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Published on 10/26/1998 All articles from this issue

Rev. Cecil Williams spreads message of unconditional love at Morning Forum

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By Laura Brown

Special to the Town Crier

When the Rev. Cecil Williams arrived as the new pastor of Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco's Tenderloin 35 years ago, the church had a congregation of about 60. And, when he spoke from the pulpit, many walked out. Complaints to the bishop failed, and today, under Williams' leadership, Glide is called "the most popular, most progressive, most diverse and most socially active church in America," with a congregation of more than 9,000 that encompasses street people, middle class and superstars of politics and media. Appearing at a recent benefit for Glide, Oprah Winfrey called it "America's Church."

Speaking Oct. 20 to the Morning Forum of Los Altos on "The Courage to Live Without Fear," Williams said that unconditional love and knowing that "however unacceptable you are, you are accepted" is the key to overcoming fear.

Asked if we should love purveyors of hate, Williams replied "Got to love them," and confessed that after growing up in segregated rural Texas, "the hardest thing I ever had to do was to learn to love white people."

He quoted Nelson Mandela's comment to him upon Mandela's release from 27 years in a South African prison: "Shall I hate them? No. I've just been let out of prison and I don't want to be imprisoned again by my hatred."

Describing some of the 46 social programs offered at the church, from substance abuse treatment to computer training, Williams urged action rather than discussion of social problems, saying, "If you're going to meet all the time, you can't flourish." Williams urged the audience to "accept the gifts they are given, whether or not it is what they wanted to receive" and to define themselves by "standing for something with a strong spiritual connotation."

The Rev. John Dodson, pastor of Los Altos United Methodist Church, site of the forum lectures, read questions submitted by the audience.

Asked about his plans for the future, Williams said that he would retire from the pulpit in two years, at the mandatory age of 70, but would not retire from the church.

Announcing plans to launch a global spiritual mission based at Glide, he noted that his colleague Dodson, facing the same mandatory retirement, "has too much going for him to retire."

Predicting "hot days for the next few years in the Methodist church," Williams half jokingly offered Dodson a job in the new venture.

Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274.