FIRE BAPTIZED HOLINESS CHURCH OF GOD OF THE AMERICAS, INC.
ALL MEMBERS MAY OBTAIN AND SEEK THE HIGHEST CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE IN THIS LIFE
Bishop Nathaniel Jeremiah Roach, Sr., was born on May 5, 1924, in
Wagener, south Carolina. He was the only son of the late Esau and Oueen
Ora Roach. On Thursday, March 3, 2011, Bishop Roach departed this life
at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital and went home to be with the Lord.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Emma Roach. He was educated in
South Carolina school systems and received his Bachelor of Theology Degree at
Fuller Normal Institute in Greenville, South Carolina. He was a
licensed barber and established his own business in concrete mason.
At the age of fourteen, Bishop Roach accepted Christ as his Lord and
Savior. As a young man, he joined the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God
of the Americas and held many offices within the church. He was a
member of Wagner Red Hill FBH Church and later joined Apostle FBH
Church after his marriage to Mary Glover on October 17, 1948.
To this union 10 children were born, 5 girls and 5 boys.
Bishop Roach was a man that loved the Lord and encouraged all to furnish God a good life and God would take care of you. He taught and preached "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Bishop Roach
challenged saints to be sure of their salvation and to walk the straight and narrow path on this Christian journey.
In 1964, he accepted his calling into the ministry and in 1966; he was
appointed to Pastor and served as pastor of many churches over the
Columbia District. He was elected as Elder in 1974, and served as
Elder for 20 years (12 years on the Northeast Ohio District and 8 years on the
Columbia District). In 1994, he was elected as the Bishop of the
Third Episcopal Diocese of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the
Americas and he served for 16 years. Bishop Roach served well in
the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas; he served on the Executive Council Board, General Board of Finance, Trustees of Fuller Normal School Board, Department of Religious Education, Chairman of the General Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Advisory Board, and Chairman of the Home Mission Board. He loved and believed in the Fire Baptized Holiness Church. Before retirement in June 2010, he presided over the Third Episcopal Diocese and Southern Portion of the First Episcopal Diocese which comprised of the following Districts: Alabama, Northeast Ohio, Southwest Ohio,
Western New York, St. Thomas/Virgin Island, Tennessee, Western North Carolina,
Southeast Georgia, Charleston, Columbia, Florida, South
Carolina No. #1 and South Carolina No. #2. - Biography of Bishop N.J. Roach
Bishop Nathaniel Jeremiah Roach, Sr.
Tribute from The Late National True Witness Editor & Media Director Sister Vernel Turner
Today, I stand on behalf of the 3rd Episcopal Diocese to honor the life of Bishop Nathaniel Jeremiah Roach, a man who possessed a good name. He was a person of character with a good reputation. Bishop Roach built his reputation everyday with his thoughts, actions, choices, and associations centered around the Lord. Bishop served the 3rd Episcopal Diocese as our Presiding Prelate for 16 years.
In each of those years, we found him to be a man of God -consistent in all his ways, a man of integrity, a clean man, a holy man, and
a "good" man. A good man is sound, loyal, and virtuous. A good man can be relied on. Bishop Roach was that type of man. A good man fears the Lord. A good man delights greatly in the commandments of the Lord. Bishop N.J. Roach was such a man. A good man is full of compassion and guides his affairs with discretion; his steps are ordered by the Lord, and he is full of faith. Bishop Nathaniel Jeremiah- Roach was this kind of man. Bishop Roach had the heart of a lion. He was passionate about many things: his family, this grand-ole Fire Baptized Holiness Church, and the lives and souls of men, women, boys, and girls. He taught us concerning many aspects of this life and the life to come. Bishop N.J. Roach was a man of standards. His desire was to have those following him embrace the standards. He was
old-time Fire Baptized and often remarked: "you can't tell me bout this church". Bishop longed for the day when the church would reach its full strength in the principles of holiness and righteous living. He was always to the point and he had a way of illustrating his points. Sometimes he used stories of his actual service as a deacon, a pastor, or an elder to inspire and encourage us in the work of the church. There were also times when these illustrations made us laugh, especially when he talked about Sister Snot(d)grass, but we always understood his point. Bishop Roach shared so many "good" things - things that make us rich: think fast & speak slow - if you think fast & speak slow, a lot of times, you won't speak at all; words are like milk, if you spill it on the ground, you can't pick it back up. He drilled it in us that a man ought to stand up and be a man and that women should understand the power they possess and
present themselves as holy women. Bishop loved good preaching and teaching.
He routinely instructed us to take heed of the Word and not to let it slip. He aptly preached the
Word of God with power and demonstration. Bishop Roach always preached hard under the
unction of the Holy Ghost- you could feel and view the Anointing upon him as he slipped out of
his suit jacket and reached up to remove his clergy collar; lowered his arms and cupped his lands
together (Can't you see him preaching right now?).. Bishop Nathaniel Jeremiah Roach was truly a
good man with an unrelenting desire to make it to heaven. He spent his life in the service of the
Lord fasting, praying, preaching, teaching, and encouraging God's people to completely surrender
to God. I'm reminded of a sermon he once preached: "Let's Go Over to the Other Side"
- Bishop said "Jesus is on the other side and I'm determined to go there. " His ultimate goal was to
have his name written in the Lamb's book of life. Continuing the message he explained:
' You needn't worry my brothers and sisters, you're just passing through here - you got to live right.
Let's meet on the other side where Jesus is". Words seem inadequate to express ouresteem for him -
the best way to honor his life and legacy is to live so that we can meet him on the other side.
- Tribute By: The Late Sister Vernel Turner, National True Witness Editor & Media Director
