Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon - Legacy of a trailblazer, nurturing spirit remembered

By La Risa Lynch -Contributing Writer- | Last updated: Jan 21, 2015 - 9:19:53 AM

Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon

CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - The life, legacy and lessons of Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon were remembered Jan. 5 in a memorial service for the founder of Christ Universal Temple, one of Chicago’s first megachurches.

Dr. Colemon, often referred to as the first lady of New Thought, a transformative doctrine of self-empowerment through positive thinking, died Dec. 23. She was 94.

A litany of politicians, religious luminaries and church members lauded Dr. Colemon for breaking barriers, being an entrepreneur, master teacher and a trailblazer for being the first Black in the New Thought movement.

Motivational speaker Les Brown, a graduate of the Johnnie Colemon Institute, called his mentor an “icon ahead of her time.” While she left a religious legacy, Mr. Brown noted people must not forget the lessons that legacy taught. Dr. Colemon, he said encouraged people to find their own dream, make their own truths and find their own inner voice.

“…And if you cannot hear it, all of your life your days will be spent on the ends of strings somebody else pulls,” Mr. Brown said, quoting Black philosopher and author, Howard Thurman. “Johnnie taught us how to pull our own strings,” he added.

Christ Universal Temple’s Rev. Evelyn Boyd remembered Dr. Colemon for her one-line zingers that became affirmations to live by. “There is no spot where God is not”, “Let go, Let God” and “You are the thinker who thinks the thoughts and makes the things” were her most popular.

Those affirming messages shaped her teaching style, which Rev. Boyd called direct, but practical useful advice to guide one’s daily life.

“What kind of teacher was she?” Rev. Boyd asked. “She was a straight shooter. She shot straight from the hip Calamity Jane style—without apology. If it hit you in the gut, it was good for you. If it hit you in the head, it made you think it was even better for you.”

Laughter filled the four-hour service as colleagues recalled stories about Dr. Colemon. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also added to the levity. The mayor remarked that he’s visited many churches in his time, something that didn’t quite sit well with his rabbi.

“Truth is I’ve been in church so often my rabbi is starting to get a little nervous,” Mayor Emanuel quipped arousing laughter from the packed church. However he noted that he has always been struck by “the power that lives within the walls of this great church.” And Rev. Colemon, he said, brought that power, love and compassion outside the church walls.

“That’s actually what Johnnie did her entire life,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Just as she understood that strong communities are built from the inside out, she also understood that strong people are built from the inside out.”

Other dignitaries attending the service included Johnathan Jackson, son of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Pastor T. L. Barrett, Rev. Clay Evans, Spencer Leak and Alderman Carrie Austin among others. Rev. Ben Vereen stirred the audience with a touching rendition of “Dream the Impossible Dream.” Actress Rev. Della Reese and Rev. Jesse Jackson sent condolences via phone.

Also unable to attend the service was Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan spoke to the audience by phone. Min. Farrakhan called Dr. Colemon “mother” because of her nurturing spirit. When he was diagnosed with cancer, Min. Farrakhan said Dr. Colemon often “prayed for me,” when many “thought the grave was my goal at that time.” He added she was a source of strength when he was often attacked by the media.

“When the media maligned me and called me everything but a child of God, the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon … invited me in her home and invited me into her church,” he said.

“God will never waste a worker,” Min. Farrakhan said of Rev. Colemon. He told the congregation not to consider her as dead because she lives on through her works.

“Johnnie Colemon lived her life in the way of God,” he said. “There is no such thing as death for the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon. So let no one speak of her in the past tense. …We must never let her work falter.”

Her works were vast. She did more than create new religious ideology, she built a ministry empire. To further her new thought philosophy, she launched the Johnnie Colemon Institute. In 1999, she opened the Johnnie Colemon Academy, one of the city’s first charter schools. Other businesses followed including a restaurant/banquet facility.

Although Dr. Colemon grew up in a deeply religious family, she didn’t want to be a preacher. She aspired for a career in show business as a saxophone player. Instead she became a teacher within the Chicago Public School system soon after she and her family moved from her hometown of Mississippi.

But God had other plans for Dr. Colemon. In 1952 she was diagnosed with a fetal illness where a doctor gave her only months to live. That caused her to examine her faith. As a result she decided to pursue religious study at Unity School of Christianity in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, where she was the first Black graduate of the institution. She became an ordained minister two years later.

“…She came home a new person knowing that something happened within her soul and she felt as though she had to teach what she knew to others,” said Christ Universal staff minster Whilmetta Harrell.

Her message resonated. Her ministry started with a study group of eight people out of her home and it quickly expanded. In 1956, she founded Christ Unity Center with 35 people—mostly women—out of a building on 61st and Cottage Grove on the city’s South Side.

Her ministry and congregation mushroomed. Now named Christ Universal Temple, Dr. Colemon purchased more than 50 acres of land at the corner of 119th St. and Ashland Ave. When Christ Universal’s new edifice opened in 1985, her service attracted 4,000 parishioners weekly, making it Chicago’s first mega church. Currently, Christ Universal’s membership is 30,000.

Dr. Colemon, who retired from the pulpit in 2006, is survived by her husband Leon C. Blair and legions of followers and friends.

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