Parade celebrates Bishop Gatlin's service

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  • Bishop Nelson Gatlin and First Lady Kathern Gatlin wait for the parade honoring their service to the Sulphur Springs community to start in the cloudy Saturday afternoon. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Bishop Nelson Gatlin and First Lady Kathern Gatlin wait for the parade honoring their service to the Sulphur Springs community to start in the cloudy Saturday afternoon. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
  • Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
    Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
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Bishop Nelson Gatlin of Mitchell Chapel Church of God in Christ has left his mark on the Sulphur Springs community who thanked him and his wife First Lady Kathern Gatlin in a drive-thru parade Saturday.

Family members traveled from Logansport, Lou., his hometown, to celebrate his 23 years of service, and city manager Marc Maxwell and Alliance Bank president Tom Sellers joined in the parade.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Gatlin said.

Maxwell handed Gatlin a plaque inscribed with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…”

“When they told me this was happening, I knew that was for you,” Maxwell said to Gatlin. “You are the man in the arena.”

Gatlin hails from Logansport, Lou. and formerly pastored in Linden, Texas, and the then-bishop of this area called upon Nelson to serve as pastor of Mitchell Chapel COGIC, where B. L. Turman had previously served. Nelson was consecrated as bishop for the Texas Northeast Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in 2015.

"Being up here 23 years, who would have thought it?" Gatlin said. "I can truly say it’s been 23 wonderful years.”

Read the full story here: https://www.ssnewstelegram.com/news/nelson-gatlin-celebrated-service-parade