community, they have lost a giant,” E. Andre Douglas, a church trustee said.
Bishop Michael E. Ford, Sr., 67, was pastor at Christ Temple Apostolic Church for 28 years and recently preached about the pandemic.
“Quarantine is not just so we can have a staycation at home,” Bishop Ford said during the church service. “Quarantine is so that God might begin to deal with us, and we begin to reflect on all the good things God has done and what God has in store for his church.”
Weeks later, Bishop Ford was sent into quarantine himself after getting sick with the virus. Unfortunately, he did not make it out. Douglas said the pandemic has hit too close to home and has impacted some of its members too.
“In spite of all the good efforts we have taken in regards to making sure that we keep people safe, with the temperature, with the sanitizing, with the social distancing, following all the CDC guidelines, unfortunately, some individuals were still affected by it,” Douglas said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean they were affected by it from this church, but the bottom line, because they are members of this church they were still affected by it.”
Those who knew Bishop Ford said it will be difficult to recover from his loss.
When he wasn’t at the church, Bishop Ford was in the community, creating positive programs for children and supporting school choice, especially for those in west Louisville. Bishop Ford’s work didn’t stop there. It went as far as Africa. Church trustees said he worked to bring 30 church and three primary schools all the way to Kenya.
“In spite of being a pastor which means he’s elevated because he’s the leader, he still had servitude in his DNA,” Douglas said.
Bishop Ford had plans to build a community center right next to the church so people in west Louisville could have a place to gather and get the resources they need. Members hope to complete the project as one way to carry out Bishop Ford’s legacy.
“I don’t think anyone could ever replace Bishop Ford,” Douglas said. “He was a servant for the people and a servant for the community, and sometimes it’s hard to find a genuine pastor who has a servitude attitude.”
Details on memorial services for Bishop Ford can be found here.
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