Detroit, MI

‘Prince of the pulpit’: Detroit pastor emeritus Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams dies at 86

Published

5 months ago

November 30, 2023

‘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

X: @wordsbyjakkar

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Detroit, MI

Martin Lawrence bringing 1st comedy tour in 8 years to Detroit: How to get tickets

Published

5 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

Martin Lawrence bringing 1st comedy tour in 8 years to Detroit: How to get tickets

Martin Lawrence’s sitcom character lived in the Motor City during the five-season run of Fox’s “Martin” in the 1990s.

Now, the real Martin Lawrence is bringing his national arena tour announced Wednesday morning to his TV home.

The “Y’all Know What It Is!’ tour will arrive at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 30. It is part of a nearly 40-city schedule that is Lawrence’s first comedy tour in eight years.

The tour is timed to follow the premiere of the latest movie in the “Bad Boys” franchise starring Lawrence and Will Smith, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which premieres June 7.

Tickets are available to purchase starting at 10 a.m. May 17 at 313Presents.com and Ticketmaster.com.

Two years ago, the comedy icon was part of a 30-year anniversary “Martin” special on BET+ that reunited him with cast members Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II.

Lawrence unveiled his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2023.

For more on the tour and a complete list of cities, go to martinlawrenceontour.com.

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Detroit, MI

Severe storm, tornado strike Southwest Michigan, causing damage

Published

12 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

Severe storm, tornado strike Southwest Michigan, causing damage – CBS Detroit

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The National Weather Service confirmed that at least two tornadoes hit Southwest Michigan on Tuesday amid severe weather.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers gash Guardians, 11-7, with Andy Ibáñez’s two homers, Ryan Vilade’s key hits

Published

19 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Press Room

Detroit Tigers gash Guardians, 11-7, with Andy Ibáñez’s two homers, Ryan Vilade’s key hits

CLEVELAND — Andy Ibáñez, known for crushing left-handed pitchers, had a prime spot for success Tuesday night: Hitting leadoff for the Detroit Tigers against Cleveland Guardians left-hander Logan Allen. He took advantage of the opportunity by hitting two home runs in the first two innings.

The Tigers and Guardians combined for 18 runs on 23 hits in Tuesday’s game, but the Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning and then piled on in the later innings for an 11-7 win in the second of three games at Progressive Field.

Ibáñez, who drove in four of the 11 runs, finished 4-for-4 with two home runs, one single, one double and one walk. It marked the first four-hit game of his career.

The Tigers (19-17) snapped a four-game losing streak behind Ibáñez’s two homers, rookie Ryan Vilade’s big hits and seven scoreless innings from four relievers out of the bullpen.

A single to remember from Vilade — promoted before Tuesday’s game as the replacement for demoted center fielder Parker Meadows — drove in two runs for a 7-7 tie in the third inning. He hit a two-strike changeup below the strike zone for a single to left field against right-handed reliever Pedro Avila.

A single from Riley Greene and a double from Spencer Torkelson set the table for the first hit of Vilade’s career.

Vilade waited more than two years for that hit. The 25-year-old hadn’t returned to the big leagues — until Tuesday’s game — since going 0-for-6 with one walk across seven plate appearances in three games for the Colorado Rockies in September 2021.

The Tigers took an 8-7 lead when Matt Vierling grounded into a double play after singles from Ibáñez and Wenceel Pérez.

Vilade drove in another run in the seventh inning for a 9-7 lead. The newcomer drove in Jake Rogers, who doubled as part of his own two-hit performance, with a ground-ball single to left field off left-handed reliever Tim Herrin’s fastball.

A two-run single from Matt Vierling extended the Tigers’ lead to 11-7 with two outs in the eighth.

The Tigers received scoreless performances from four relievers: left-hander Tyler Holton (three innings), right-hander Alex Faedo (two innings), left-hander Andrew Chafin (one inning) and right-hander Alex Lange (one inning).

Holton saved the Tigers’ pitching staff after a rough two-inning start from right-hander Kenta Maeda.

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Andy’s dandy

Ibáñez flexed his muscles from the third pitch of the game.

The 31-year-old smacked a middle-middle fastball from Allen, a left-hander, with a 102.3 mph exit velocity for a 388-foot home run to left field. It was his first homer of the season, and his first of two homers Tuesday.

The Tigers hit a leadoff homer in back-to-back games for the first time since Ramón Santiago did it on June 3-4, 2022; it was also the third leadoff dinger in four games, marking the first such run in franchise history. (The other leadoff homers were hit by Greene on Saturday in New York and Monday in Cleveland.)

Ibáñez’s next homer occurred in the next inning.

Ibáñez put the Tigers in front, 5-2, with a three-run shot in the second inning. This time, Ibáñez pushed Allen’s middle-away fastball with a 98.2 mph exit velocity for a 367-foot homer to right.

In addition to Ibáñez’s four RBIs, Javier Báez produced an RBI single as part of the Tigers’ five runs in the first two innings. Allen struggled for the Guardians, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts across 2⅓ innings.

Ibáñez added a single in the fourth inning, a walk in the sixth and a double in the eighth.

Maeda mashed

Maeda allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeouts across two innings, throwing 59 pitches. The 36-year-old, who signed a two-year free-agent contract over the winter, has a 6.75 ERA across 30⅔ innings in seven starts.

He gave up two runs in the first inning, but the real damage occurred in the second inning. Estevan Florial delivered an RBI double, José Ramírez ripped a two-run double, and Josh Naylor obliterated Maeda’s 90.9 mph fastball for a two-run home run to right field.

The homer from Naylor put the Guardians ahead, 7-5. Naylor, who has nine home runs in 34 games this season, hit the ball 407 feet with a 106.2 mph exit velocity.

Maeda generated five whiffs on 25 swings — a 20% whiff rate — with four splitters and one slider. His fastball averaged 90.2 mph but didn’t produce any swings and misses.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

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