Charles Green - going strong at 90

Kenneth Copeland and Charles Green at the celebration of Charles' 90th birthday held at Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas

The Latter Rain revival began over six decades ago and, as you might expect, there are not many of the early participants still alive.

Charles Green, who got involved in the revival in 1950, is alive and is very active in ministry still. He not only preaches in churches across the United States, but in 2016 had meetings scheduled in Kenya, Peru, and Brazil!

Green is best known for many years of pastoring the large Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana. He turned 90 in February and has been receiving much-deserved recognition from ministries like Charismanews.com and Eagle Mountain International Church, which was founded by Kenneth Copeland.

In March, Dr. Steve Greene wrote a tribute to Charles Green on the Charismanews.com website. Greene, who is the executive vice president of the Charisma Media group, entitled the article, "Take 5 Minutes to Save a Life for Eternity."

Greene tells how a single meeting with the veteran pastor changed his life, "I can't recall exactly what he said to me but I know it was a seed that grew in me until I was saved at the age of 19.  I have never forgotten that one encounter with him. The only reason I cannot forget him is that he made such a significant spiritual deposit into my life. Why else would I remember one moment in time from 1971 with such clarity? I can only conclude that the meeting was a Spirit-led appointment."

Barbara and Charles

Thousands who have met Charles Green or heard him preach could say the same. He and his wife Barbara are widely known for their wisdom, kindness, and gifts of the Spirit.

The Greens also know about "Spirit-led appointments" - in fact, in 1950 they had a bumper crop of them.

"1950 was the 'watershed year' of my life," Charles says. "In February, I married Barbara. In April, I met Mom Beall in Beaumont, Texas. In July, I met Garlon and Modest Pemberton in Houston. In October, I met the great Prophet David Schoch in the St. Louis convention. In December, I met Peter and Patricia Beall Gruits in Houston when I spoke for the Pemberton's Christmas Banquet. Some year!"

Green, who lives about 40 minutes from Eagle Mountain International Church (EMIC), was honored there in a Sunday morning service in February. Copeland and EMIC pastor George Pearsons wanted to acknowledge Green's faithfulness and effectiveness over decades of ministry.

Copeland told how Green gave him the opportunity to minister at Word of Faith in New Orleans before he and his wife Gloria became the internationally famous ministers they are today.

It is also worth noting that while Copeland and Green can both be identified under the Pentecostal/Charismatic label, they come from different strains of that sector of Christianity. Copeland is a leader in the Word-Faith movement, and Green has his Latter Rain background.

But that the two would have close fellowship is no mystery to anyone that knows Green - he is a unifier. For instance, when he and John Gimenez and Emanuele Cannistraci founded the Network of Christian Ministries (NCM) in 1983 they made sure to extend a hand of fellowship to Copeland and had him speak at one the NCM conventions. The NCM membership also included men like Paul Paino (Calvary Ministries International), Dick Iverson (Ministers Fellowship International), Mel Davis (International Association of Ministries), Bob Weiner (Maranatha Campus Ministries), and Charles Simpson from the Shepherding/Discipleship movement.

Green's leadership and unifying impulse were also put to use in three other important organizations: Church Growth International (David Yonggi Cho), the board of regents of Oral Roberts University, and International Charismatic Bible Ministries (Oral Roberts).

He had yet another unifying role in the North American Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization that was held in New Orleans in 1987. Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan documents the integral role Green played in the event's success in his book, An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit (pp. 98-99, 103).

It is hard when recounting the many endeavors of ministers like Charles Green to not sound as though one is unduly exalting a person. Green would be the very first person to recoil from such exaltation. But surely there is a place for acknowledging what the Lord has done through yielded vessels.

Green is the author of several books including, The Revelation of God and His Word, and his ministry activity can be followed at www.harvestminstriesonline.com.

His tribute to the late James Lee Beall can be read on this blog here.

One of Charles' 2016 sermons can be seen in the video below. Be sure to not miss his interesting and faith-building vignette about the late Gwen Wilkerson (David Wilkerson's wife) that begins at the 14:00-minute mark.

Charles Green & Donald Price (September 1950) Fri, Sep 29, 1950 – Page 8 · The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon) · Newspapers.com Charles Green and Charlotte Baker in Vancouver (1974) Sat, Oct 26, 1974 – 19 · The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) · Newspapers.com Paino, Green, Kemp Holden, McMasters .... 1989 Mon, Sep 25, 1989 – 2 · Hattiesburg American (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) · Newspapers.com CG after Hurricane Katrina Sat, Sep 10, 2005 – Page 4 · The Madison County Herald (Canton, Mississippi) · Newspapers.com Oral, CG, color pic (Dec 2009) Wed, Dec 16, 2009 – Page A002 · The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico) · Newspapers.com