Nathaniel Copeland

Elder National Copeland National Copeland was born on August 17, 1941 to Magzella Copeland in Laurens, South Carolina. He was the eldest of two boys. Nathaniel was a gifted singer and song writer who traveled from church to church between New York and Virginia singing the praises of the Lord. Nathaniel had a passion for the arts and throughout his lifetime he wrote and performed in numerous plays. His most famous play was “on The Winning Side of Love”, in which he won First Place at a playwriting competition. He also hosted a local radio program on WYGR in Grand Rapids, Michigan. One of Nathaniel’s lifelong dreams and proudest accomplishments was becoming an author and writing an autobiography of his life entitled, “I Forgive.” In 1977, Nathaniel attended New York City Technical College where he graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Sociology. Upon graduating college, he went to work for American Express as a credit analyst. Later in his career, he landed a position at Meridian Emerging Markets, a Financial Publishing Company where he was the Director of the Finance Library. Nathaniel ended is work career in Falls Church, Virginia working for Verizon Communications as a Sales Consultant where he won numerous quarterly sales awards. In 1960, while living in New York, Nathaniel met Gladys Pernell Fuller. After a 6 month courtship, he proposed and they were united in marriage by Bishop Melvin Lewis Jones of Mt. Zion Holiness Church in Manhattan, New York. Later, he joined the Bible Way Church in Brooklyn, New York, where he served faithfully as an Ordained Elder in the Gospel for ten years under the leadership of Bishop Huie L. Rogers. While living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Nathaniel and his wife Gladys attended the Lord at Bethel Pentecostal Church and continued their work under the leadership of the late Bishop William C. Abney, Jr. It was in Michigan where God blessed Nathaniel and Gladys with the wonderful gift of a precious baby girl, Tina Marie (Copeland) Lumpkin. After 10 years of service at Bethel Pentecostal Church, the Copeland family relocated and eventually settled in Northern Virginia where their passion for God’s work continued. They worked faithfully for the First Baptist Church of Merrifield, Virginia and the Bible Way Temple in Washington, DC. In 2011, Nathaniel and Gladys moved to Richmond, VA where Nathaniel attended Mt. Gilead Full Gospel International Ministries under the leadership of Bishop Daniel Robertson, Jr. Nathaniel was preceded in death by his loving mother Magzella Copeland, his devoted wife Gladys Pernell Fuller Copeland, and his brother, John D. Copeland. He leaves to cherish his memory, daughter Tina Marie Lumpkin (Madison); three wonderful grandchildren, Madison Charles Lumpkin, II, Michael Chase Lumpkin, and Maxwell Christopher Lumpkin, a host of adoring nieces, nephews, cousins and loving relatives and friends.

Tributes

Nathaniel Copeland

August 17, 1941 - March 31, 2015