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| George W. Bogle was born April 25, 1934 in Flint, Michigan. As a child his parents had hopes and dreams of a great life but were struggling against the wade of the Great Depression. It was during that time that George’s parents were led to the Lord. Seeing their salvation changed his life forever. He once said “One of the greatest blessings in my life has been the fact that God touched somebody before me. I never would have been a preacher if he hadn’t.” He was truly touched by the change he saw in his father’s life and this would eventually lead him to a great ministry. |
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George Bogle was 21 years of age, just back from two years of active duty in the Navy, when his father, a minister of 20 years, died suddenly of a heart attack. This moved George to continue the work that his father started. George took leadership of his father’s church in 1955. His engaging style was well received by the congregation, but after a season George and Shirley would venture out to build their own small ministry, “Faith Gospel Temple.” Over the next decade, their congregation flourished and they moved into a series of increasingly larger storefront locations throughout St. Clair Shores and Mt. Clemens, MI. |
| By the early 1960’s, a parishioner, Henry Krauss, was impressed with the young couple and offered to build them their own church building, Construction began on the “first” Evangel Church on Joy Boulevard in Mt Clemens and the Building opened its doors in 1964. In 1967, George and Shirley began the “Evangel Prayer Time” radio Ministry, furthering the reach of the gospel into the entire Metro Detroit area. |
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| The church prospered; George and Shirley were quite content serving the community and managing a growing family, but the Lord had different plans in store. The Lord gave him the scripture “Behold, I set before you an open door which no man can shut” –Revelation 3:8 and showed him that they were called to move to “another land where the Lord would bless them and make their name great”. |
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In 1970, the Lord called the Bogles to the vanguard of Detroit’s Jesus Movement when they opened the “House of Prayer. This was no traditional little church, but an active, vibrant haven for young and old, white, black and brown people who loved the Lord. The House of Prayer was positioned to have a powerful impact on thousands of lives in a novel way that no other church had achieved. The local media were fascinated and eventually daily tours had to be arranged to satisfy the public’s curiosity. |
| The church was bursting with the spiritual and artistic gifts of its members. The Praise and worship ministry incorporated folk, rock, and gospel music at a time when most churches allowed only organ accompaniment. Pastor Bogle encouraged radical creativity in the church’s approach to outreach. He fostered many witnessing ministries including drama and, to much criticism, dance. Many of Detroit’s Gospel artists were inspired by the ministry. He opened coffee shops, a restaurant, an amusement park and every venue that presented itself for the propagation of the Gospel. |
| In 1979, Evangel Ministries took to the television airwaves with “The Spirit of Detroit” – a live broadcast that followed the same call-in format as the radio show. The show served as a point of synergy for the many gifted members of Evangel, and the call-in format would be regularly supplemented by drama presentations, dance and musical performances, or video tapings of weekly sermons. In an age where most households had access to only six televisions stations, Pastor Bogle and Evangel Ministries became a ubiquitous icon for the city of Detroit. With “The Spirit of Detroit” combined with two live radio broadcasts each day, Pastor Bogle delivered five hours of programming and dozens of prayers to the people of Detroit every day. |
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Pastor Bogle discontinued the television show in 1986, and turned his attention to dozens of initiatives including a summit of over 100 Detroit area Pastors, encouraging them to help foster a revival in the city. His heart for the people of the city led him to open two Evangel Christian Academies and expand Evangel Church into two “sister” locations on Detroit’s east side and in the city of Taylor, MI. |
In 2001, Pastor Bogle began a development initiative that included the development of the entire block surrounding the Church. This area is being developed as a campus to provide the space necessary for a host of community-enrichment initiatives, including Love Your Body Health & Fitness Center which is currently open and operating six days a week. The campus will also include men’s, women’s and youth centers; job training programs; and Biblical scholarship.
Pastor Bogle has been honored with the “Spirit of Detroit” award from the Detroit City Council, in recognition of his years of faithful service to the citizens of Detroit; “Michigan Senate and House of Representatives Joint Resolution #306” to reflect “the high esteem in which he is held by the Michigan legislature;” and two “Mayoral Proclamations”.
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