Cocktail Hour with Catrice

Bishop Noel Jones is no stranger to “shock value”, the well-known pastor of the City of Refuge church in Los Angeles, recently left followers scratching their heads with a cryptic social media post. The 2 day old post simply read, “Breaking News, Bishop Noel Jones is Alive,” which caused quite a stir in his comment section and long time supporters. Here at Cocktail Hour with Catrice, we’ve been hearing a lot of reactions and it’s safe to say this latest post had more than a few people concerned—and confused. In fact, at first glance, even we thought it might be a posthumous announcement.

Turns out, however, this message was far from a farewell. Instead, it seems as though he was using this post to showcase a previous sermon or to promote his upcoming Leadership Conference and Golf Tournament set for November 7-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Great marketing strategy? Perhaps. But for those of us on the outside looking in, this approach felt misleading and, frankly, in poor taste. If Bishop Jones needed a quick way to drive ticket sales for his Las Vegas event, he could have gone with a straightforward message rather than raising alarm bells among his followers.

Now, let’s not forget that Bishop Jones, who has recently the beautiful Lady Loretta Jones, has also been known to struggle with certain issues, including a rumored (alleged) drinking problem. A conference and golf event in Las Vegas—a city known for indulgence—only adds to the perception that this might be more of a glorified guys’ trip than a genuine ministry-focused gathering. Day-one supporters of the Bishop are baffled by this tone-deaf approach. For many, it appears to be yet another example of a pastor using shock value to fill seats, leaving us to wonder if this latest move will hurt more than it helps his image.

In his post, the Bishop played a clip from a previous sermon and mentioned that people “called him from Africa”, thinking that he was dead.

This again was done in poor taste if you ask me. This sort of rhetoric and tactic often used among pastors looking to relay impactful and powerful message. But in this case, the message didn’t land the way the Bishop intended for it to land. This attempt to be “alive” on social media to sell a ministry event or to prove a point appears to have backfired. The Instagram post leaves many wondering why he couldn’t have just promoted the conference in a more tasteful fashion.

If you’re intrigued by Bishop Jones’s latest publicity move, or just want to stay updated on what happens next, subscribe to Cocktail Hour with Catrice. We cover the latest news and real-talk commentary on influential pastors and church leaders. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe today at Cocktail Hour with Catrice.com for up-to-the-minute insights and all things trending in faith, leadership, and social media.