![]() ![]() Saturday, January 29 th, at the New Hope Baptist Church, 130 Spring Street, Dexter, with the Revs. Robert Hight.Ī celebration of life will be held at 1 P.M. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a sister, Rebecca and husband the Rev. Albans a brother and wife Theodore and Lois Inman of Dexter grandchildren, Brent, Sydny, and a special little boy Christopher, Erica, Amanda and Shelbey great grandchildren, Perry, Peyton and Scott nieces, nephews and dear friends far and near. She is survived by a son Jeffrey of Corinna a daughter and husband Karyn and John Cray of St. Virginia was married to Shirley Seamans for 20 years. She was longtime member of the First Free Baptist Church, now called New Hope Baptist, where she served on many committees and capacities through the years. in Orange, MA and 20 years at Dexter Shoe Co. She worked 5 years at the Orange Manufacturing Co. She graduated from Dexter Regional High School and studied for one year at Stevens School of the Bible in Lenox, MA. She was born Septemin Dexter a daughter of Theodore and Ruth (Libby) Inman, Sr. Johns continued to preach until his death in 1965, which-ironically-was within a week of delivering a sermon entitled “The Romance of Death.DEXTER & GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FLORIDA – Virginia Inman, 86, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Decemat her residence. He teased King: “It takes a mighty big man to enjoy hearing an audience say how glad it is the invited speaker couldn’t get there!” ( Papers 5:455). In 1960, Johns wrote King requesting his assistance with raising capital for the cooperative, noting that he had been successfully speaking to groups that couldn’t book King. In addition to his speaking engagements, Johns also served as the director of the Maryland Baptist Center from 1955 to 1960 and was active in Farm and City Enterprises, Inc., an economic cooperative that enabled farmers to sell their goods directly to the consumer. At King’s request, he returned to Dexter as guest preacher for its 79th anniversary service. Abernathy recalled that on one occasion, the three of them talked “about the situation at Dexter Avenue” and “about the oppression of our people and the growing belief that a sea of changes was taking place” (Abernathy, 125 126).įollowing his departure from Dexter, Johns continued to speak at churches and colleges throughout the United States. King and Johns were both frequent guests at Ralph Abernathy’s Montgomery home. His early activism and challenges to the power structure paved the way for Dexter’s congregation to receive King's socially active ministry and enabled King to take a leading role in the Montgomery bus boycott. He was well known for his controversial sermon topics, such as “It Is Safe to Kill Negroes in Montgomery,” and he also shocked his middle-class congregation by selling farm produce outside the church. In response to discrimination on city buses, Johns once disembarked in protest and demanded a refund. ![]() Prior to his pastorship at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Johns pastored churches in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.Īs Dexter’s pastor from 1947 to 1952, Johns was an early proponent of civil rights activity in Montgomery, urging his congregation to challenge the traditional status quo. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and College in 1915 (AB), and earned a BD from Oberlin College three years later. Vernon Johns was born in Darlington Heights, Virginia, in 1892. ![]() King found an example in Johns, a preacher who was able to use his religious position in the community to challenge his congregation to be less provincial. In Stride Toward Freedom, his memoir of the Montgomery bus boycott, King described Johns as “a brilliant preacher with a creative mind” and “a fearless man, never allowed an injustice to come to his attention without speaking out against it” (King, 38). Reverend Johns had a lasting affect on King both personally and professionally. In 1954, Martin Luther King, Jr., succeeded Vernon Johns as minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. ![]()
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