Bishop L. Daniel Williams, the retired pastor of The Baptist Church of the New Covenant in Norwalk, passed away following a lingering illness.
A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, March 1, at 11 a.m. at the Citizens of Zion Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Bobby Newman Jr., and located at 12930 S. Lime Ave., in Compton.
Bishop Rudolph W. McKissick Sr., Williams’ father in the ministry, and Bishop Rudolph W. McKissick Jr., both of Bethel Baptist Institutional Church in Jacksonville, FL, will give eulogies.
Serving in the ministry for 44 years, Williams was prominent in both the faith and civic communities. During a 2016 interview with the L.A. Sentinel, he said learned much from Dr. Thomas Kilgore, Pastor E.V. Hill, Sr., and the Rev. Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray. Also, he worked closely with Bill and Hillary Clinton, strategized with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and collaborated with U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
He served nine years as president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Southern California (BMC) where the organization often addressed social issues affecting disadvantaged people. Williams also shared his time and talents as president of the Progressive Baptist State Convention from 1995 to 1999, and in the same capacity heading the Minister’s Conference of the Providence District Association. In addition, he was a Congress Teacher for the Progressive National Convention, Inc., and the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church Association.
“As one of the BMC past presidents, I’m deeply saddened to hear of Bishop Williams’ transition, but I’m heartened to know that he is with the Lord,” said Pastor Xavier L. Thompson of Southern St. Paul Church. “He was one, if not the most, innovative, creative and visionary leaders we have seen within the 21st century context. Certainly, he was a brilliant thinker, out-of-the-box leader and was able to crossover to every group and denomination and political leaders.”
The Rev. Tyrone Gordon, pastor of Transforming Life Christian Fellowship in Dallas, TX, met Williams at Bishop College in Texas in 1974. Recalling their long acquaintance, Gordon said, “He was a really good friend. He was also a great leader and always had a lot of encouraging words whenever we were going through challenging times.”
To learn more about the services, email [email protected].
