THE REMARKABLE TESTIMONY OF PASTOR GEORGE GANDY Rearing and Upbringing: “I was born in the church and raised apostolic under the mentorship and tutelage of my great-grandmother, the late Reverend Martha Finn, in Monticello, New York. Not only were we the first African American family in Monticello, but Reverend Finn built the first African American church in Monticello (Bethlehem Temple, which stands to this day). “Reverend Finn was a tough lady, hardcore. She made sure that if you professed to be saved under her ministry, you were gonna make it to heaven,” Pastor Gandy shared during our interview. “Reverend Finn’s son, my grandfather, the late Henry McCoy, married my grandmother Anna Mae Wright, who became the late Missionary Anna Mae McCoy. My dad, the late Pastor AV Gandy, met and married my mother, the late First Lady Leslie Octavia Gandy. And just like that, all 13 of us (11 girls and two boys, of whom I’m the eldest) were born through this union.” Introduction and Deliverance from Alcoholism: “I always had a curious nature. In fact, people used to call me ‘Curious George.’ My grandfather had a jazz bar that sat at the foot of the hill from the church. When I was a young man, I would walk by the bar, watching my uncles and the people inside. The parking lot was filled with Cadillacs, Thunderbirds, Grand Marquis, and everything with a convertible top. That intrigued me. The persona back then was sharkskin suits, gators, slick hair,
Kingdom Privilege | 44 | January 2023
