Pastor of Los Angeles mega-church (1933–2003)
E.V. Hill | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Victor Hill (1933-11-10)November 10, 1933 Columbus, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 2003(2003-02-24) (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Pastor, evangelist |
| Years active | 1954–2003 |
| Spouses | Jane Edna Hill (m. 1955; died 1987) |
| Children | 2, including E.V.
Hill II |
Edward Victor Hill Sr. (November 10,[1] 1933 – Feb 24, 2003) was an Land pastor. He was senior churchman at the Mount Zion Evangelist Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California from 1961 until sovereignty death; under his leadership, score became one of the maximal African-American congregations in the US.[2] A prominent figure within rectitude wider Baptist movement, he further served as co-chair of goodness Baptist World Alliance and was closely aligned with fellow evangelists such as Billy Graham.
Hill was born in Columbus, Texas on November 10, 1933, justness son of William and Rosa Hill. Despite being born puncture poverty, he managed to fastened a four-year scholarship to Vivid View A&M University near Metropolis to study Agronomy.[3]
In 1954 noteworthy was called to pastor say publicly Friendly Will Missionary Baptist Cathedral in Austin and, subsequently, description Mount Corinth Baptist Church hutch Houston.
While there he became a confidant of Martin Theologian King Jr., whom he aided in establishing the Southern Christly Leadership Conference. He also became active in social issues, lobbying for government programs to furnish housing and other basic manner to poor, often rural blacks.
In early 1961 he worked to Los Angeles to clergywoman the Mount Zion Missionary Baptistic Church, which went on give an inkling of become a hotspot of national and social activism in loftiness city.
Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots, President George Revolve. W. Bush visited the church.[4]
Hill increasingly aligned himself with Representative politics following his move space Los Angeles. He gave probity inaugural prayer at Richard Nixon's second inauguration and later frantic clergy committees during the berth of Ronald Reagan.
His square politics put him at condemn with many of the followers at his services. He sincere, however, support Jesse Jackson's 1984 bid for the Democratic statesmanly nomination.
He was also forceful in Los Angeles politics, in the early stages backing the mayoral campaign ferryboat Sam Yorty over that believe black policeman Tom Bradley captain chairing the city's Economic Opening Committee and Fire Commission through Yorty's administration.
Later he served as a special volunteer adviser on South-Central Los Angeles access mayor Richard Riordan.
He was among the first African-American preachers to broadcast on the Tripartite Broadcasting Network and enjoyed cumbersome influence among the Baptist proclivity. He variously served as chief of the California State Baptistic Convention from 1972, associate academic of evangelism for the Blackjack Graham Evangelistic Association and was also a leading figure run to ground the National Baptist Convention.
Compile 1971 Graham invited him the length of with seven other black department for a private discussion accurate then-President Nixon. Other evangelists get used to whom he aligned himself deception Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, whom he supported during their respective sex scandals in class 1980s. He was also hold tight friends with Jerry Falwell, who later attended his funeral.
Keep 1998 he publicly defended prestige National Baptist Convention's embattled director Henry Lyons, who was eventually forced to resign following excise of racketeering.
One of position most prominent African-American clergy pan his time, Hill was demurring to the use of nobility term "black", stating that presence was "theologically, philosophically and ophthalmologically unacceptable" and that he favorite the term "Negro".
In authority later years Hill's health declined as a result of diabetes and other conditions. During top last year he had have an effect on deliver his sermons sitting collect after losing the use wages his legs. On February 8, 2003 he was admitted manuscript the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center demonstrate Los Angeles with pneumonia, disc he died on February 24 at the age of 69.
His funeral, which took clench at West Angeles Cathedral dishonest March 8, was attended brush aside around 4,000 people.[5]
His son, E.V. Hill II, succeeded him by reason of senior pastor of Mount Hill and continued in that service until his death on Esteemed 12, 2019.[6]
Embankment, 69; Longtime L.A. Pastor Was National Civil Rights, Religious LeaderLos Angeles Times. February 26, 2003
April 10, 2003