Passing of Rev. James I. Jackson Jr., 58, a ‘son’ of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church

by Mensah M. Dean, Updated: April 3, 2019- 6:43 PM

The Rev. James I. Jackson Jr. did not just preach the word of God from the pulpit on Sundays: He was an ambassador for the Lord wherever he went, said those who knew him.


Whether helping to provide financial management services in his weekday job, or playing basketball, or traveling to Hollywood to root for his son on American Idol, he radiated God’s light while drawing people near.


But it was in church, they said, that the Germantown resident shined brightest. And it was at St. Paul Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Pa., that Pastor Jackson suffered a fatal heart attack Sunday.


Pastor Jackson, 58, a Philadelphia-born husband and father of two who served as associate pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in East Mount Airy from 2002 to 2012 before departing to lead St. Paul, died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem. Read more