wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Rev. Clinton Marsh dies at 86

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #7503 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Rev. Clinton Marsh dies at 86
02440
November 1, 2002

Rev. Clinton Marsh dies at 86

Pastor and ex-moderator was known for evangelism, social activism

by John Filiatreau

LOUISVILLE - The Rev. Clinton M. Marsh, a patriarch of the Presbyterian
church who served as moderator of the old United Presbyterian Church in the
USA (UPCUSA) in 1973, died in his sleep Friday at his home in Blacksburg, VA.
He was 86.

The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly, said of
Marsh: "He was a model of the ministry of Jesus for us, and we will miss him
dearly. It seems to me that, while there is never a good time for one that
you love so much to go to be with the Lord, it's part of God's providence
that he died on All Saints Day."

Marsh, a native of Annemanie, AL, who made a practice of attending each
year's General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) - and attended this
year's gathering in Columbus, OH, in June - was pastor of Witherspoon
Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, IN, for 18 years. 

He also served as moderator of the Indiana Presbyery and of the Second Synod,
interim executive of the Synod of the South and area secretary of evangelism.
He was a former president of Knoxville College and former member of the Board
of American Missions in the United Presbyterian Church of North America
(UPCNA). 

Rita Dixon, associate for black congregational enhancement in the National
Ministries Division (NMD), said she thought of Marsh as "the church-growth
pastor par excellence," and considered "the work he did at Witherspoon" a
model of evangelism.

"He's a patriarch of the church," she said. "Everybody knows Clint Marsh."

Edith Johnson of Atlanta, a member of the Church of the Master there, said
she was a member of Marsh's Indianapolis congregation 50 years ago, and
remembers him as a forceful, determined leader. "If something came up and he
said to do it, we tried to do it," she said. "He was big in the church. Rev.
Marsh was special."

Betty Durrah of Atlanta, an officer on the national staff of the Women's
Ministries  program area, said she especially recalls a "classic benediction"
Marsh offered at annual Peacemaking Breakfasts and other events, in which he
said, "How can I say peace when there is no peace? ... But I dare say, go in
peace - if you dare." She said the benediction was "inimitable" and
"mesmerizing."

Marsh became a favorite of Presbyterian women while running for moderator at
the General Assembly in 1973 when he said from the platform, "Women have the
power. Why don't they just use it?"

"That brought women into his corner," said Durrah - who pointed out that
Marsh had been scheduled to address the annual churchwide gathering of
Presbyterian Women next year, as he had many times in the past.

In the mid-1960s, Marsh moved to Nairobi, Kenya, for four years, and was
among the organizers of the All-Africa Council of Churches. The council
invited him back in 1997 for a meeting in Ethiopia, where he was honored for
his work.

After the 1958 merger of the UPCUSA and the Presbyterian Church USA, forming
the UPCUSA, he served as moderator of the Indianapolis Presbytery, a member
of the board of the Indiana Council of Churches and a member of the General
Assembly Committee on Segregated Presbyteries and Synods.

He was a graduate of Camden Academy in Camden, AL, and earned a Bachelor of
Arts degree from Knoxville College in Knoxville, TN, in 1939. He received a
Bachelor of Theology degree from Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary in
1944. Knoxville conferred a Doctor of Divinity degree on him in 1955; Dubuque
Theological Seminary did the same in 1973.

In recent years, Marsh was an activist against gun violence. He supported a
resolution in which the 1998 General Assembly urged Presbyterians to work
toward the removal of handguns and assault weapons from American homes and
communities. 

He also was the driving force behind an anti-gun campaign in Atlanta by a
ministerial group called Concerned Black Clergy.

In 1997, he was a co-sponsor of a resolution by which the Presbyterian
Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA) urged the church to promote
abstinence from alcohol; he acknowledged that the resolution made him "sound
like an old fuddy-duddy," but said he was motivated by horror over statistics
on alcohol-related accidents and illness. 

Marsh marked his 86th birthday on Oct. 28. His wife of 36 years, Agnes, said
a planned family celebration was called off because he wasn't feeling well.

He and Agnes were active members of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church in
Blacksburg, VA. The church's pastor, the Rev. Alexander W. Evans, was one of
many who commented that it was "very appropriate" that Marsh died on All
Saints Day.

"He's done a great work all his life," Evans said, "devoting himself to the
causes of civil rights, social justice and peace in the world. He was brave
and faithful all his days."

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4 at Blacksburg
Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception.
	
Marsh's survivors, in addition to his wife, include a son, Walter Marsh, of
Indianapolis; a stepson, the Rev. Jon Chapman, of Louisville (coordinator for
southern and eastern Africa in the Worldwide Ministries Division); a sister,
Dr. Kayte Fearn, of Washington, DC; a brother, Henry, of Saginaw, MI; and a
number of nieces and nephews.

*** For instructions on using this system (including how to UNJOIN this
meeting), send e-mail to mailrequests@ecunet.org
------------------------------------------
Send your response to this article to pcusa.news@pcusa.org

------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send an 'unsubscribe' request to

pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org