COGIC’s first Bishop of Israel and his wife leads group of Black Americans in Jerusalem to honor MLK and his love for Israel

A group of more than 600 African-American Christians marched down Martin Luther King Street in Jerusalem in the end of July.

The march was meant to honor King’s legacy and love for Israel, as well as to highlight and rekindle the historic bond between the Black and Jewish communities forged during the Civil Rights Movement in America in the 1960s.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had planned to bring a group of African Americans on a spiritual pilgrimage to Israel in 1967.

King, a supporter of Israel’s right to live securely in the land, never got to lead that trip.

Bishop Glenn Plummer of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is among the leaders who helped finally bring King’s vision to fruition last week.

In 2019, Plummer was officially appointed by the denomination as “Bishop of Israel." Bishop Plummer has also attended state events hosted by Israeli President Isaac Herzog as a representative of a major Christian denomination.

The following year, after receiving a visa from the Israeli government, Bishop Plummer and his wife, Dr. Ruth Plummer, moved to Israel to represent the millions of Christian Black Americans in the COGIC denomination.

“Part of my role is to not only familiarize our people with Israel but to build a bridge in a relationship that will be longstanding and sustained between Black America and Israel,” Bishop Plummer said.

Plummer says he is helping continue King’s legacy by renewing relations between the Black American community and Israel.

“We're standing here, literally, at Martin Luther King Street in Jerusalem,” he said. “Most folks have no idea, not only that there's a Martin Luther King Street, but that he was so pro-Israel.”

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who has worked to improve ties between Jerusalem and Christians, attended the march.

“I love the fact that these incredible spiritual leaders from the Black community from America and around the world are here in solidarity, in love, in showing us their support on Martin Luther King Street,” Hassan-Nahoum said.

Bishop Plummer said the group had a message for Israelis: “Black America loves you. Black America is standing with you. We're praying for the peace of Jerusalem by the tens of millions. And so, we're thrilled to be able to carry this message to Israelis.”

Plummer was appointed bishop of Israel in the same church where Dr. King spoke before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee in April 1968.

His election came after decades of pro-Israel activism among Black Christians.

Plummer had visited Israel with groups of Christian pilgrims over 20 times and preached in support of Israel in his congregation and in many broadcasts. The bishop also helped establish a pro-Israel lobby.

He credits Evangelical leaders like Pat Robertson for “teaching the church in America our love for Israel and who Israel is," and said ever since his first trip to Israel, “I began to call myself a Christian Zionist.”

“A Christian Zionist is a Christian who believes that the country of Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and that the Jewish people have the right, and the responsibility, to not only just live here but, from this place, give definition to the world for what this country is, for what God’s intention has always been, who He is, to introduce Him to the world…" Plummer said.

"I feel that Zionism is not just a political definition. I think it is spiritual, it is natural, and it is political. It is the right and responsibility of the Jewish people to care for the Land, to represent the Land and to protect the Land.”

Bishop Plummer is a member of the ALL ISRAEL NEWS Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Israel Allies Foundation.