Bishop George H. Brooks

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World

  1897 ~ 1993

Bishop George H. Brooks, son of the late William and Pauline Brooks, was born in Brunswick, Maryland, December 13, 1897. He lived in New Haven, Connecticut. Raised in Brunswick, George attended public school and enjoyed the love of family and friends. After the death of his father, he assumed responsibility of helping his mother raise the family. This was when he began to actively exhibit his leadership abilities.

He served in the United States Army in World War I and was honorably discharged. Throughout his life he had a love for hunting and was an avid fisherman.As a young man, George never gave much real thought or time to church and did not consider that one day he would experience the call of God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He often told the story how he heard the voice of God while sittingat a gambling table playing cards one night. The call directed him to get up and go forward to proclaim the pospel ...to preach the Word of God. Recognizing the voice as genuine, he was obedient in leaving the table never to gamble again.

George received his formal religious training while attending Bible College in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania before returning to Maryland. As a young clergyman, he ministered in various churches where he met and married the late Nellie Grayson. To this union were born nine children. Elder Brooks began his Christian life as a young baptist minister until in 1924 he was introduced to a new movement...the gift of the Holy Spirit speaking in tonguesas the Spirit gave utterance. Within a short time, he and his wife were baptized in Jesus' Name and began to move forward as servants of the Most High God. Their commitment was to do a great work for the Lord; and as fate would have it, they indeed did accomplish much for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God.

As a member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Bishop Brooks served as a Distrct Elder. In 1958 he was elevated to Suffragan Bishop, and to the full Bishopric in 1964, a position he held until his retirement to Emeritus status in 1988. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Aenon Bible College, in Indianapolis, Indiana, receiving an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.

Bishop Brooks was a tender man, who, like many men of his era, often found it hard to express the true love and profound sense of pride he had for his family. At times people may have thought him short on words, as if  nothing bothered or concerned him. Yet, his family and those who knew him saw beyond  that facade to the kind, soft man who was a loving father and pastor. He was a firm disciplinarian, stressing religious and moral values. Bishop George H. brooks fell asleep in Christ on Thursday morning, August 26, 1993. He left behind a host of friends, both in the P.A.W. and abroad to cherish his memory.