02/18/2026
Tribute Honoring Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Today we honor the life and legacy of Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a Baptist minister, civil rights strategist, and prophetic voice whose influence reached far beyond denominational lines.
While Rev. Jackson was not ordained within the Church of God in Christ, his life and leadership intersected meaningfully with the broader Black Church community, including COGIC. During pivotal moments in American history, particularly in the 1980s, he was invited to address the COGIC International Holy Convocation.
Rev. Jackson embodied a faith that refused to remain silent in the face of injustice. He demonstrated that preaching and public life are not separate callings, but extensions of one another. His work reminded us that the Church must not only shout in worship, but stand in courage; not only pray in the sanctuary, but advocate in society.
As a Church rooted in holiness, power, and social witness, we recognize in Rev. Jackson’s life a shared conviction: that faith must move beyond words into action, beyond tradition into transformation. Though our ecclesiastical paths were distinct, our commitment to justice, dignity, and hope for our people has been aligned.
At Mount Calvary Christian Center, Church of God in Christ, we honor his courage, his persistence, and his willingness to carry the moral voice of the Church into national and global arenas.
May his legacy continue to challenge us to be both Spirit-filled and socially conscious, both prayerful and purposeful.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Amen.
2nd Image: Archival images including the late Mayor Harold Washington and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. hang on the wall at the Saint Paul Church of God in Christ in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood on March 16, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Today, we honor the life and legacy of Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a Baptist minister, civil rights strategist, and prophetic voice whose influence reached far beyond denominational lines.