From the Detroit Free Press (www.freep.com):
On Sunday, Rev. Joseph Jordan preached about a principle that governed his life: the importance of faith.
It would be his last sermon.
Rev. Jordan, 77, pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church in Hamtramck for more than 40 years, died Monday. He was rushed to a hospital after collapsing at his home in Detroit, said friend Rev. Oscar King.
“He was the most charismatic, giving, influential, thought-provoking man who gave continuously and was never interested in having his own name lifted up into the limelight,” King said. “He touched and trained and nurtured young ministers and pastors all over the United States.”
Rev. Jordan was active in many Baptist and civic organizations. He was past president of the Detroit Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity.
Rev. Jordan had previously served as a member of the Detroit Urban League and as a board member of the Hamtramck Chamber of Commerce.
Charlene Jones Mitchell, historian of Corinthian Baptist Church, said Rev. Jordan was born in Georgia and raised in Detroit. He received degrees from Wayne State University, University of Detroit Mercy and Drew University in Madison, N.J. He was a licensed master electrician.
Mitchell said Rev. Jordan, a father and grandfather, was well-loved by people within and outside of his congregation. A portion of Caniff in Hamtramck was named after him, she said.
In 1957, Rev. Jordan married Bobbie Drake.
King, pastor of Northwest Unity Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, called Rev. Jordan his spiritual father.
“He wasn’t just a minister. He was a renaissance man,” King said. “He was very interested in being a voice for the voiceless.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Filed under: Homegoing of a Saint
