Hyacinth Bobb Grannum, cofounder and longtime pastor at New Covenant Church of Philadelphia, mentor, and women’s advocate, has died at 80
"She brought her gifts of deep faith, leading by example, encouraging others, and sharing insights from the word of God," her family said.
Hyacinth Bobb Grannum, 80, of Philadelphia, cofounder and longtime pastor of New Covenant Church of Philadelphia, honorary doctor of divinity, mentor, and innovative women’s advocate, died Wednesday, May 31, of congestive heart failure at Chestnut Hill Hospital.
Pastor Grannum, called Pastor Hyacinth by many, was an inspiring speaker and church and community leader for more than 60 years in Philadelphia and around the world. She and her husband, Bishop C. Milton Grannum, established New Covenant Church in 1982 in Germantown and grew it to include a multiuse 44-acre campus in Mount Airy, Christian education classes around the city, and thousands of members.
She cofounded the Women in Covenant ministry that connects mentors to young women, sparks outreach to like-minded organizations, and provides access to the church’s Women of Vision and Virtue group. She advised emerging churches in Guyana over the years and ministered to congregations in the United Kingdom, South Africa, South Korea, Kenya, and elsewhere.
Pastor Grannum spent hours nearly every day counseling others in person and on the telephone. She continued, even as her health declined, to discover what folks needed and find ways to get it to them. “She was extremely generous and felt she had a responsibility to help people,” said her son Dwayne.
Pastor Grannum received an honorary doctorate in divinity in 1997 from the Jameson School of Ministry and Theology and was ordained by the Indiana-based Church of God in 2008. She helped organize the annual Women of Faith for Education afternoon tea for the Philadelphia chapter of the United Negro College Fund and was awarded its 2022 Keeper of the Flame award. The award has since been renamed in her honor.
In a welcome video produced by the church, Pastor Grannum said: “We have always wanted to have the kind of atmosphere here where people can come and say ‘aah,’ take a deep breath, enjoy the physical beauty, and also feel as if they could be in touch with the Spirit of God.”
Hyacinth Lucille Bobb was born Aug. 24, 1942, in Chateaubelair, St. Vincent. The daughter of a minister and oldest of seven children, she enjoyed caring for her siblings, and the family returned to their home in Georgetown, Guyana, when she was young.
Her family came to Philadelphia in 1965, and she graduated from Community College of Philadelphia in 1967 and earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Temple University in 1970.
She met Bishop Grannum in 1963 in Guyana, and he said: “I knew she was the person when I met her.” They got married in 1967 and had daughter Gillian and sons Dwayne, Aubrey, Andrew, and Sam. Over the years, they lived in North Philadelphia, Germantown, East Oak Lane, Wyncote, and Mount Airy.
Pastor Grannum taught briefly at Germantown High School in the 1970s. She also looked after her family, sold Amway products, and was a fixture at her husband’s ministry at the High Street Church of God in Germantown.
Optimistic and friendly, Pastor Grannum had a dazzling smile and offered plenty of advice, sometimes unsolicited, her family joked. She gave attention to details, valued decorum and etiquette, and had a way of making even strangers feel special.
She liked to entertain and share stories about her family, and she constantly asked others to tell her about their families. She enjoyed classical music, played the piano, and made up special songs for her children and grandchildren.
“She was elegant yet down to earth,” her daughter said. “She loved being a grandmother, and she loved to laugh.”
She read stories by Erma Bombeck and watched Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on TV. People clamored for her homemade bread and bread pudding. “When you visited, you couldn’t leave without her giving you something,” her husband said.
In a tribute, her family said: “She had a spirit of hospitality, a love for people, a passion for intercession, and most of all a heart for God.”
In addition to her husband and children, Pastor Grannum is survived by five grandchildren, four sisters, one brother, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
A celebration of her life is to be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 17, at New Covenant Church of Philadelphia, 7500 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19119. It will be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/@NCCPhilly/streams.
Donations in her name may be made to the Philadelphia Chapter of the United Negro College Fund, Attn: Caroline Starling-Love, 718 Arch St., Suite 301 South, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.