Today we mourn the passing of one of the Bay Area’s brightest lights, the Rev. Cecil Williams. As the co-founder and longtime pastor of Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco, Williams fervently embraced Christ’s call to feed, clothe, and shelter his neighbors in need. From the pulpit and on the streets of San Francisco, he used his powerful voice to demand justice and dignity for people facing homelessness, poverty, abuse, and discrimination.
Although we have lost a great leader, Rev. Williams’s legacy lives on in so many ways, including in films, books, documentaries, and, most importantly, in the lives of the countless souls he helped and healed. May his Spirit-inspired work continue to bless all of us for years to come.
O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of your servant Cecil, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May the soul of Rev. Cecil Williams rest in perfect peace. Amen.