Pastor Lewis Randolph of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Flint is recognized as a pillar in the church and in the community. He came to Flint as a teenager from Alabama with little money and one suit to his name; but in time this man who came from nothing would turn around and ensure that others who have nothing would no longer go without. For over ten years, Antioch has giving food to those in need every second Tuesday of each month, and during the same span of time the Great Lakes Missionary Baptist Church district, of which Antioch is a part, has awarded over $35,000 in college scholarships to underprivileged students.
This month, Pastor Randolph will celebrate 37 years of pastoral work at Antioch. Today, both churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike may feel that the work of a pastor is confined, that he is a relic standing outside the current of day-to-day life, unable to affect the lives sweeping by him; but the scope of Randolph’s nearly four decades of service includes more than just Sunday morning sermons. The good Pastor has laid to rest several hundred people in the Flint community, a service we will all need rendered to us at some point, and he has overseen the spiritual guidance of nearly 5,000 people in his tenure as pastor of Antioch.
It is often the practice of a journalist to cite facts about a person in order to reveal to the reader his subject’s inner nature. This time, we will let the subject speak for himself. If there is one thing that pastors do well, it’s conveying the truth squarely; Pastor Randolph is no exception to this rule. When asked to describe what he loves about Flint, Pastor gave a response redolent of Shakespearean soliloquy. What follows are the words of a prominent Flint voice speaking to what the city was, is, and will be.
I left Alabama at 18 because I was not able to find employment, and I came to Flint looking for a job. I was hired by GM and became a tool and die maker for Chevrolet. As I settled here in Flint, I became a member of Antioch. I see Flint as a comeback city. The day will come again when jobs will be available here. Flint has hit hard times; everybody is going through a restless period, but in due time this city is going to come back, and it’s going to be a blessing for families again. This year, our church district will celebrate with the theme In all Things Give Thanks. In good times and in bad, we should learn to give thanks.
I am thankful for Flint because it was the place where I could, in my opinion, raise my family in a safe environment. Flint has not always had the reputation it has today. People paint Flint with a bad brush today, but that’s not the history of those who have lived and grown up here. Given its size, Flint makes much available to its residents that make it a good city in which to raise a family. It’s not Chicago, or Memphis; it’s not a Dallas or Los Angeles. It’s a simple city where you can be in contact with family and friends; small enough for community, but large enough to expose people to greater things in the world.
It is a joy to hear all the 20- to 30-somethings in town who have new ideas and high hopes speak on what they love about Flint. It is also a joy to see the streets of Flint flooded with people for some of the most creative events the city has known in recent history. But we would be remiss if we as a community did not recognize the voice and the work of our fathers who paved the way before us. Cheers to Pastor Randolph for the legacy of community engagement he has left for the young. My City Magazine salutes this man whose efforts have made a straight path for others to follow, and whose words will remain in the hearts and minds of the thousands of lives he has touched.
