GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The longtime pastor of Messiah Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids has died.
Rev. Clifton Rhodes Jr., 74, was head pastor at Grand Rapids' oldest black Baptist church for 45 years, preaching his first sermon there in August 1972.
Rhodes stepped down from the post in August 2017, several years after he was diagnosed with ALS.
"I fought every step of the way not for myself, but for the one who called me," Rhodes told 24 Hour News 8 last year.
Along with preaching, Rhodes spent his life supporting the black community in Grand Rapids. He worked to bridge the racial divide, advocated for black children in schools and partnered with police to combat street violence.
"He was very active as a resident, as a citizen," family friend Veruynca Williams said Monday. "He was just a jewel."
Rhodes was born in Louisiana in 1943 and moved with his family to Grand Rapids in 1950. He received a bachelor's degree in religious education from what is now Cornerstone University in 1971. He also earned a master's from Grand Rapids Baptist Bible Theological Seminary in 1980 and a doctorate from that institution in 1998.
Rhodes married his wife, Martha Brown, in 1964. He leaves behind two children and eight grandchildren.
"Martin Luther King (Jr.) said it: 'I've been to the mountaintop.' It's a beautiful sight," Rhodes told 24 Hour News 8 of his long career.
Visitation is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Friday at Messiah Missionary on Henry Avenue SE, with a reflection service at 6 p.m. Funeral services are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kentwood Community Church on 60th Street SE.