Gordon Cosby,
founding pastor of Church of the Savior, passed away last month and his
memorial service will be held tomorrow, April 6. In contrast to Rachel Corrie
(about whom I wrote
last month) who was killed at the age of 23, Cosby lived to be just a few
months shy of 95. His was a long and productive life.
I first heard of Gordon
Cosby in the early 1960s when I was a seminary student at The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, the school from which he had graduated in 1942.
After serving as a
chaplain in World War II, in 1947 Cosby founded the Church of the Savior (CoS) in
Washington, D.C., and continued in that ministry until he retired just four
years ago (at age 91!).
Cosby was
introduced to us seminary students as one who had attempted to “do church” and
ministry different from the traditional way—and as one who emphasized the
integrity of church membership, something that was quite different from the usual
practice of Southern Baptist churches.
In January 1977
during our second “furlough” in the States, I met Gordon Cosby for the first
time. I was visiting the Sojourners community, which had moved to Washington,
D.C., partly because of Cosby. (You can read about that in Jim Wallis’s 3/21
article here.)
And that evening I walked over to the Potter’s House, started in 1960 by CoS,
one of the first Christian coffeehouses in the U.S.
Upon arriving, I
asked if Gordon Cosby was there and was told that he was back washing dishes
(as he seemed to do often). I went back to the kitchen, briefly introduced
myself, and asked if he would allow me to take his place washing dishes and to
talk with me as he rested. He would and he did—and I much enjoyed an hour of delightful
conversation with him.
The last time I saw
Cosby was at the Seekers Church, one of the “spinoff” congregations from the
Church of the Savior now located in Takoma on the outskirts of D.C. Our son
Keith and his wife have been core members of Seekers for more than 25 years
now.
Seekers used to
meet in the same renovated brick house on Massachusetts Ave. where the original
CoS congregation met through the years, and I heard Cosby preach there a time
or two. But after his retirement, the Cosbys were visiting Seekers one Sunday
when we there with Keith and Brenda, and it was a joy to see him again.
Tomorrow’s memorial
celebration will be held at Foundry United Methodist Church on 16th
Street. That historic church, which is within walking distance of the White
House, is the church Bill and Hillary Clinton attended when he was President.
Cosby was never
pastor of a church with a large building, such as Foundry Methodist. But he
influenced pastors all across the nation, including Rev. Dean Snyder, the senior
pastor at Foundry now. (Snyder’s recent comments in the Washington Post about
Cosby are found here.)
And Cosby never
sought the limelight, or took advantage of opportunities to receive adulation.
Yet, it has been said that he and the Church of the Savior have had a greater
impact on the Protestant church in America over the past 50 years than any
other institution or movement.
It is impossible to measure how much influence someone
has had, but it is certain that Cosby did make a huge impact on American
Protestantism. Please join me and the many who gather at Foundry Church
tomorrow in memorializing the long life and legacy of Gordon Cosby.
His seem to be a "thick" theology which captured many congregations and has crossed generations, bringing cohesion to small groups of active followers within congregations, and attracting new followers who wanted to be active in service. I have been an active member of two such congregations which were specifically patterned after Church of the Savior - one Baptist, one Anglican, and partnered with another, a Metropolitan.
ReplyDeleteThinking Friend (and missionary "sempai," older colleague) Melvin Bradshaw shares this comment about Gordon Cosby:
ReplyDelete"I met Gordon when he came to speak at Winchester First Baptist Church (1961?) and I visited the Potter's House also.
"I was very much impressed by Gordon personally and by the Potter's House ministry. It was at a time when I was very discouraged by churches in general (still am!).
"Thanks for reminding me of this special 'minister' of the Gospel."
Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson writes,
ReplyDelete"Gordon was a great soul. When I taught in Richmond, he and Mary spoke at BTSR. When I taught at Catholic University of America in 1987, Gordon invited me to speak at CoS a couple of times.
"I've never associated with anyone more authentic."
Early this morning I received this comment from Thinking Friend Rob Carr, pastor of the North Oak Christian Church in Kansas City:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for this Leroy--I am indebted to the Cosbys for their formative and fresh ideas."