A ‘giant for generations,’ the influential Rev. Clay Evans celebrated

Shatoya Martin-Boyd’s connection to the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and its leader, the Rev. Clay Evans, goes back to her childhood.

Her grandmother was part of Evans’ congregation when he was preaching in a garage on State Street, she said. He baptized and christened her; the church provided the foundation of her childhood, connecting her to lifelong friends and helping her be a person of integrity.

“I’d want people to know that he stood for something,” Martin-Boyd said. “He taught me to be a person of integrity ... to stand for something. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

Martin-Boyd, 38, was one of hundreds who packed the South Side church for a celebration of the man pastor Charles Jenkins called “the leader of all leaders, the master pastor.” Evans, a civil rights leader, influential evangelical broadcaster and gospel icon, died last Wednesday at 94.

Along with those who grew up in Evans’ church, politicians from around the state — one even came from Tennessee — paid their respects and lauded Evans’ life.

Those who spoke included Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown; Chief Judge Timothy Evans; Alds. Pat Dowell (3rd) and David Moore (17th); former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak; Secretary of State Jesse White; Gov. J.B. Pritzker; Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; and Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis.

Gov. Pritzker said Evans “possessed an unmistakeable, inimitable voice” that singlehandedly expanded the reach of gospel music. Secretary of State White and Chief Judge Evans credited the pastor with helping them get elected.

Evans sang with various church choirs and wrote gospel songs, including “By and By,” a 1950s hit for the Davis Sisters, according to Bob Marovich, host of the Gospel Memories radio show on WLUW 88.7 FM. After founding his church, Evans performed on many of his choir’s records.

“Every position I’ve been in, Rev. Evans game me the prayers to get there,” Judge Evans said.

Many also spoke of Evans’ role as a civil rights leader. He welcomed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the city, going against a City Hall directive to not invite King to Chicago churches.

For Congressman Rush, a former Black Panther, Evans “cast a shadow” over his life. He called him a “giant for generations and generations yet to be born.”

“Rev. Evans, to me, was an original — nobody like him,” Rush said. “Nobody did it like he did it.”

Denise Murry grew up in the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Evans baptized her and christened her two oldest children. Her grandmother and Evans were cousins.

“I wanted to pay my respects ... I wanted to honor his name and honor his family,” Murry said.

For some the home-going celebration for Evans was a homecoming. Barbara Burnett hasn’t been back to the church in 47 years, when her cousin got married at the church.

“I like his preaching, his singing and the work he did in the community and his activism,” said Burnett, a far South Side resident. “He’s just a legend in his own right.”

Relatives said Evans is survived by his wife, Lutha Mae; his daughters Gail Claudette Pye and Faith Evans; and sons Michael and Ralph. Another daughter, Diane, died before Rev. Evans.

Evans’ funeral is set for Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. at Apostolic Faith Church, 3823 S. Indiana Ave.

Contributing: Maureen O’Donnell