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Rev. Dr.
Charles
G. Adams
retires
as Sr.
Pastor
of
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
in
Detroit
DETROIT,
MICHIGAN
September
30,
2019--After
more
than 50
years of
Holy
Spirit-led
and
Christian
love-filled
service,
the Rev.
Dr.
Charles
Gilchrist
Adams
will
retire
as
Senior
Pastor
of
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
Church
(HMBC)
of
Detroit,
Michigan,
effective
October
1, 2019.
Dr.
Adams is
HMBC’s
longest
serving
pastor
and only
the
third
pastor
in the
church’s
100-plus
year
history.
His son,
the Rev.
Charles
Christian
Adams,
will
succeed
him as
Senior
Pastor,
also
effective
October
1, 2019.
The
formal
retirement
and
succession
announcement
was made
on
Sunday,
September
29,
2019, at
HMBC’s
regularly
scheduled
morning
services
by HMBC
Chairman
of the
Diaconate
Ministry
Thomas
R.
Williams.
In
celebrating
the
remarkable
pastoral
career
of Dr.
Adams,
Mr.
Williams
commented:
“We
thank
God for
Pastor
Adams,
who has
led this
church
with
Christian
love,
truth
and
generosity
for more
than 50
years.
While we
will
miss his
active
leadership,
his
legacy
continues
with his
son and
our new
Senior
Pastor,
the Rev.
Charles
Christian
Adams;
and in
everyone
who has
been
touched
and
blessed
by this
great
man of
God! We
are
rejoicing
in the
Lord for
the
mighty
works He
has done
and will
do
through
these
anointed
servants.”
Dr.
Adams,
reflecting
on his
career
of
service
to
Hartford
and
reminiscent
of his
rousing
eulogy
to civil
rights
giant
Rosa
Parks in
2005,
said,
“…I wish
I had
ten
thousand
tongues
to say
‘Thanks
Be Unto
God’ and
‘Thank
you,
Hartford!’”
His
guidance
to new
HMBC
Senior
Pastor,
the Rev.
Charles
Christian
Adams,
was
simple,
yet
profound:
“Love
everyone!”
Dr.
Adams,
82,
frequently
referred
to as
the
“Harvard
Hooper”,
in a nod
to his
tenured
faculty
position
at
Harvard
University
in the
2000’s,
had a
storied
career
in
ministry,
education,
social
action
and
community
activism.
Among
his
notable
accomplishments
and
achievements
within
and
outside
of HMBC:
•
Graduate
of the
University
of
Michigan
(B.A.)
and
Harvard
Divinity
School
(B.D.)
and
graduate
work at
Union
Theological
Seminary
•
Recipient
of
thirteen
(13)
Honorary
Degrees
• Orator
at more
than
twenty
(20)
collegiate
Commencement
and
Baccalaureate
Exercises
•
Growing
HMBC
membership
from 400
to a
peak of
nearly
10,000
• First
William
and
Lucille
Nickerson
Professor
of
Ethics
and
Ministry,
Harvard
University
•
Professor
of
Preaching,
Ecumenical
Theological
Seminary
• Pastor
of
Concord
Baptist
Church
in
Boston,
Massachusetts,
one of
New
England’s
largest
Black
churches
•
President
of the
Detroit
Chapter
of the
NAACP,
where he
led a
successful
boycott
of
Dearborn
businesses
for
alleged
discriminatory
practices
•
President
of the
Progressive
National
Baptist
Convention
•
Recipient
of the
Detroit
NAACP
James
Weldon
Johnson
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
• Ebony
Magazine’s
“most
influential
Black
Americans”
and “15
Greatest
Black
preachers”
•
Published
sermons
including
“Drunk
on the
Eve of
Reconstruction”,
“The
Burden
of the
Black
Church”
and “The
Priestly
Faithful
and
Prophetically
Courageous”
• Writer
of more
than
1,000
articles
in The
Michigan
Chronicle
•
Member
of Omega
Psi Phi
and Phi
Mu Alpha
fraternities
•
Trustee/Director,
Morehouse
College,
Morris
College,
Shaw
College
of
Detroit,
Ecumenical
Theological
Seminary
and
Progressive
National
Baptist
Convention
Dr.
Adams
led many
economic
development
efforts
in
Northwest
Detroit.
Under
his
leadership,
HMBC
purchased
commercial
real
estate
along
Seven
Mile
Road to
launch
new
job-producing
fast
food
restaurant
and
retail
sites
such as
McDonald’s,
Subway,
KFC and
Home
Depot.
Other
development
projects
include
the Head
Start
Agency,
a
Tutorial
Program
and the
Hartford
Institute
for
Biblical
Studies.
Most
recently,
Dr.
Adams
led a
HMBC
partnership
with the
Presbyterian
Villages
of
Michigan
to build
Detroit’s
first
senior
citizens
gated
community
in
Detroit,
known as
Hartford
Village.
This
well-planned
senior
community
has 84
units.
Rev.
Charles
Christian
Adams,
53, who
served
as
Co-Pastor
of HMBC,
will now
serve as
its
Senior
Pastor.
“Pastor
Christian”,
as he is
often
referred,
is a
graduate
of Union
Theological
Seminary
(Master
of
Divinity)
and
Wayne
State
University
(Bachelor
of Arts)
and is
the
former
Youth
and
Young
Adult
Minster
for the
Bronx
Christian
Fellowship
Church.
He has
preached
throughout
the
United
States,
Europe
and
Africa.
He
serves
as First
Vice
President
of the
Michigan
Progressive
Baptist
Convention
and
serves
on the
boards
of the
Morehouse
School
of
Religion,
Loyola
High
School
and
Ecumenical
Theological
Seminary.
“God has
blessed
us to
have
Pastor
Christian
so well
prepared
to lead
the
Hartford
flock.
He is an
anointed
spiritual
leader
who will
build
upon the
legacy
of his
father’s
ministry
while
also
following
our
God’s
plans
into a
brighter
future”,
said Mr.
Williams.
In May
2019,
HMBC
honored
Dr.
Adams
for his
50 years
of
pastoral
service
to HMBC.
Details
for
activities
related
to Dr.
Adams’
retirement
are in
development.
Founded
in 1917,
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
Church (hmbcdetroit.org)
is
located
at 18700
James
Couzens
Highway,
Detroit,
Michigan
48235.
It has
more
than 30
active
and
diverse
ministries
serving
its
members
and the
surrounding
community.
Worship
services
are held
on
Sundays
at 7:30
and
11:00
a.m.;
Wednesdays
at 7:00
p.m. and
Saturdays
at 7:00
p.m.
Sunday
11:00
a.m.
services
are
streamed
live via
its
website.
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