The Rev. Jasper W. Williams Jr., senior pastor of Salem Bible Church, will observe his 50th anniversary in the pulpit of the Atlanta church at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The anniversary service will be held at the the eastside location, 5460 Hillandale Drive, in Lithonia.
Williams, 70, is widely known for his delivery style of preaching, called hooping. He serves as senior pastor of Salem Bible Church Salem Bible Church West in Northwest Atlanta and Salem East in South DeKalb County.
Credit: SEE CAPTION
Credit: SEE CAPTION
Williams, who has recorded CDs, has received numerous awards for his church and community work, including the Rev. C.L. Franklin Masters Award and the Award of Excellence from the Gospel Music Workshop of America.
When took over Salem Bible Church (which was then called Salem Baptist) in 1963, he was a 20-year-old unknown pastor with a slicked-back, processed hairstyle and 100 members in his congregation. Today his church has thousands of members.
Williams, one of the nation's top black Baptist pastors, has been called the "Son of Thunder" for his volcanic sermons.
Williams earned his preaching nickname from a gospel music disc jockey who compared the effect produced by his sermons to the reaction thunder elicits in startled people. Williams, who produced how-to-preach tapes that were snapped up by aspiring preachers, is also a champion of gospel music. He's recorded with Aretha Franklin and Atlanta's Dottie Peoples.
He has long been a leader in the National Baptist Convention USA Inc., the largest predominantly black Baptist denomination in the country. He also helped support the Rev. Jesse Jackson's two presidential runs.
"I've never put myself first," Williams said when asked to explain his longevity several years ago. "I've always thought that God should be first, the people second and I should be third."
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