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ReveRend dR. CaRl Washington: the BlaCk Money ChuRCh Will suRvive Covid-19 buiness, finance + work
Education
By Fern Gillespie
the art + science of learning
Rev. Dr. Carl Washington
W
ithin days of returning home from a multi-city preaching tour, Reverend Dr. Carl L. Washington, Jr., pastor of the New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem, collapsed. From February through early March, the popular speaker had traveled through churches in Charlotte, Jackson, Atlanta, and St. Louis. “That Sunday, I went to my church and preached. By the time I got home—that’s the last thing I can remember until April,” he recalled. “I just went out.” His family doctor diagnosed Rev. Washington with COVID-19 and recommended he be treated at home. Rev. Washington was under quarantine from March through May. “I’m 65 years-old and never got sick. I didn’t have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes,” When I woke up, I had a really high fever. I lost my abil-
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The Positive Community September 2020
ity to taste and smell. I still haven’t fully gotten my taste back yet,” he explained. “My wife has asthma and I used a nebulizer, so I didn’t have a breathing problem. But I know that my lungs were compromised because when I got up in April, I would get tired doing little things. So, my doctor told me to move. First, I was walking. Then I started riding a bike. Now, I’m riding 8 to 12 miles a day. My doctor caught it early. I’m still not 100 percent. This thing lingers.” Dr. Washington is magna cum laude graduate of LaSalle University, and a graduate of Hartford Theological Seminary. He received a Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Virginia at Lynchburg and a Doctorate of Ministry from Eastern Theological Seminary. Since he arrived at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem in 1995, the church has grown from 150 people to more than 1,100 disciples. The church has been live streaming services since 1997. The techno savvy church has connected members with refurbished iPads and younger members help program computers for seniors. During his illness, the congregation was in serious prayer and continued church services online. “Our ministers, deacons, officers, staff, and assistants of the church did a yeoman’s job,” he said. “The impact of my illness
During his illness, the congregation was in serious prayer and continued church services online. “Our ministers, deacons, officers, staff, and assistants of the church did a yeoman’s job,” he said. “The impact of my illness on my congregation was mental because so many pastors were dying. They didn’t want to lose their pastor.” www.thepositivecommunity.com
