Detroit, MI
‘Prince of the pulpit’: Detroit pastor emeritus Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams dies at 86
Detroit — The Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams, a towering figure as the pastor and then pastor emeritus of Detroit’s historic Hartford Memorial Baptist Church on the Detroit’s northwest side, where he earned the reputation of “a preacher’s preacher,” died Wednesday afternoon, his family said.
He died following a long bout with pneumonia and after cardiac arrest, said his sister, Edith Clifton, who said he was surrounded by his family. He was 86.
“He was my only sibling and my best friend,” said Clifton, 88. “We talked almost every day.”
Rev. Adams emerged on the scene of the religious community in 1962, when he became pastor of the historic Concord Baptist Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Boston, Massachusetts, according to relatives. From that pulpit, he went on to shape a religious following, was hailed internationally, spoke before the United Nations and met with U.S. presidents.
Back home in Detroit, he nurtured his flock and his community, his followers said.
In 1967, he became pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. The church would later move to 18700 James Couzens in the late ’70s, where he would grow the congregation from several hundred to nearly 10,000. In 2017, it was recognized by Michigan historical officials as the first church for African Americans on the city’s northwest side. It was described as a prestigious place where leaders have sought social justice and where mourners flocked to bid farewell to famous figures.
The church has been the funeral site for high-profile figures — singers, educators, activists and others. It has seen politicians ranging from Al Gore to Geoffrey Fieger greet attendees on the campaign trail.
When Rev. Adams retired from the pulpit in October 2019, his son and successor, the Rev. Charles Christian Adams, vowed to continue his father’s works.
“My father did groundbreaking work … I’m humbled to be a part of that line, and I know that there are great expectations to move the church upward and onward yet still maintain its character and its activity in the life of the city and beyond,” he said at the time.
Rev. Adams was born in Detroit on Dec. 13, 1936, and attended Detroit Public Schools. He graduated from Cass Technical High School.
He went on to attend Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, a historically Black college and university, for two years, then transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Harvard Divinity School, graduating with honors from both institutions. Rev. Adams went on to become a doctoral fellow in Union Theological Seminary in New York City, according to a biography on Hartford’s website.
“He shared with me all the scholarly things that was involved in,” Clifton said. “All of the time that he was at Harvard and he was away. We would read the same books.”
He would earn a reputation as the “Harvard Whooper,” a celebratory form and style of oration in the Black Church that marks the close of a sermon, with cadence and musical vocalizations.
He retired from the iconic church in 2019 after 52 years in the pulpit, drawing the many thousands to its pews with his thundering, impassioned voice. It was his work as well to tend to his flock’s earthly needs as well as spiritual that catapulted him into an internationally renowned religious leader. Rev. Adams bought land in the city to spark redevelopment and create jobs, launched services to help senior citizens, children and families.
He was hailed by Ebony magazine as among the nation’s greatest Black preachers and most influential African Americans. To his countless parishioners, he was a “man born to be a minister” and remained an unforgettable figure whose efforts inspired them.
News of Rev. Adams’ death spread quickly on social media, where memories, photos and tributes could been seen honoring the beloved “pulpit giant.”
Leaders among Detroit’s Black Church community described him as “a preacher’s preacher” and a “prince of the pulpit.”
“Adams could start a message, and within five minutes, the people would be on their feet; that’s just how impactful he was,” said the Rev. Wendell Anthony, Detroit Branch NAACP president and pastor of Detroit’s Fellowship Chapel. “I pray for his son, Christian, and his family and church. I know he had been out of the pulpit for a while, but the pulpit was always in him.”
Rev. Adams became president of the NAACP Detroit Branch in 1984, the church said. During his leadership, he successfully called for a boycott of Dearborn businesses after officials moved to ban nonresidents from the city’s parks.
Anthony said Rev. Adams would be remembered most as “an uncompromising voice of that what was courageous, rooted in justice, and using the Black Church as a voice to uplift people.”
Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, senior pastor of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, called Adams a “social justice warrior for the marginalized.”
Ellis’ church, which hosted the funeral of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, was where Rev. Adams was remembered for rendering a punctuated speech at her 2005 funeral by reciting “thank you” in different languages.
“A true friend indeed to the Ellis and Greater Grace Temple families,” Ellis said, adding that the two congregations were neighbors for more than 20 years when his church was located at Seven Mile Road and Schaefer Highway before moving near Telegraph Road in 2002.
In addition to his sister and son, Rev. Adams is survived by his wife, Agnes Adams; and daughter Dr. Tara Adams Washington. Funeral arrangements were incomplete late Wednesday, relatives said.
jaimery@detroitnews.com
A Detroit woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in Genesee County, Michigan.
Grand Blanc Township Police Department police chief William Renye reported the victim was an 85-year-old Detroit resident. Her name was not provided.
The other driver, a 47-year-old Holly man, northbound Subaru was hospitalized after the crash and is expected to recover from his injuries.
The crash happened about 5 p.m.
The Detroit woman was driving a Mazda from Holly Road, turning onto Baldwin Road at the time of the crash. The Holly man was driving a Subaru northbound.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim of this crash,” the police chief said.
Holly Road was closed at Baldwin during the preliminary investigation and cleanup.
Longtime Detroit Lions nemesis Aaron Rodgers will return to Ford Field for the first time since the 2022 season in 2025.
Rodgers, who quarterbacked the Lions’ NFC North rival Green Bay Packers, reportedly plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of their upcoming minicamp. He returns to action for what will be his 21st NFL season.
The Lions will host the Steelers in Week 16 at Ford Field, meaning Rodgers could make his first start at the home of his former rival since Nov. 6, 2022. This matchup is currently slated to kick off at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21.
Pittsburgh has been linked to the veteran quarterback throughout the offseason, as the team parted ways with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Rodgers joins a quarterback room that also features Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard.
Rodgers has spent the last two seasons as the quarterback of the New York Jets. His first season, the 2023 campaign, ended after just one drive as he suffered a torn Achilles.
He returned to action in 2024 and started all 17 games for the Jets, totaling 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading the team to a 5-12 finish.
Across his time with the Packers, Rodgers was 18-8 in starts against the Lions. He lost each of the last two games against the Lions, however, including a 20-16 Detroit win at Lambeau Field in what was his final game as a Packer.
Rodgers has totaled 6,551 yards, 54 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his career against the Lions. Among one of his biggest moments against Detroit was a game-winning Hail Mary to tight end Richard Rodgers as time expired in a Thursday Night Football game on Dec. 3, 2015.
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CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers scratched outfielder Kerry Carpenter from the starting lineup Wednesday, June 4, against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field, in which he was supposed to play right field and bat fifth.
Carpenter suffered right hamstring tightness.
“He’s been dealing with this for a couple of days, navigating through the typical wear and tear of the season,” manager A.J. Hinch said, adding Carpenter remains available as a pinch-hitter. “We’re just being cautious.”
Wenceel Pérez replaced Carpenter in Wednesday’s lineup.
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Is Carpenter undergoing any tests?
“No, no, no,” Hinch said before Wednesday’s game. “He’s going to pinch-hit in the seventh inning.”
Carpenter — who launched three home runs Monday, June 2, against the White Sox — is hitting .273 with 13 home runs, seven walks and 44 strikeouts across 57 games in 2025, making 39 starts in the outfield and 11 starts at designated hitter.
He hasn’t played in the outfield since Saturday, May 31, against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium — his last of eight games in a row in the outfield.
“That’s why I’ve DH’d him a couple of days in a row,” Hinch said. “I sat him on Sunday. I pulled him early last night. I was going to put him in the outfield, but an after meeting with him today, I decided to scratch him.”
Carpenter has a history with injuries and has never stayed healthy for a full season.
The 27-year-old landed on the injured list in each of his first three MLB seasons (2022-24): left lumbar spine strain in September 2022, right shoulder sprain in April 2023 and lumbar spine stress fracture in May 2024.
He also suffered a left hamstring strain in spring training in February 2024, a left hamstring injury in Game 4 of the ALDS in October 2024 and right hamstring soreness in April 2025. None of those issues required a stint on the injured list.
The Tigers have a roster logjam on the right side of the infield, which often pushes Carpenter to the outfield. If Colt Keith is the designated hitter, Gleyber Torres is at second base, and Spencer Torkelson is at first, where does Carpenter fit?
Carpenter should be the Tigers’ everyday designated hitter — both to protect his health and hide his below-average defense — but there isn’t a spot for him at designated hitter without benching Keith, Torres or Torkelson.
That’s putting his health at risk.
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Casey Mize: ‘I feel good’
Right-hander Casey Mize is set to start Thursday, June 5, in the finale of the four-game series against the White Sox. It will be his third start since returning from a left hamstring strain, which sent him to the injured list for the minimum 15 days.
His four-seam fastball averaged about 95 mph in his first seven starts, all before the injury. Since returning, his fastball averaged 93.2 mph in his eighth start and 93.7 mph in his ninth start.
There’s no reason to be worried.
“I feel good,” Mize said. “I’m super routine-oriented. I’m diving back into what I was doing before, the normal five- or six-day routine. Body feels good. I’m ready to go.”
The velocity on his splitter has stayed the same, hovering around 88 mph.
Mize has a 2.82 ERA in nine starts.
Dylan Smith optioned to Triple-A Toledo
The Tigers optioned right-handed reliever Dylan Smith to Triple-A Toledo, opening the door for right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long to return from the 60-day injured list to start Wednesday against the White Sox.
Called up from Toledo on Friday, May 30, Smith made his MLB debut Monday and pitched in back-to-back games. The 25-year-old allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in three innings, without a strikeout.
“He wasn’t very happy with how he threw his secondary pitches,” Hinch said. “He’s got some work to do to complete his full arsenal and continue this upward trend of pounding the strike zone with some pretty good stuff.”
The Tigers also recalled righty reliever Jason Foley — who underwent season-ending right shoulder surgery — from Triple-A Toledo and placed him on the 60-day injured list, creating room for Gipson-Long’s return to the 40-man roster.
Foley will receive MLB service time while rehabbing.
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