Lifeline from The Master
In Memoriam
Bishop T.A. Body
Bishop Thomas Alvin Body, the third of four children, born to John and Rena Body was a blessed recipient of Holy Instruction at the feet of his mother, who was a faithful member of the Church of God in Christ until her demise. The difficult conditions of life forced upon African Americans prompted his parents to encourage young Thomas to pursue a sound academic foundation. Their efforts were rewarded by his completion of high school at the young age of fifteen. Further academic pursuits followed at Bishop College, East Dallas College, Dallas Christian College and John F. Kennedy University where he received his Master’s Degree in Psychology. He then graduated magna cum laude with a Doctorate Degree in Psychology from Strasford University.
Wheatley Church of God in Christ became home for Bishop Body under the leadership of the late, Elder Wilson Tolbert. He was licensed and ordained by the late Bishop F. L. Haynes, Prelate of Texas Northeast Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Body has been involved with the Church of God in Christ in many different facets and on many different levels. He served faithfully at St. James C.O.G.I.C. under the leadership of the late Bishop William James. It was through his faithfulness to his pastor that Bishop James appointed him as the First Administrative Assistant of the International Youth Congress. As his conviction to reach lost souls became more widely known he was appointed by the International Church of God in Christ’s Board of Evangelism as its National Coordinator. Bishop Body has appeared on several syndicated television and radio broadcast programs; with his focus constantly being on reaching the lost and exhorting the brethren to be confident in the Word of God. Bishop Body and his family were featured in the 25th Anniversary Edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family magazine. Bishop Body has been editor-in-chief of several newspapers, a radio announcer at KNOK 970 A.M.; the number one station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is a trained psychologist, marital counselor, theologian and teacher extraordinaire. Bishop Body is known as the “preacher’s preacher.” He continues to electrify vast audiences with messages like; “God is Smart,” “Potiphar’s House,” “Strange Way We’ve Come, but it was God Who Brought Us” and “I think It’s Time for God to Write Again.”
Bishop Body leaves to carry on the legacy and build new dreams for the One Accord Church, his loving wife, Pastor Darlene A. Body, The Body Family and the members of his beloved One Accord.