The Black Gospel Preachers Project (BGPP) provides access to sermons from historic Black Churches and preachers that have been donated or loaned to Baylor University. Select sermons within this collection are currently available as metadata-only records. Corresponding video or audio for these items may be added into the collection upon request. Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Included within this collection are records from the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program (BGMPP). Records from the BGMPP containing sermons have been incorporated into both the BGPP and the BGMPP digital collections.
The Black Gospel Preachers Project (BGPP) provides access to sermons from historic Black Churches and preachers that have been donated or loaned to Baylor University. Select sermons within this collection are currently available as metadata-only records. Corresponding video or audio for these items may be added into the collection upon request. Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Included within this collection are records from the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program (BGMPP). Records from the BGMPP containing sermons have been incorporated into both the BGPP and the BGMPP digital collections.
About the pastors :
About the pastors :
Clay Evans
Born June 23, 1925 to Henry Clay and Estanauly Evans of Brownsville, Tennessee, Rev. Clay Evans was one of nine siblings. He left the Jim Crow South in 1945 to seek a better life in Chicago but never abandoned his ties to Brownsville or his family. In 1946, Rev. Evans married “the prettiest girl in the choir,” Lutha Mae Hollingshed. They had five children: Diane, Michael, Ralph, Claudette and Faith Renee; they also raised a nephew, Stevie Stewart. Rev. Evans, a father-figure for many, thought of his Fellowship members and sons and daughters in the ministry as his extended family.
Rev. Clay Evans was called to the Ministry in 1946. He received his Christian training from the Chicago Baptist Institute and the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. With only five members, Rev. Evans began his church on September 10, 1950. Under his dynamic leadership, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church grew rapidly, becoming one of the most significant churches in Chicago.
In 1954, Fellowship purchased a building at 46th and State Streets, which Rev. Evans recalled, “was a garage, but we turned it into a cathedral.” By 1959, Fellowship had outgrown the space, and Rev. Evans led a 1500-car motorcade as the congregation moved to a former Lutheran Church at 45th Street and Princeton Avenue. In 1963, with an ever-growing membership, Fellowship broke ground on a new building next door. Construction of the new church abruptly came to a halt in 1966. Rev. Clay Evans was one of the few pastors in the City to welcome Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement at a time when most business, religious and political leaders disapproved of his Northern campaign. Rev. Evans paid a price for following his conscience and organizing support for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC): the loans and permits for his new church were cancelled. For seven years, the steel framework would bear witness to his defiance of the power brokers. With Rev. Jesse Jackson’s help, an interdenominational group of black and white pastors stood by Rev. Evans and a new building loan was approved December 18, 1971.
The circular structure of the new church was designed by Rev. Evans to include ample performance space for Fellowship’s choir and recording studio. Rev. Clay Evans’ Gospel music voice is recognized throughout the world. In the late 1940s he sang with The Lux Singers and Soul Revivers before becoming a minister. In 1952, just two years after founding Fellowship, he launched his radio ministry reaching beyond the walls of the church. In 1977, he moved to television with the acclaimed What a Fellowship Hour. With a choir led by his dynamic sister, Lou Della Evans-Reid, Fellowship has recorded over 40 albums, including the 1996 Stellar Award-winning I’ve Got a Testimony. According to Journal of Gospel Music (July 14, 2012), “The choir and its band of soloists and musicians … created the gold standard of Gospel chorus singing.” Fellowship continues the tradition of music excellence today.
Rev. Evans’ organizational leadership transcended Fellowship. He opened the doors of his church, “the Ship,” to welcome Martin Luther King Jr. and to launch Operation Breadbasket and Operation PUSH with Rev. Jesse Jackson. His founding of the Broadcast Ministers Alliance and development of Concerned Clergy for a Better Chicago established new channels for African American empowerment in Chicago. He also founded the African American Religious Connection (AARC) and has helped lead the National Baptist Convention, DuSable Museum and Black National Religious Broadcasters, among other organizations. A strong advocate for education, Rev. Evans established the Clay Evans Scholarship Fund (CE$F) which has supported the college dreams of high school students in Illinois and Tennessee for over forty years.
From Fellowship, Rev. Evans launched the ministerial careers of more than 90 people, including Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1968 and Mother Consuella York in 1954. At first, other ministers ostracized him for ordaining a woman, but he went on to lead the Baptist Ministers Conference of Chicago and Vicinity.
After 50 years of leadership, Rev. Evans retired in 2000 and passed the mantle to Rev. Charles Jenkins, his personally chosen successor. Nevertheless, an active schedule of ministry and community events continued after this date.
credit: Chicago Public Library
Marvin C. Griffin
Marvin Collins Griffin was born in Wichita, Kansas, on February 20, 1923. He was the son of William Marvin Collins and Beulah Howell. Raised by his uncle and aunt near Dallas, Texas, Griffin felt a call to the ministry at the age of seven.
Griffin used his education to prepare for a career in preaching the gospel and fighting for African American civil rights. He spent his youth in the Dallas public school system. In 1943, Griffin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bishop College. Four years later, he earned a degree in Divinity from Oberlin Graduate School of Theology. In 1955, Griffin became the first African American to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary when he earned a Master of Religious Education degree. In 1990, Griffin received his Doctorate of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Reverend Griffin began preaching in 1940 and was ordained two years later. While earning his degree from Oberlin, Griffin served as a professor at the Oklahoma Baptist School of Religion (1944-1948). His first significant pastoral assignment was New Hope Baptist Church in Waco. From 1951 to 1969, Griffin led his growing congregation in social activism within the community. He began an extensive radio broadcast ministry and led various marches and pickets in Waco.
In 1969, Griffin relocated to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, where he remained for the next forty-two years. Once again, Griffin believed that his church should be involved in the spiritual and secular life of the community. He led the church’s efforts in creating the East Austin Economic Development Corporation (EAEDC) in 1998. This organization allowed the church to assist the underprivileged through housing programs, day care centers, counseling, and financial assistance. In 2002, the EAEDC building was renamed in honor of Marvin Griffin. Reverend Griffin retired from his pastorship of the Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 31, 2011.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Griffin was also involved in local politics and denominational affairs. He served as the first African American president of the Austin Independent School District Board of Directors when the schools were using buses to encourage desegregation. Griffin was also involved in the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas, he was the Director of the Christian Education Enrichment Program at the National Baptist Fellowship of Churches, and he served as a Director-Lecturer for the Teacher Training Department of the National Baptist Sunday School Congress.
Griffin married Lois King on August 5, 1944. They had three daughters: Marva Lois Carter, Gaynelle Jones, and Ria Griffin. Mrs. Lois Griffin passed away in 2006 and Marvin Griffin passed away on December 25, 2013.
C.A.W. Clark, Sr.
Caesar Arthur Walter (C.A.W.) Clark, Sr. was born December 13, 1914 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Clark dropped out of school in 7th grade to work on the family farm but continued to educate himself. He started preaching at 13 years old and was ordained in 1933. Rev. Clark was a circuit preacher to several rural Louisiana churches at the start of his ministry. He pastored Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport (1936-1947) while earning a B.A. degree from Bishop College in 1946. He then moved to a position at Spruce Street Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee (1947-1950).
Rev. Dr. Clark was highly regarded as an orator and preacher. On September 10, 1950, he became the pastor of Good Street Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, a position he held for 58 years. He also led over 40 revivals throughout his lifetime including one to a crowd of 40,000 people in Houston’s Astrodome.
Clark was heavily involved in the work of the church outside of his own pastorate. He served as President of the Baptist Missionary and Education State Convention of Texas, President of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, editor of TheNational Baptist Voice, and Vice President of the National Baptist Convention. He was also a Representative of Black Clergy to the White House.
In addition to his ecclesiastical endeavors, Rev. Dr. Clark was an active member in his local community. He was Vice Chair of the Boy Scouts of America Advisory Committee, a member of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, a trustee for Bishop College, and Director of Dallas Star Post Publishing Company.
Clark also became a prominent figure in civil rights. In 1957, he served as President of the Dallas NAACP branch. He invited Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Good Street Baptist Church in the late 1950s and led meetings on sit-in demonstrations. In 1963, Clark was appointed to the Citizens Memorial to John F. Kennedy following the president’s assassination.
Rev. Dr. Clark continued to preach and serve until his death on July 27, 2008. He was buried in Chapel Springs Garden in Laurel Land Memorial Park. Carolyn Elaine Clark, the widow of Rev. Dr. C.A.W. Clark, donated her husband’s preaching archive to Baylor University in 2023.
Clay Evans
Born June 23, 1925 to Henry Clay and Estanauly Evans of Brownsville, Tennessee, Rev. Clay Evans was one of nine siblings. He left the Jim Crow South in 1945 to seek a better life in Chicago but never abandoned his ties to Brownsville or his family. In 1946, Rev. Evans married “the prettiest girl in the choir,” Lutha Mae Hollingshed. They had five children: Diane, Michael, Ralph, Claudette and Faith Renee; they also raised a nephew, Stevie Stewart. Rev. Evans, a father-figure for many, thought of his Fellowship members and sons and daughters in the ministry as his extended family.
Rev. Clay Evans was called to the Ministry in 1946. He received his Christian training from the Chicago Baptist Institute and the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. With only five members, Rev. Evans began his church on September 10, 1950. Under his dynamic leadership, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church grew rapidly, becoming one of the most significant churches in Chicago.
In 1954, Fellowship purchased a building at 46th and State Streets, which Rev. Evans recalled, “was a garage, but we turned it into a cathedral.” By 1959, Fellowship had outgrown the space, and Rev. Evans led a 1500-car motorcade as the congregation moved to a former Lutheran Church at 45th Street and Princeton Avenue. In 1963, with an ever-growing membership, Fellowship broke ground on a new building next door. Construction of the new church abruptly came to a halt in 1966. Rev. Clay Evans was one of the few pastors in the City to welcome Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement at a time when most business, religious and political leaders disapproved of his Northern campaign. Rev. Evans paid a price for following his conscience and organizing support for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC): the loans and permits for his new church were cancelled. For seven years, the steel framework would bear witness to his defiance of the power brokers. With Rev. Jesse Jackson’s help, an interdenominational group of black and white pastors stood by Rev. Evans and a new building loan was approved December 18, 1971.
The circular structure of the new church was designed by Rev. Evans to include ample performance space for Fellowship’s choir and recording studio. Rev. Clay Evans’ Gospel music voice is recognized throughout the world. In the late 1940s he sang with The Lux Singers and Soul Revivers before becoming a minister. In 1952, just two years after founding Fellowship, he launched his radio ministry reaching beyond the walls of the church. In 1977, he moved to television with the acclaimed What a Fellowship Hour. With a choir led by his dynamic sister, Lou Della Evans-Reid, Fellowship has recorded over 40 albums, including the 1996 Stellar Award-winning I’ve Got a Testimony. According to Journal of Gospel Music (July 14, 2012), “The choir and its band of soloists and musicians … created the gold standard of Gospel chorus singing.” Fellowship continues the tradition of music excellence today.
Rev. Evans’ organizational leadership transcended Fellowship. He opened the doors of his church, “the Ship,” to welcome Martin Luther King Jr. and to launch Operation Breadbasket and Operation PUSH with Rev. Jesse Jackson. His founding of the Broadcast Ministers Alliance and development of Concerned Clergy for a Better Chicago established new channels for African American empowerment in Chicago. He also founded the African American Religious Connection (AARC) and has helped lead the National Baptist Convention, DuSable Museum and Black National Religious Broadcasters, among other organizations. A strong advocate for education, Rev. Evans established the Clay Evans Scholarship Fund (CE$F) which has supported the college dreams of high school students in Illinois and Tennessee for over forty years.
From Fellowship, Rev. Evans launched the ministerial careers of more than 90 people, including Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1968 and Mother Consuella York in 1954. At first, other ministers ostracized him for ordaining a woman, but he went on to lead the Baptist Ministers Conference of Chicago and Vicinity.
After 50 years of leadership, Rev. Evans retired in 2000 and passed the mantle to Rev. Charles Jenkins, his personally chosen successor. Nevertheless, an active schedule of ministry and community events continued after this date.
credit: Chicago Public Library
Marvin C. Griffin
Marvin Collins Griffin was born in Wichita, Kansas, on February 20, 1923. He was the son of William Marvin Collins and Beulah Howell. Raised by his uncle and aunt near Dallas, Texas, Griffin felt a call to the ministry at the age of seven.
Griffin used his education to prepare for a career in preaching the gospel and fighting for African American civil rights. He spent his youth in the Dallas public school system. In 1943, Griffin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bishop College. Four years later, he earned a degree in Divinity from Oberlin Graduate School of Theology. In 1955, Griffin became the first African American to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary when he earned a Master of Religious Education degree. In 1990, Griffin received his Doctorate of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Reverend Griffin began preaching in 1940 and was ordained two years later. While earning his degree from Oberlin, Griffin served as a professor at the Oklahoma Baptist School of Religion (1944-1948). His first significant pastoral assignment was New Hope Baptist Church in Waco. From 1951 to 1969, Griffin led his growing congregation in social activism within the community. He began an extensive radio broadcast ministry and led various marches and pickets in Waco.
In 1969, Griffin relocated to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, where he remained for the next forty-two years. Once again, Griffin believed that his church should be involved in the spiritual and secular life of the community. He led the church’s efforts in creating the East Austin Economic Development Corporation (EAEDC) in 1998. This organization allowed the church to assist the underprivileged through housing programs, day care centers, counseling, and financial assistance. In 2002, the EAEDC building was renamed in honor of Marvin Griffin. Reverend Griffin retired from his pastorship of the Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 31, 2011.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Griffin was also involved in local politics and denominational affairs. He served as the first African American president of the Austin Independent School District Board of Directors when the schools were using buses to encourage desegregation. Griffin was also involved in the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas, he was the Director of the Christian Education Enrichment Program at the National Baptist Fellowship of Churches, and he served as a Director-Lecturer for the Teacher Training Department of the National Baptist Sunday School Congress.
Griffin married Lois King on August 5, 1944. They had three daughters: Marva Lois Carter, Gaynelle Jones, and Ria Griffin. Mrs. Lois Griffin passed away in 2006 and Marvin Griffin passed away on December 25, 2013.
C.A.W. Clark, Sr.
Caesar Arthur Walter (C.A.W.) Clark, Sr. was born December 13, 1914 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Clark dropped out of school in 7th grade to work on the family farm but continued to educate himself. He started preaching at 13 years old and was ordained in 1933. Rev. Clark was a circuit preacher to several rural Louisiana churches at the start of his ministry. He pastored Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport (1936-1947) while earning a B.A. degree from Bishop College in 1946. He then moved to a position at Spruce Street Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee (1947-1950).
Rev. Dr. Clark was highly regarded as an orator and preacher. On September 10, 1950, he became the pastor of Good Street Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, a position he held for 58 years. He also led over 40 revivals throughout his lifetime including one to a crowd of 40,000 people in Houston’s Astrodome.
Clark was heavily involved in the work of the church outside of his own pastorate. He served as President of the Baptist Missionary and Education State Convention of Texas, President of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, editor of TheNational Baptist Voice, and Vice President of the National Baptist Convention. He was also a Representative of Black Clergy to the White House.
In addition to his ecclesiastical endeavors, Rev. Dr. Clark was an active member in his local community. He was Vice Chair of the Boy Scouts of America Advisory Committee, a member of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, a trustee for Bishop College, and Director of Dallas Star Post Publishing Company.
Clark also became a prominent figure in civil rights. In 1957, he served as President of the Dallas NAACP branch. He invited Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Good Street Baptist Church in the late 1950s and led meetings on sit-in demonstrations. In 1963, Clark was appointed to the Citizens Memorial to John F. Kennedy following the president’s assassination.
Rev. Dr. Clark continued to preach and serve until his death on July 27, 2008. He was buried in Chapel Springs Garden in Laurel Land Memorial Park. Carolyn Elaine Clark, the widow of Rev. Dr. C.A.W. Clark, donated her husband’s preaching archive to Baylor University in 2023.
User Notes :
User Notes :
Using This Resource In Your Research?
For access to high-resolution images for the purposes of scholarly research, please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Items in this collection may not be reproduced for commercial use without prior written consent from Baylor University, Digital Library Collections, Waco, Texas. Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu to make such a request.
Restricted Items
Items may have restricted access due to copyright reasons. Items with the following message - "You may need to log in to continue. Access the full asset and its details" - are restriced to public view. For research related access please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Activity Note
This collection is considered an active collection. Items will be added periodically as they are acquired by Baylor University and processed through the Digitization and Digital Collection Preservation Services group.
Historical Context Note
The Baylor University Libraries strive to make our digital collection resources available and useful to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, researchers, and the general public. Through our Web sites, the Libraries offer broad public access to a wide range of information, including historical materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials must be viewed in the context of the relevant time period. Baylor University does not endorse the views expressed in such materials.
Comments, Questions, or Concerns?
Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu with any comments, questions, or concerns about this collection. Please include the URL to the specific page or item when emailing.
Using This Resource In Your Research?
For access to high-resolution images for the purposes of scholarly research, please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Items in this collection may not be reproduced for commercial use without prior written consent from Baylor University, Digital Library Collections, Waco, Texas. Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu to make such a request.
Restricted Items
Items may have restricted access due to copyright reasons. Items with the following message - "You may need to log in to continue. Access the full asset and its details" - are restriced to public view. For research related access please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu.
Activity Note
This collection is considered an active collection. Items will be added periodically as they are acquired by Baylor University and processed through the Digitization and Digital Collection Preservation Services group.
Historical Context Note
The Baylor University Libraries strive to make our digital collection resources available and useful to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, researchers, and the general public. Through our Web sites, the Libraries offer broad public access to a wide range of information, including historical materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials must be viewed in the context of the relevant time period. Baylor University does not endorse the views expressed in such materials.
Comments, Questions, or Concerns?
Please email digitalcollectionsinfo@baylor.edu with any comments, questions, or concerns about this collection. Please include the URL to the specific page or item when emailing.