December 3rd 2023.
The Reverend Charles Gilchrist Adams, a Detroit pastor and influential figure in the city, passed away on November 29th after a battle with pneumonia. He was 86 years old. His sister, Edith Clifton Adams, told the Detroit News that he was her only sibling and her best friend. She also said that they talked almost every day.
The Reverend Adams spent most of his career as a pastor at the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, where he was active for nearly 50 years before retiring in 2019. His congregation said that he did great work for the Detroit community, using the word of the Lord and resources from the church to help develop Detroit’s northwest side economically. Mayor Mike Duggan also expressed his appreciation for the Reverend Adams in a statement, praising him for not only offering words of hope and inspiration from his pulpit, but for also creating opportunity by purchasing and developing land around Hartford, including the Hartford Village senior citizen community.
Charles Adams was born and raised in Detroit, and attended Harvard University and the University of Michigan for college. His sister recalled that while he was studying at Harvard, he was called to be pastor of Historical Concord Baptist Church in Boston, one of the oldest Black churches in the country. During his seven years there, the church built an affordable housing project.
The Reverend Adams was highly praised for his work, both during his life and after his passing. Former dean of Harvard Divinity School William A. Graham noted that he was one of the country’s most accomplished religious leaders, and a pioneer in linking the church’s mission to urban revitalization. He was twice named by Ebony Magazine as one of the United States’ top 15 greatest Black preachers and one of the top 100 most influential Black Americans. Adams was also a member of the Seventh General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, a former member of the NAACP’s Detroit branch, and was president of the branch in 1984.
The Reverend Charles Gilchrist Adams' life and legacy will continue to be remembered and appreciated by many.
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