Preston Washington
Reverend
ChurchMemorial Baptist Church
MetropolisHarlem, New York
Appointed1976
SuccessorRenee Frances Washington
Personal details
Born
Preston Robert Washington

August 26, 1948
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 25, 2003(2003-06-25) (aged 54)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DenominationBaptist
SpouseRev. Renee F. Washington
Occupationminister
Alma materWilliams College
Union Theological Seminary
Columbia University

Preston Robert Washington (August 26, 1948 – June 25, 2003) was a prominent minister of Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.[1][2] He was a co-founder of the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement and held leadership positions from 1986 to 2001, bringing millions of dollars in development projects for housing and retail to the neighborhood.[2]

Early life

Washington was born in Manhattan, New York.[2] He grew up on 99th Street in Spanish Harlem and attended public schools.[2] He then attended Williams College, graduating summa cum laude in 1970.[2][3] While he was at Williams, he was a member of the social and literary fraternity St. Anthony Hall.[1]

Next, attended Union Theological Seminary where he received a master of divinity.[2][1] His masters thesis was The Paradox of Theological Education: A Third Way.[4] He also received a doctorate in education from the Teacher's College at Columbia University.[1][2] His Ed.D. dissertation was The Black Religious Imagination: A Theological and a Pedagogical Interpretation of the Afro-American Sermon in the Twentieth Century.[5]

Career

In 1976, Washington became a senior pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, serving there until he died in 2003.[2] The congregation grew to 1,500 people under his leadership.[2] The church became a popular stop for politicians.[2]

In 1986 with Canon Frederick B. Williams, Washington co-founded the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI), a consortium of 90 congregations that developed housing and retail services.[1] He served as the president and CEO of HCCI.[3] HCCI helped start a revival in Harlem during the difficult years of the 1980s and early 1990s. HCCI spent $200 million in the Bradhurst section of Harlem, developing 1,300 housing units.[2] Part of this was House of Hope which built houses for homeless single parents and their children.[6] HCCI also established thirty retail stores in Harlem.[2]

HCCI spent $1.7 million, supporting programs for housing for people with HIV/AIDS, as well as education and prevention of HIV/AIDS.[1] Washington said, "'What kind of damn God is this that allows this damn stuff? Babies dying of AIDS?'' I have to constantly check my own faith because this disease threatens every aspect of faith."[2]

Washington encouraged his congregation to welcome tourists who arrived by busloads to hear gospel music.[2] These tourists made contributions that helped renovate the church.[2] Washington even organized the church service so that his preaching would take place after the tourists, many who did not speak English, had left.[2] In 1996 he told NPR that "members joked that the church was a European church on Sunday morning and a clandestine black church at nights during the week."[2]

Washington also pushed the role of a church into managing three parks and a jobs skills training program.[2] In 1997, he told Mother Jones magazine, ''We want to get beyond soup kitchens and care packages."[2]

He also preached in China, Cuba, and South Korea.[3] He served on the board of the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, the Boys Choir of Harlem, and the Consortium for Central Harlem Development.[3]

Publications

  • From the Pew to the Pavement: Messages on Urban Outreach (Aaron Press, 1986) ISBN 978-0942683004[2]
  • God's Transforming Spirit: Black Church Renewal (Judson Press, 1988) ISBN 978-0817011291[2]

Honors

  • In Washington's honor, New York City named W.115th Street, where Memorial Baptist Church is located, Bishop Preston R. Washington, Sr. Place.[1]
  • Washington received a Bicentennial Medal from Williams College.[3]
  • In 2001, Washington played himself on Emeril, a situation comedy on NBC.[2]

Personal life

He married Renee Frances Washington who also became a minister and assisted at Memorial Baptist Church.[2] They had five sons together: Brandon, Devon, Jamel, Nicholas, and Preston Jr.[2] They also had two adopted sons: Keith Gay and Jonathan R. Staples.[2] They lived in New Rochelle, New York.[2]

In 2003, Washington died at the Medical Center in Manhattan of heart failure at the age of 54 years.[2]

In 2004, Rev. Renee Washington was elected to succeed Washington as senior minister of Memorial Baptist Church.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Necrology". The Review. St. Anthony Hall. Fall: 16. 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Douglas Martin, "Preston R. Washington, 54, Minister in Harlem, Is Dead", New York Times, Jul 4, 2003. p. 8. Retrieved Jan 25, 2009
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Preston Washington, Class of 1970". Williams College. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ Washington, Preston Robert. 1991. The paradox of theological education: a third way. New York, N.Y.: Union Theological Seminary. via WorldCat
  5. ↑ Washington, Preston Robert. 1991. The Black religious imagination: a theological and a pedagogical interpretation of the Afro-American sermon in the twentieth century. Columbia University. via WorldCat
  6. ↑ Wright, K. (June 30, 2003). "HARLEM PASSING". City Limits. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  7. ↑ "A CHURCH WITH A LOVING PASTOR". www.mbcvisionharlem.org. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
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