Bishop Lawson has served as the Senior pastor of the Holy Light Church since its inception in 1979. He yet serves as its Chairman of the Board of Directors. Bishop Lawson’s commendable leadership and administrative abilities coupled with the God-given vision for the multi-cultural growth of the Church of God in Christ in the El Paso, Texas, area were major factors attributing to his elevation and consecration to the sacred office of Bishop in the Church of God in Christ on February 8, 1997, to be the jurisdictional prelate of the newly formed Texas Western Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, Incorporated. The Holy Light Church of God in Christ, Inc. is the Jurisdictional Headquarters church.
Bishop Lawson’s academic and professional background includes twenty-five (25) years as a professor of physics at the University of Texas at El Paso. During his tenure at the University of Texas at El Paso (retiring in 1992), he served in various administrative positions to include the position of Chairman, Department of Physics, and Dean, College of Science.
He was the first Black to hold such positions in the University of Texas System. Bishop Lawson has been consistently saluted by the community and academia for his achievements and contributions. He holds a B.S. degree in physics from Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Howard University. He has published numerous scientific articles in refereed professional physics journals.
Bishop Lawson is the devoted husband of Mrs. Jene L. Lawson and the loving father of two adult children: Michael S. Lawson, M.D., and Edith S. Lawson-Johnson, M.B.A., C.P.A., C.I.A. The Lawsons have three grandchildren: Willie Thomas Dunlap, Steven Paul Lawson, and Sylvia Elizabeth Lawson.