Mildred Lowery Passes Away
Mildred Lowery, wife of well-known evangelist and former member of the Church of God Executive Committee, T.L. Lowery, passed away on Saturday afternoon, March 7. She was 84.
Mildred Woodard grew up the daughter of a Methodist minister who later joined the Pentecostal Holiness movement. Mildred and T.L. Lowery married on August 27, 1948 (her birthday), and for the first years of their married life they were members of the Pentecostal Holiness Church until joining the Church of God in 1955. Mildred’s parents also joined the Church of God.
Mildred Lowery
T.L. and Mildred were in ministry together for 66 years. While her husband served in numerous ministry roles, Mildred adapted to being the wife of an internationally-known evangelist, pastor, and denominational church leader. She traveled the world in a supportive role and earned the nickname, “Sweet Mildred.” On many occasions she served as a workshop leader, conference speaker, and women’s ministries advisor.
Mildred’s son, Stephen, pastor of the National Church of God in Ft. Washington, Maryland, said of his mother, “She was a great woman of God and was greatly loved.”
In their early ministry together, Mildred and T.L. Lowery pastored Pentecostal Holiness churches in Hot Spring, Virginia; Yukon, West Virginia; and Galax, Virginia. After years of evangelistic work once they joined the Church of God, the Lowerys were appointed to serve as pastor of the North Cleveland Church of God in 1969. During the five years of ministry at the denomination’s flagship church, a new sanctuary was built and dedicated, as well as a multi-story senior living facility, North Cleveland Towers. In 1974, T.L. Lowery was elected to his first of two tenures on the Church of God Executive Committee. Mildred Lowery was a member of the Women’s Ministries Advisory Council for the 16 years of her husband’s service on the Committee (1974-1982 and 1996-2004).
In 1981, T.L. and Mildred Lowery took a step of faith and accepted the pastorate of the National Church of God, a struggling congregation near the nation’s capital. During their more than 15 years of service, the church grew from under 50 members to over 2,000.
Mildred Lowery was the mother of Stephen, who is married to Jan. Stephen and Jan are the parents of Mildred and T.L.’s four grandchildren.
“Mildred Lowery was the epitome of grace and virtue,” stated General Overseer Mark Williams. “Her life was a fragrant offering of praise to God and love to all she came in contact with. Her godly example as a Christian woman and her faithful intercession before the throne have won her the love and admiration of the body of Christ around the world. We mourn her passing, cherish her memory, and longingly look for the day when all of us will be reunited with her again in Glory.”
Funeral arrangements for Sister Lowery are as follows: Visitation on Thursday, March 12, 2015, from 5:00-8:00pm at the T. L. Lowery Ministry Center, 340 Paul Huff Parkway, Cleveland, Tennessee. Phone: 423-473-4562. Viewing prior to the funeral will be conducted Friday, March 13, 2015, from 9:00-10:00am at the North Cleveland Church of God (main sanctuary), 335 11th Street NE, Cleveland, Tennessee. Phone: 423-476-5513.
The funeral will be held on Friday, March 13, 2015 at 10:00am at North Cleveland Church of God with a burial service to take place at Sunset Memorial Gardens, 7180 North Lee Highway, Cleveland, Tennessee. Services are being handled by the Jim Rush Funeral Home.
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Mildred L. Lowery Scholarship Fund.
Please keep the Lowery family in your thoughts and prayers.
