S. M. Lockridge
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Shadrach Meshach Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation in
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, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world.


Life and work

Lockridge was born in
Robertson County, Texas Robertson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,757. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1837 and organized the following year. It is named for Sterling C. Robertson, ...
, the oldest of eight children and the son of a
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minister. A graduate of
Bishop College Bishop College was a historically black college, founded in Marshall, Texas, United States, in 1881 by the Baptist Home Mission Society. It was intended to serve students in east Texas, where the majority of the black population lived at the ...
in
Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population of ...
, he worked for two years as a high school English teacher. In 1940 in
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, he felt led to preach. In 1941 he married Virgil Mae Thompson. In 1942, he accepted his first pastorate at Fourth Ward Baptist Church in
Ennis, Texas Ennis () is a city in eastern Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population is 20,159 according to the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 23,686 in 2023. Ennis is home to the annual National Polka Festival. It is part of the Dall ...
. In August 1952, he was named pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in
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where he served until retiring in 1993. During Lockridge's tenure at Calvary Baptist, a predominantly African-American congregation, his ministry reached more than 100,000 people. He preached at crusades, revivals, religious rallies and evangelistic conferences around the world. He also served in key regional, state and national positions with the
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, including being elected as the Moderator of the Progressive Baptist District Association, President of the California Missionary Baptist State Convention, and the first president of the
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, where he held all three major positions simultaneously. He held doctorates and numerous
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, and was often sought as a public speaker, even after he retired in 1993. He served as guest lecturer at numerous schools and universities and on the faculty of several others, including the
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School of Evangelism. Lockridge was active in the civil rights movement, and under his leadership Calvary Baptist hosted several of its leaders, including
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Lockridge's best-known message is "Amen" ("That's my King!"), notably the six and a half minute description of
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contained at the end of the hour-long sermon (the popular title comes from Lockridge's repeated refrain).
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,
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,
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, and other video-sharing websites have numerous variations of this message in
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of varying lengths, in both English and Spanish (
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or with a
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), with various video and musical backdrops, and user views have reached into the multi-millions.


Publications

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References


External links

* . * . * . * . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockridge, S.M. 1913 births 2000 deaths People from Robertson County, Texas Bishop College alumni 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States