Virginia Pastor Who Held Church Services Dies Of Coronavirus, Had Underlying Condition

A Virginia pastor who held services despite the lockdown order has died of coronavirus. He had an underlying condition of diverticulitis, an infection of the digestive tract that usually occurs in people over age 40.

In an announcement on Easter Sunday, elders for New Deliverance Evangelistic Church regretfully told congregants that Bishop G.O. Glenn died of the viral contagion that has killed 20,000 people in the United States and has effectively shut down the world’s economy.

“It is with an exceedingly sorrowful and heavy heart that I come to you this morning, and regret to inform you that on last night, April the 11th at 9 p.m., our father Bishop Gerald Glenn transitioned from labor to reward,” Elder Bryan Nevers said.

“You know my heart is heavy. You know this is a tough one. You know this is a blow to the body of Christ,” Pastor Joe Ellison Jr. said.

Speaking with WTVR, Ellison hailed Glenn as both a mentor and a “pastor of pastors.”

“I said this guy is not only a pastor. Even back then I saw the calling of a Bishop on his life, because he was a pastor to other pastors. And that’s what made Bishop Glenn so unique,” Ellison said. “He made me realize that I could be an outstanding pastor, outstanding husband, an outstanding father most importantly, an outstanding leader.”

Glenn’s daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley, said that her father and mother began showing symptoms over a week ago, but that they initially suspected it was related to her father’s underlying condition.

“He has diverticulitis, so it’s not uncommon for him to get fevers or you know virus or sinus infection,” Crawley said of his condition.

As noted by the New York Post, Glenn held a packed church service on March 22, days after the state called for social distancing and to diminish public gatherings to no more than 10 people. It did not become an official stay-at-home order until March 23.  Speaking before his congregation, Glenn famously said, “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus. You can quote me on that.” As people clapped, Glenn then said, “people are healed” in his church. More from the Post:

Happily announcing he was being “controversial” by being “in violation” of safety protocols — with “way more than 10 people” at the church — he vowed to keep his church open “unless I’m in jail or the hospital.”

“I am essential,” he said of remaining open, adding, “I’m a preacher — I talk to God!”

Mar-Gerie Crawley said her father conducted the service to give people hope, not as a defiance against social distancing. She encouraged everyone to stay home.

“It becomes very real to you,” she told WTVR. “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.”

💔Bishop G.O. Glenn has died of complications from COVID-19, New Deliverance Evangelistic Church officials announced during Easter Sunday services.
"April the 11th at 9 p.m., our father, Bishop Gerald Glenn transitioned from labor to reward."https://t.co/EvVb3ruAW1

— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) April 12, 2020

As The Daily Wire’s James Barrett recently reported, New York City data shows that a vast majority of COVID-19 deaths stemmed from people with underlying conditions.

“According the most recent data from the [New York Health Department] (updated April 6, 9:30 a.m.), almost two-thirds (65.6%) of the people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus have been confirmed to have one of those specified underlying conditions,” reported Barrett, “while just 1.9% of the people who died after testing positive were confirmed to have ‘no underlying conditions.’ Just under one-third (32.6%) of those who died after testing positive are listed as “underlying conditions pending,” in other words doctors have not yet determined whether or not they had an underlying condition prior to being infected.”