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Randolph
L. Jones Memorial Service |
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 Fifteen members of the family of Dr. Randolph Leonard Jones pose with Preacher and Jones colleague Dr. William B. McClain after the memorial service. From left, along the back are: Dr. Eloise Scott, director of Seminary Services, Evening Program and a key planner for the service; Matthew Elijah, a nephew; Carroll Jones, brother of Dr. Jones; nephews Jordan, Aaron, Micah and Abram E. Elijah, Jr., all clustered just to the right of Preacher McClain, center. To McClain’s left (rear row) are Francis Jones, a brother of Dr. Jones; Mariana Elijah, a niece, and Randolph Jones, Jr., the son of Dr. Jones. To the left of McClain is nephew Talib Alexander. In the front row, from left, are Abram Elijah, Sr., a brother-in-law of Dr. Jones; Dr. Jones’s sister, Iris Elijah; Mary E. Jones, the mother of Dr. Jones, and daughter, Amaris Jones. Celebrating
the life of Pastor/Educator:
PHILADELPHIA (March 14, 2004) – The Rev. Dr. Randolph Leonard Jones would have loved the memorial sermon preached in his honor and to the glory of God today. Perhaps he heard it anyway. Jones, founder and a director of the Urban Theological Institute at LTSP, died February 4 after a lengthy bout with cancer. Colleagues, students, family, alums and friends gathered in the Seminary Chapel for the service. The preacher was a long-time colleague and member of the faculty, the Rev. Dr. William B. McClain, the Mary Elizabeth Joyce Professor of Preaching and Worship at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.. For many years McClain has also taught Homiletics and Liturgy for the UTI at LTSP. McClain’s message was fiery, yet warm and personal at the same time. In his tribute he recalled that Jones had died in the 300th anniversary year of the birth of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the tradition both McClain and Jones have embraced. "When John Wesley was nearing the end of his life, he offered some sage advice to his preachers," McClain said. "He said to them: ‘Let us work now, we shall rest later.’ That is what Randy Jones did. He worked when it was day, as one who knew that the night was coming. He worked as a faithful minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a proclaimer of the prophetic and evangelical word of salvation and faith, of liberation and deliverance, of hope and promise…Randy Jones certainly preached a fiery gospel. It was a gospel that was ‘the whole counsel of God’ – which is law and grace, a gospel which is both personal and social; and it was an urgent and refulgent word – both to the captors and the captives, to saints as well as sinners." McClain went on to movingly describe Jones’s concern for students, his love of the seminary and the Urban Theological Institute – and his passion and love for Preaching with Power, the 22-year-old revival and teaching week that is a hallmark event sponsored by the UTI each year. This year’s edition runs March 15-19. (See related link for Preaching with Power.) "While we are here," McClain said near the conclusion of his message, "still working during the day, we can correct his mistakes, and complete his unfinished tasks, and forgive his failings, and let his work be perfected in us and in our work. And we can do it as a memorial to one who was a figter and a founder, a preacher and a teacher, a motivator and a mentor, and my friend and my brother. Servant of God! Well done! Well done! Thou good and faithful servant. You can rest from your labors now! Don’t worry about your legacy! Don’t worry anymore about your work! Don’t worry anymore about your students and your family and your children. Just sit down, servant and rest a little while! Don’t worry about your name, Randy! It is written indelibly in the Lamb’s Book of Life!" The special service, attended by 15 family members, opened with welcoming remarks by LTSP President Philip D. W. Krey. "It is fitting that we remember Dr. Jones here in this place where he was so important to us as a founder of the UTI the night before Preaching with Power begins," Krey said. The service featured special music by John Custis, organist for Second Baptist Church of Germantown. Seminarian Christina Nord did the Call to Worship. Psalmist Diane Johnson, a UTI student, was an inspiring soloist. The readings for the service were presented by seminarians, the Rev. Harold Evans and Everett Gillison. UTI seminarians Delores Brown and Suzanne Kershaw read memorial messages and a tribute to Dr. Jones. Soloist Elizabeth Brunton, a UTI student, led the congregation in the Hymn of Preparation for the sermon, "We’ve Come This Far By Faith." In his remarks, Dean J. Paul Rajashekar paid tribute to Jones’s "long and lasting contribution to the African American community of this city" and called Jones "a remarkable man with a deep commitment to theological education." Rajashekar said the seminary is "committed to carrying forward his vision and legacy. We will honor and remember Dr. Jones in a fitting way in the new Learning Center now being constructed. The UTI is a great gift. We are strongly committed to the development of the UTI. I say to you emphatically that the UTI is here to stay. There is no doubt about that. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the founding of the UTI, and we are planning a major celebration. The UTI Advisory Committee (UTICA) is embarking on a revisioning exercise for it to become an even greater program. We have plans to appoint a full-time professor, hopefully in the coming year. We thank God for the life and ministry of Dr. Randolph Jones, and we seek your support, encouragement and advice as we seek to continue." UTICA Advisory Board Chair, the Rev. Dr. G. Daniel Jones addressed the gathering at the conclusion of the service. "This has been a fitting tribute to one we have loved, to a memory we cherish. Dr. Jones was an adjunct faculty member, an advocator, a bridge person between the local church and the seminary, between the church and academia. We need such bridge persons," he said. "We are so grateful for our students, for their commitment and focus. Randy has begun a good work that will continue long after his contribution." He addressed Jones’s family by saying, "We grieve and mourn with you, and we pray for you." Dr. G. Daniel Jones is the senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Germantown as well as the UTI Advisory Board Chair. This year’s edition of Preaching with Power opens at Grace Church, Monday, March 15 with preaching and a workshop to follow by the Rev. Dr. James C. Perkins of Detroit, MI.
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