Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H10028-H10029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING LIFE OF REVEREND CLAY EVANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Kaptur). The Chair recognizes the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush) for 5 minutes.
Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and commemorate
the life of the prescient priest and prophetic pastor that was the
Reverend Clay Evans.
[[Page H10029]]
Reverend Evans was the inspirational icon and tireless servant to his
church, to his community, and to the people of Chicago and borders
beyond. His untimely passing has left us all with yet another stunning
and unimaginable loss.
Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, Reverend Evans founded the Fellowship
Missionary Baptist Church in 1950. For the next 70 years, he would
nourish and strengthen the souls of his flock with his unwavering
wisdom, his incorruptible courage, and his unyielding devotion to the
Word of the Lord, the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible,
Madam Speaker, says at Psalms 119:105: ``Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.''
Reverend Evans lived his faith humbly. He was a prophet to both
parishioners and pastors alike. When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
King brought his movement to Chicago, Reverend Evans had the courage to
welcome Dr. King into his church against the objections and the
retribution of then-Mayor Richard J. Daley and many others.
Reverend Evans was instrumental in founding the Rainbow/PUSH
Coalition alongside the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. As chairman
of the board of PUSH from 1970 to 1976, Reverend Evans worked
diligently to establish Rainbow/PUSH as a national powerhouse in the
fight for civil rights.
Madam Speaker, Reverend Evans leaves behind a long legacy of pastors
who greatly benefited from his teachings, including Reverend Jesse
Jackson, Sr. and Mother Consuella York, the first Chicago woman to be
ordained in the Baptist denomination. In total, Reverend Evans ordained
93 preachers and pastors, inspiring them to go forward and spread the
good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
No celebration of Reverend Evans' life would be complete without
mentioning the innovative role music played in his ministry. His radio
broadcast reached far and wide into our Nation, into the homes of
millions of Americans. Reverend Evans recorded 11 gospel albums and
creatively infused gospel music into his sermons, evoking even more
truth and life into the Scriptures from which he was preaching.
In October 2007, Reverend Evans graced this very Chamber with his
powerful presence, serving as a guest chaplain. It was my deep honor to
sponsor Reverend Evans. Even today, I can still feel his presence in
the same way that I felt it all those years ago when he took us to
church here in this very Chamber.
Madam Speaker, although we all feel deep pain with the passing of
Reverend Evans, I am comforted in knowing that he is now with our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ and with our Father in Heaven.
Reverend Evans' wife, Lutha Mae; his daughters, Gail Claudette Pye
and Faith Evans; his sons, Michael and Ralph; and all who loved him are
in my deepest prayers and have my greatest sympathies as they mourn the
loss of this truly great religious giant, Reverend Clay Evans.
____________________
