Richard and Michael Cole are the sons of Vernon Seymour Cole, the founding pastor of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. They grew up in a close-knit family with a childhood that was deeply influenced by their father’s work as a full-time pastor. 

Michael lived with his father in the church parsonage in Mount Vernon, New York, where he shared many cherished memories with both his father and the congregation. As Pastor Seymour Cole grew older, Althea Hoyte and Arlene Nemhard, two close church family friends, played a vital role in helping care for Michael. The care and love rooted Michael in a devotion to family and community. This commitment extended into his own career, where he served for 34 years at the Mount Vernon Postal Service before retiring. Now, in his next chapter, Michael remains in Mount Vernon, working as an entrepreneur and continuing to build on the values of service and connection that shaped his life.

For Richard, he recalled trying to figure out how to skip church when he was younger, but he could not escape the hand of God or the efforts of his mother, Dorothy Cole. At Bronx Bethany, he served in the youth ministry and as an usher. He also played the piano and sang in the youth choir that his sister Sharon directed. Richard still serves the kingdom of God and went on to join Christ Care Unit Missionary Baptist Church, where he currently serves in the men’s ministry and as the choir chaplain. 

For him, the seed of Bronx Bethany is that it exemplifies that we are all part of the family of God. Similar to the early Christian Church, those who viewed Bronx Bethany from afar marveled at how they loved not just Christians but loved all. That is BBCN’s enduring legacy—a steadfast love of God and a love of neighbor.