- Ernest A. Fitzgerald
Ernest A. Fitzgerald (
24 July 1925 -27 September 2001 ) was aretired AmericanBishop of theUnited Methodist Church , elected in 1984.Birth and Family
He was born in
Crouse, North Carolina . He married Sarah Frances Perry ofWingate, North Carolina 24 August 1945. The Fitzgeralds have two children: son Jimmy and wife Phyllis; and daughter Patty and husband Charles Poole. The Fitzgeralds also have three grandchildren. Bishop Fitzgerald died on September 27th, 2001, in Winston-Salem, N.C. from pulmonary fibrosis.Education
Fitzgerald earned the
A.B. degree fromWestern Carolina University (1947). He earned theBachelor of Divinity degree fromDuke Divinity School (1951). He hashonorary doctorate s fromHigh Point College (1969), Pfeiffer College (1986),Greensboro College (1993) andUnion College (1994). In addition, he receivedDistinguished Alumni Award s from Western Carolina (1981) and Duke Divinity School (1983).Ordained Ministry
During his college years, Ernest pastored the Webster Circuit of the
Western North Carolina Annual Conference of theMethodist Church , of which he became a Member in Full Connection and wasordained Elder in 1949. He subsequently served the following pastorates in this conference:Liberty Circuit (1947-50);Calvary Church inAsheboro (1950-55); Abernathy Church inAsheville (1955-59); Purcell Church inCharlotte (1959-64); Grace Church inGreensboro (1964-66); Centenary Church inWinston-Salem (1966-82); and the West Market Street Church in Greensboro.Rev. Fitzgerald was elected a delegate to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the
U.M. Church , 1968-84, and to the General Conference, 1980-84. He also attended theWorld Methodist Conference s of 1966 and 1971.The author of numerous books, Rev. Fitzgerald also was a regular contributor to the Piedmont Airlines inflight magazine, the
Jaycees publication, andAMTRAK . He has also written forU.M. publications. In 1983 he was thePreacher for theMethodist series of the radio program "The Protestant Hour ."Episcopal Ministry
The 1984 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, meeting at
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina , elected Rev. Fitzgerald a Bishop of the Church. He was assigned to theAtlanta Episcopal Area (the North and South Georgia Annual Conferences). Bishop Fitzgerald also served on the U.M. General Council on Ministries, the Task Force on the Korean Church, the Older Adult Task Force, and as President of the United Methodist Development Fund.He retired in 1992.
References
*InfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church. [http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=1244]
*The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church [http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=5855]ee also
*
List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church
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