Newark to Rename Street After Late Pastor Ron Christian
The city of Newark plans to honor the Rev. Ron Christian, who was found dead last month inside his office at the Christian Love Baptist megachurch in Irvington, New Jersey, by renaming a street after him.
The Newark Municipal Council has voted unanimously to dedicate a street to the late pastor, and will be asking his family to select the location, according to NJ.com.
Earlier this month, about 2,000 mourners gathered at the memorial held in Newark for the 51-year-old pastor, a former heroin addict and convict who turned to Christ after he was released from prison in 1997.
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"We're here for Ron, because he was there for us," the Rev. Al Sharpton told the large crowd at the memorial service Nov. 7 in the gymnasium of the Essex County Newark Tech High School. "No matter how bad we were ... we were good enough for Ron, and Ron made us good enough for God."
His energetic style and compassionate approach to ministry reportedly help grow the church from a dozen members in 2000 when he took over to more than 6,000 members.
"This man has given so much to so many people. He took care of so many families. He's a pioneer in Essex County," Marques-Aquil Lewis recalled, speaking to NJ.com.
Christian was a member of the Newark Board of Education School Management Team as well as that of the Center for Urban Education, the Irvington Chamber of Commerce, the Weed and Seed Program and Integrity House, among others. He also served as chaplain to Beth Israel Hospital, the Essex County Youth Detention Center, the Irvington Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
"When I think about Rev. Ron, I have two distinct images," former Gov. Jim McGreevey was quoted as saying. "One, the Rev. Ron who would deal with presidents and governors and senators; and then the Rev. Ron who would deal with sinners, the broken and wounded."
"Nobody can say anything bad about my pastor. Not one bad word," a grieving member said after Christian's death.
"Just woke up to some heart breaking news this morning," Nigel Wyatte wrote on the church's Facebook page. "One of my three spiritual fathers and great friend Rev. Ron Christian has passed away. For those that knew him, knows the type of man he was. He didn't dress the conventional way a pastor would dress, nor would he act 'holier than thou.' He always hugged on people and welcomed them. At the beginning of many services you wouldn't even know he was the pastor as he sat in the back with a hoody on, as he went around hugging everyone before he changed his clothes."
Anthony Ambrose, chief of detectives for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, has said that Christian was discovered unresponsive around 6 a.m. at the Lyons Avenue parish. They did not suspect any foul play. Investigators are waiting for the results of toxicology tests, which could take several months to complete.
