Monday, July 28, 2008

Dallas South’s thoughts on the passing of Rev. C.A.W. Clark

By Shawn Williams of Dallas South

Rev. C.A.W. Clark

On Sunday one of God’s preaching greats left this Earth with the passing of Rev. C.A.W. Clark.

Pastor Clark began preaching in 1929 and was ordained four years later. He lead his first church, Israelite Baptist in Louisiana, at age 19. Clark was a graduate of Bishop College.

My earliest memories are of Pastor Clark on the cover of Ebony magazine in the early 80’s as one of America’s 15 Best Preachers. This was a big deal in my house because I had an aunt and uncle who attended his church.

As a matter of fact, the first time I met Pastor Clark was in my grandmother’s Paris, Texas living room. Clark was in town for a week long revival at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. I found Rev. Clark to be a quiet yet engaging figure with an unforgettable chuckle of a laugh.

Speaking of unforgettable, once you heard Rev. Clark preach God’s word, you could never forget it. Clark’s sermon’s began slow and deliberately. I wondered if his voice would ever rise above a whisper the first time I heard him. But by the end of the sermon, his whoop had the congregation on their feet shouting, lifting their hands, and praising Jesus.

Ceasar Arther Walter Clark began his service as pastor of the Good Street Baptist Church here in Dallas in 1950. His long and effective tenure saw Good Street rise to nationwide prominence and become major civic destination. Over the years many great figures graced the pulpit there, including Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956.

About five years ago at the Dawn of a New Day Conference here in Dallas, I had the opportunity to serve as an armor bearer of sorts for Rev. Clark. His body was slowed by age but his mind was still as sharp as ever.

As I took Clark around the room, we could not move more than 10 feet without someone stopping us so that they could reach out to him. I was amazed at how he recalled the names and story of everyone we bumped into. He would make a funny quip to each person which would get us all laughing.

The world has lost a preaching legend in Rev. C.A.W. Clark. Services for Clark will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday August 4 at Good Street Baptist Church.

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Shawn Williams publishes Dallas South Blog; his e-mail address is shawn@dallasouthblog.com.

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