Celebrated Ohio pastor Charles Booth dies of cancer
The Rev. Charles E. Booth, a celebrated Ohio pastor and civil rights activist who preached the power of prayer, died Saturday after a protracted battle with cancer. He was 72.
Booth was the senior pastor at Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus where he preached for more than 40 years. He died while in hospice care, Tamara Hartley, a former executive assistant and office manager at the church, told NBC4i.
“He was a profound preacher,” the Rev. Timothy Clarke told The Philadelphia Tribune. “He was one of the great preachers of his generation, hands down.”
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On Monday, as local and national leaders remembered him, Booth’s church shared a clip of their late pastor preaching about the importance of prayer for Christian leaders shared at the 49th pastoral anniversary of Bishop Jerome H. Ross.
“Your power is not in your ability to use cute and tricky phrases. Your power is in your prayer life. ... And I’m not just talking to preachers, I’m talking to deacons and anybody else who is really serious about your spiritual power. If you want power, examine your prayer life. If you ain’t got a prayer life you ain’t got much power,” he said in the clip from the 2015 sermon.
“He was a true gentleman and a great friend,” Clarke, who is pastor of the First Church of God, told The Philadelphia Tribune. “Preachers all over the country are mourning him because of his friendship.”
Preachers like Kelvin J. Anthony, senior pastor at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, recalled the impact Booth’s ministry made on his life as news of his death spread over the weekend.
“Charles E Booth, thank you for the impact that you had on my preaching and I won't forget the encouraging words that you said to me when you came to the lecture series in January. I wished that this news wasn't true, but my prayers are with your family and the Mt. Olivet Church of Columbus. Rest in peace,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.
The Columbus City Council also recognized Booth’s passing in a statement on Twitter.
Columbus City Council offers our deepest condolences to the family, faith community and the members of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church on the passing of Reverend Dr. Charles E. Booth. pic.twitter.com/XsrnsIA4Ak
— Columbus Council (@ColumbusCouncil) March 24, 2019
“Columbus City Council offers our deepest condolences to the family, faith community and the members of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church on the passing of Reverend Charles E. Booth,” officials noted on Sunday.
Nana Watson, president of the Columbus Chapter of the NAACP, noted that along with his faith values, Booth was also a tireless champion of civil rights.
“Not only was he a spiritual leader, but he was a civil rights advocate who fought against social injustices from his pulpit and in the community,” Watson said in a statement.
Booth who leaves behind his wife and a daughter will lie in state at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. His family will receive visitors between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Additional visitation hours will run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday followed by a memorial service.
