As Bishop Walter H. Richardson turns 99, let us praise the example he has set for us

I am so pleased to be writing this column on the 99th birthday of my pastor and godfather Bishop Walter H. Richardson. By the world’s standards, he is just an ordinary man. But to those of us who know him, he is a man who has a heart of gold; a man who embodies what it means to be a pastor, or leader of the people of God.

Bishop Richardson came to Miami in 1945, straight out of the “tar hills” of North Carolina. And at the urging of his uncle the late Thomas J. Richardson, founder of The Church of God Tabernacle, he went to work at the old Sears & Roebuck department store at Biscayne Boulevard and 13th Street, now the site of the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. He became the pastor of the church in 1965, after the passing of his aunt the late evangelist Mamie E. Richardson, who led the church for 15 years after her husband died.

When he became the pastor of our small congregation, he did so with the knowledge that he would not become a rich, as we were, and still are, a congregation that believes in tithing. Somehow, through his leadership, and love for our fellow human beings, our congregation has always been able to share generously with those in need, both here and abroad. This always made me so proud to be named among the membership of this church.

I remember the time right after the Rwandan genocide back in the 1994, where 800,000 people were reported to have been massacred, leaving thousands of children orphaned, our Bishop placed me in charge of collecting items for the children of Rwanda. I passed the word on to my co-workers at The Herald that we were collecting needed items and they showed up big time. Along with what our congregation collected and donated, it cost the church more than $3,000 to have FedEx ship the items to Rwanda.

There have been many other times, like when hurricanes devastated the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. And when the earthquakes hit Haiti, Bishop stepped up the plate. Once when the prime minister visited Miami after a devastating hurricane had hit the island, he presented our bishop with a plaque during a ceremony at Florida Memorial University for his unselfish acts of kindness to the people who were most hurt by the hurricane.

There have been many more times when Bishop looked at the need at hand and did something. When COVID-19 shut down our church and disasters hit, Bishop led the way to send sizable checks to the American Red Cross when natural disasters hit other states. To him, ministry is more than praying for someone; it is reaching out a helping hand to those in need and showing them love.

I could go on and on about his wisdom and the teaching from the Bible that he has liberally given out in his sermons and biblical teachings over the years. I can truly say that sitting under Bishop’s Christian leadership has helped make me the woman that I am today. There were many times that I sought his wisdom on a business, or personal move I wanted to make, and after we prayed and he thought about it, he always gave me the right answer. I must admit, that like any children receiving instructions from a parent, I didn’t always agree with his answer. But I always took his advice. I have never been sorry that I did.

Bishop and his North Carolina sweetheart, the former Poseline McLaughlin, had been married for 49 years when she died in 1996. They were the parents of two sons, the Rev. Dr. Walter T. Richardson, and Elder Alfred J. Richardson, both of whom followed their dad into the ministry. Walter T. Richardson is the pastor emeritus of Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church in Perrine and Alfred J. is a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bishop found love again when he married the widow Enid Betty Forbes. They have been blessed with 22 years of wedded bliss. Now an evangelist serving with her husband in the ministry, she said she would not exchange the journey she has been on with her husband for “… anything in the world.”

“I am just so thankful for the outpouring of cards, flowers, fruit baskets and love that have been presented to Bishop for his birthday,” Betty Richardson said. “Everyone has just shown him a lot of love.”

As the pastor of The Church of God Tabernacle, he is one of the longest-serving pastor in Miami-Dade County. Although he has grown weaker in his body, Bishop still says that he will “complete” the job he was called by the Lord to do. “I have never seen in the Bible where those preaching the gospel ever retired. So, I will continue this job until God calls me home.”

Bishop spent his birthday surrounded by his two sons and daughter-in-law Minister M. Dolores Richardson.

“My dad love s people, and he loves peace, said his son Walter T. Anything he can do to promote people and peace makes him happy.”

Army veteran turned therapist establishes virtual mental-health practice

Hats off to Sheena Cooper, who had a dream to help the mentally ill in our community and never gave up on her dream. It all started when she was growing up and saw the need for better mental health care in the Black community.

“I always knew my life had a purpose,” she said. “But as I grew, I learned that I had a special interest in mental health, especially the mental health of my fellow Blacks. There is such a great need.”

Initially, she said her plans were to enter the U.S. Army, retire after a long career, and then start a second career as a therapist. However, instead of retiring from the Army, Cooper served for eight years and was honorably discharged in 2010. While in the Army, she entered the University of South Florida, graduating in 2008. Later, she entered Barry University and graduated in 2010 with a master’s degree in social work.

In January 2021, her dream of helping the mentally ill came true, when she started Prospect Institute, LLC, which is a 100 percent virtual mental health agency. She said she decided to go virtual because when COVID-19 hit, a lot of people had a hard time adjusting to the virus as well as being in lockdown.

“Prospect Institute will serve a great number of minorities, not just Blacks,” Cooper said. “Life has thrown Blacks and other minorities a lot of curve balls. We hope to change that by offering our clients the opportunity to maintain optimal living and providing a safe space to be vulnerable,” she said. Payment is done on a sliding scale basis.

Bea Hines can be reached at bea.hines@gmail.com