Sermon: "Called and Committed"

Speaker(s): Roy C. Nichols

Description: This is the third of four sermons preached by the Visiting Preacher, Bishop Roy C. Nichols, at the 1979 Annual Conference of the Virginia Conference of the UMC. This was given at the ordination service. Nichols was the resident bishop of the Pittsburgh Area. Bishop Roy Nichols (1918-2002) is remembered as a dedicated advocate for social justice and a compassionate leader within The United Methodist Church. Born on the East Coast, Nichols moved to California in 1941 to attend the Pacific School of Religion. He was the founding pastor of two racially-integrated churches in Berkeley. He became involved in local politics in the late 1950s as president of the local NAACP and in 1961 won a seat on the Berkeley School Board, where he worked for school desegregation. In 1964 he was invited to pastor Salem Methodist Church in Harlem, from which he was elected the first African-American bishop of the newly-formed UMC in 1968. During his many years in the ministry he hosted radio programs, authored books, and served in many leadership positions within the larger denomination.

Length: 14:13
Recording Date: June 12, 1971
Recorded at: Richmond, Virginia