Rev. Clay Evans Archive

Born June 23, 1925 to Henry Clay and Estanauly Evans of Brownsville, Tennessee, Rev. Clay Evans was one of nine siblings. He left the Jim Crow South in 1945 to seek a better life in Chicago but never abandoned his ties to Brownsville or his family. In 1946, Rev. Evans married “the prettiest girl in the choir,” Lutha Mae Hollingshed. They had five children: Diane, Michael, Ralph, Claudette and Faith Renee; they also raised a nephew, Stevie Stewart. Rev. Evans, a father-figure for many, thought of his Fellowship members and sons and daughters in the ministry as his extended family.

Rev. Clay Evans was called to the Ministry in 1946. He received his Christian training from the Chicago Baptist Institute and the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. With only five members, Rev. Evans began his church on September 10, 1950. Under his dynamic leadership, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church grew rapidly, becoming one of the most significant churches in Chicago.

In 1954, Fellowship purchased a building at 46th and State Streets, which Rev. Evans recalled, “was a garage, but we turned it into a cathedral.” By 1959, Fellowship had outgrown the space, and Rev. Evans led a 1500-car motorcade as the congregation moved to a former Lutheran Church at 45th Street and Princeton Avenue. In 1963, with an ever-growing membership, Fellowship broke ground on a new building next door. Construction of the new church abruptly came to a halt in 1966. Rev. Clay Evans was one of the few pastors in the City to welcome Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement at a time when most business, religious and political leaders disapproved of his Northern campaign. Rev. Evans paid a price for following his conscience and organizing support for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC): the loans and permits for his new church were cancelled. For seven years, the steel framework would bear witness to his defiance of the power brokers. With Rev. Jesse Jackson’s help, an interdenominational group of black and white pastors stood by Rev. Evans and a new building loan was approved December 18, 1971.

The circular structure of the new church was designed by Rev. Evans to include ample performance space for Fellowship’s choir and recording studio. Rev. Clay Evans’ Gospel music voice is recognized throughout the world. In the late 1940s he sang with The Lux Singers and Soul Revivers before becoming a minister. In 1952, just two years after founding Fellowship, he launched his radio ministry reaching beyond the walls of the church. In 1977, he moved to television with the acclaimed What a Fellowship Hour. With a choir led by his dynamic sister, Lou Della Evans-Reid, Fellowship has recorded over 40 albums, including the 1996 Stellar Award-winning I’ve Got a Testimony. According to Journal of Gospel Music (July 14, 2012), “The choir and its band of soloists and musicians … created the gold standard of Gospel chorus singing.” Fellowship continues the tradition of music excellence today.

Rev. Evans’ organizational leadership transcended Fellowship. He opened the doors of his church, “the Ship,” to welcome Martin Luther King Jr. and to launch Operation Breadbasket and Operation PUSH with Rev. Jesse Jackson. His founding of the Broadcast Ministers Alliance and development of Concerned Clergy for a Better Chicago established new channels for African American empowerment in Chicago. He also founded the African American Religious Connection (AARC) and has helped lead the National Baptist Convention, DuSable Museum and Black National Religious Broadcasters, among other organizations. A strong advocate for education, Rev. Evans established the Clay Evans Scholarship Fund (CE$F) which has supported the college dreams of high school students in Illinois and Tennessee for over forty years.

From Fellowship, Rev. Evans launched the ministerial careers of more than 90 people, including Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1968 and Mother Consuella York in 1954. At first, other ministers ostracized him for ordaining a woman, but he went on to lead the Baptist Ministers Conference of Chicago and Vicinity.

After 50 years of leadership, Rev. Evans retired in 2000 and passed the mantle to Rev. Charles Jenkins, his personally chosen successor. Nevertheless, an active schedule of ministry and community events continued after this date.