Rev. William Lawson, founding pastor of Houston Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, dies at 95

HOUSTON – The Rev. William A. Lawson, founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, has died at the age of 95.

On Tuesday, the Church said: “He has completed his time of service here on earth and is now enjoying eternal rest.”

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church was founded in the home of Rev. Lawson and his wife, Audrey Hoffman Lawson, in June 1962. He retired in 2004 and was honored as founding pastor emeritus.

“In his nearly 96 years, Rev. Lawson was a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, as well as a preacher, teacher and civil rights leader. But whatever title you used To describe him, it has been said many times that the Rev. Bill Lawson was ‘the pastor of Houston,'” the church wrote.

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Born in St. Louis, Mo., and raised in Kansas City, Kan., Rev. Lawson graduated from high school in 1946 and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at Tennessee A. & I. State University . He attended Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in divinity and a master’s degree in divinity and married his wife during this time.

In 1955, the family moved to Houston. Rev. Lawson was a director of the Baptist Student Union and a professor of Bible at Texas Southern University. After a few years, he founded the church near campus.

Rev. Lawson is remembered as a civil rights leader.

“Beyond the walls of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Lawson helped change the face of Houston by leading the battle to desegregate the city. He joined the national civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by starting a local organization. office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Dr. King remained a close friend of Lawson until his untimely death,” the church wrote.

He is also remembered as a defender of the poor and disadvantaged.

“He was part of a powerful trio of religious leaders, including the late Rabbi Samuel Karff and the late Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, nicknamed the Three Amigos. They tackled many of the city’s major problems, including homelessness , racism and inequality, even the creation of a public defender’s office, among many other efforts on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. Lawson, in particular, was known for helping build bridges between the powerful and the disenfranchised. helpless, as a champion of social justice and community service,” the church wrote.

The church is asking for prayers for Rev. Lawson’s family.

“We are so grateful to God for the life and legacy of Bill Lawson, and we ask for your prayers for his family, including his three surviving daughters, Melanie, Cheryl and Roxanne, his granddaughters Robyn and Raven; his two great-grandsons, Amadeus and Ronin, his extended family and his entire beloved Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.”

Rev. Lawson will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23 at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. A celebratory community service will follow at 6 p.m. The Celebration Congregational Service will take place at 11 a.m. on May 24.