Image by Willie C. Bolton

 

By: Freddrell Green, Staff Writer

From the seats of East Friendship Baptist Church, Rev. James Kendrick ‘54 has been regarded as a wise and spiritual figure whose sermons spark religious enlightenment. His sermon style is unique in that it is refined by the educational experience and exposure he has received at Morehouse College.

 

Born and raised in rural Warrenton, Georgia, Kendrick was blessed enough to have family ownership over his land during a time when blacks had limited access to property. The land on which his family resided was bestowed upon them by Kendrick’s maternal grandfather.

 

“One of the blessings was we were not sharecroppers. We owned our land,” Kendrick said.

 

Because of his upbringing, Kendrick stood against the principles of white supremacy. He had role models like Charles Evans, a white manager of a pharmacy store, to steer him away from racist encounters while providing positive advice on how to be a leader of progression in his community.

 

“In the midst of segregation, there were always decent white people,” Kendrick said.

 

The emphasis on black history placed in Kendrick’s school curriculum exposed him to HBCUs. When it came time to apply to college, he was inspired by the numerous Morehouse alumni who impacted his life.

 

 When it came time to register for the first semester, Kendrick could not afford to pay the total amount of $150. It took a meeting with the then-president of the college, Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, to solve the matter.

 

“I said ‘Dr. Mays, the only thing I got going for me is that my mom and dad are down in Warren County praying for me,’” Kendrick said.

 

Mays then reached out to the dietitian of Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) and secured Kendrick a job working at the dining hall to offset the cost of attendance. Kendrick had also obtained further work in construction and various other jobs.

 

Besides his time spent paying for his education, Kendrick’s academic experience was fulfilled largely through the mentorship of figures like Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Mays. Mays’ speeches in particular fascinated Kendrick.

 

“Mays emphasized being true to your word. Mays emphasized what it means to be a real man. Mays emphasized honesty. Mays emphasized helping the people,” Kendrick said.

 

Kendrick also partook in seminary courses at the non-operational Morehouse School of Religion.

 

After graduating with a degree in history in 1954, Kendrick was drafted into the United States Army. Rather than avoiding the call to arms, he sought to utilize the military for opportunities with work and travel during what he saw as a period of peace, given that the Korean War had just ended.

 

“The military was just beginning to integrate. They didn’t have signs saying ‘White’ or ‘Colored’. You’d go to any service club you wanted to,” Kendrick said.

 

While in service for two years, Kendrick would rapidly move up in rank. He started as a Battery Clerk and retired at the rank of Corporal.

 

While he was a member of personnel, Kendrick had been stationed in Schwabach, Germany. Going against the limited travel opportunities bestowed by his commanding officers, he traveled virtually all of Europe. But once he returned home after his service was completed, the difference in how he was treated in Europe compared to the U.S. was painfully clear.

 

“Now here I’ve spent 15 months in Germany, riding anywhere I wanted to on the bus, sitting anywhere I wanted to, going to any restaurant I wanted to go to. And here, in Atlanta, I’m segregated,” Kendrick said.

 

Black war veterans sought the same level of equality they had gained overseas. Experiences of culture shock from veterans like Kendrick helped ignite the civil rights movement in the 1950s.

 

After his military experience ended, Kendrick began his career in the ministry. He would come to meet his future wife, Mary Deane Echols Kendrick, a 1960 graduate of Spelman College, at a youth revival. They would go on to marry each other in 1963, continuing the “Spelhouse” relationship tradition.

 

Kendrick has been a pastor at East Friendship Baptist Church for 62 years. He credits divine intervention as the driving force for his arrival.

 

Kendrick had heard of East Friendship through a fellow pastor. He took it upon himself to visit the church and found out that they needed a “good pastor”.

 

After giving his first sermon to the church, members were divided on whether or not Kendrick was the right pastor for them. During a meeting with the Clerk of the Church, he made it clear that he had no interest in how the vote for the new pastor was divided, nor what the finances of the position would be like. Ever since then, Kendrick has been a mainstay at the church, pastoring over many members of the community of Athens, Georgia.

 

Now as a remarkable alumnus of the college, Kendrick urges current Men of Morehouse to continue uplifting the ideals of Dr. Mays.

 

“Mays felt that you should make a contribution to society. That you were a Morehouse Man. Make a contribution. Be a leader,” Kendrick said.

 

To view Reverend Kendrick’s sermons at East Friendship, click the link here.

 

 

Copy Edited by: Elijah Megginson, Features Editor