Even before the doors opened at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, working Houstonians stood in line to pay their final respects to a giant among men, Reverend William Lawson.
A tall man with a mellow voice and clear conviction and understanding of the Gospel. Lawson lays in state at the church he founded 64 years ago in his apartment, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in the Third Ward.
Many of the people paying a visit related close, personal reflections of their pastor. Among them, Beverly Smith spoke with reverence for Lawson: “He’s taught us a lot and what he has done and what he has contributed will last for generations to come.”
Another parishioner, Tonya Ivory-Mays related a personal memory of the kindness of Lawson in her time of need.
“When I was in the hospital and I had had my son prematurely and I was very ill, and he came to pray for me,” Ivory-Mays said. “His preaching and his teaching was always understandable.”
Kimberly Ann Wright Jones shared a special connection to Reverend Lawson: “He’s my Godfather, yes, it’s been 60 years of love, care and kindness.”
“And teaching me everything I know,” Jones said. “Just to go in here and know that the legacy lives within me—very surreal.”
Doctor Ruth Ollison, the Pastor of Beulah Land Community Church near Wheeler, related a special story about Lawson: “He was one of the first to receive and accept female pastors and ministers in the ministry. Just so accepting, so supportive, he is a giant. There are many women who are in ministry [at Wheeler].”
Terronica Wilson began coming to the church when being courted by her future husband, whose family are long-time members. She was married at Wheeler, with Pastor Lawson delivering the prayer during their ceremony.
“And we know that he has done a lot, not only for our church, for the community, for the city, for the state…the nation and the world so we are truly grateful for everybody’s support.”
Known as Houston’s Pastor, Lawson took up the mantle of peaceful organizing and protest in the name of bringing civil rights to the racially divided city of Houston in the 1960s.
A trusted friend and confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lawson hosted King during visits to Houston and was offered the chance to join King in Atlanta as a leader in the national civil rights movement.
Lawson chose to remain in Houston and continue serving the flock of his church. Since then, the reverend had been a fixture in all things related to civil rights in the region.
Even after retiring from Wheeler Avenue in 2004, Lawson spoke at the funeral of George Floyd and addressed a rally for the Houston native in 2020 at the age of 91. Lawson passed May 14th at the age of 95.
Culled from the Houston Public Media
