A. Cecil Williams
A. Cecil Williams (1929-2024) wss an American minister of the United Methodist Church and a community leader, author, and spokesperson for the poor.
Bio from Wikipedia, 1/4/2012
Early Life
One of six children, Williams was born in San Angelo, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Huston-Tillotson University in 1952. He was one of the first five African American graduates of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in 1955. He became the pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, California in 1963, and founded the Council on Religion and the Homosexual the following year. He welcomed everyone to participate in services and hosted political rallies in which Angela Davis and the Black Panthers spoke and lectures by personalities as diverse as Bill Cosby and Billy Graham. When Patti Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, Williams attempted to negotiate a deal for her release.
In 1967, Williams ordered the cross removed from the church’s sanctuary, saying it was a symbol of death and that his congregation should instead celebrate life and living. “We must all be the cross,” he explained.
Legacy
Under his leadership, Glide Memorial has become a 10,000-member congregation of all races, ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and religions. It is the largest provider of social services in the city, serving over three thousand meals a day, providing AIDS/HIV screenings, offering adult education programs, and giving assistance to women dealing with homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues.
Williams retired as pastor in 2000 having turned 70 years old, the mandatory age of retirement for pastors employed by the United Methodist Church. The local congregation and affiliated non-profit foundation then hired the former pastor to fill a new office entitled Minister of Liberation. The unique position was created to allow Williams to officially continue to serve the community and church he had laboured so intensely to bring out of multigenerational cycles of misery through innovative spiritual and social services. Both he and the church are featured in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness.
Personal Life
Williams was married to school teacher Evelyn Robinson from 1956 until their divorce in 1976. They had two children, Albert and Kim. He has been married to Janice Mirikitani since 1982. He is the author of I’m Alive, an autobiography published in 1980.
Audio Recordings:
| Man with the Mike, Program 040 |
Speaker(s): Cecil Williams, Eric Robinson (host) |
|
Description: The Rev. A. Cecil Williams, formerly a Methodist pastor in Kansas City, was now a consultant with the Glide Foundation. He created an organization called Citizens United Against Poverty, working for poor people of the community. Williams later became senior pastor of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church. |
Length: 4:37 |
Recording Date: October 1965 |
Recorded at: San Francisco , California |
| Cecil Williams at General Conference 1972 |
Speaker(s): A. Cecil Williams |
|
Description: The Rev. A. Cecil Williams preaches at the Civic Center Auditorium in Atlanta at the United Methodist General Conference of 1972. Six-thousand persons were in attendance. Williams was Minister of Involvement and Celebration at Glide Church, United Methodist, in San Francisco. He is introduced by the Rev. (later Bishop) Jack M. Tuell. The sermon is preceded by a protest from a group believing liberal politicians, college professors, and clergy like Cecil Williams, were leading the country to Communism and Hell. Williams talks about integration and the United Methodist Church. The program ends with positive and negative comments from some who attended. The tape has some rough edits on the original, but is very good overall. Produced in 1972 by United Methodist NewsBriefs. The break at 29:43 is where the cassette tape was turned over. |
Length: 59:47 |
Recording Date: 1972 |
Recorded at: Civic Center Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Revolutionary Dimensions of Coalitions |
Speaker(s): Cecil Williams |
|
Description: The Rev. Dr. Cecil Williams talks to the Senior Retreat at Perkins School of Theology in 1969. He speaks about the way political coalitions work in relation to civil rights. He had spoken in the afternoon, and this was a talk following dinner. After his talk, he took questions from the students. |
Length: 55:59 |
Recording Date: 3/7/1969 |
Recorded at: Dallas, Texas |
| The Black Experience |
Speaker(s): Cecil Williams, Doug Jackson |
|
Description: Rev. A. Cecil Williams talks to participants at the Perkins School of Theology Senior Retreat. He is introduced by Dr. Doug Jackson, Perkins professor of the sociology of religion. Williams is a 1955 graduate of Perkins, and was at this time pastor at Glide Memorial UMC in San Francisco. He talked about racism in America, the place of the church in that reality, and the ministries of Glide Church. |
Length: 1:02:53 |
Recording Date: 3/7/1969 |
Recorded at: Dallas, Texas |
| Just What Do We Have To Be Thankful For? |
Speaker(s): Cecil Williams, Del Shields (host) |
|
Description: The Rev. A. Cecil Williams (1929- ) is the pastor emeritus of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco and a community leader and author. On this Thanksgiving evening in 1968, Williams talked about things he and others did - and did not - have to be thankful for. At the time of this program, he was 39 years old and had been pastor of Glide Church for five years. Throughout the program, Thanksgiving was seen through a filter of race. Callers were interested in Williams's idea that he needed to think about himself as a Black man could, not as a White man would - that he could create his own life. He said there was a time he wanted to be called "colored," and at one time "negro," but now preferred "black" and felt empowered by that. Williams felt White people put a priority on property, and Black people put more of a priority on human life. Shields and Williams talk about Glide Church, accepting each person as they are, and working with them to improve their lives. Williams retired in 2000 at the age of 70. Under his leadership, Glide Memorial became a 10,000-member congregation of all races, ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and religions. It is the largest provider of social services in the city, serving over three thousand meals a day, providing AIDS/HIV screenings, offering adult education programs, and giving assistance to women dealing with homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues. |
Length: 59:04 |
Recording Date: November 28, 1968 |
Recorded at: WRVR Radio Studio, New York City |
