Rev. Calvin P. Crosson
The Rev. Calvin P. Crosson, 96, died July 4, 2017, at Asbury Village in Gaithersburg. A Celebration of Life Service was held July 13 at Goshen UMC, officiated by the Rev. Eric W. King.
Calvin Percy Crosson was born in Clinton, S.C., May 25, 1921, and received his elementary and high school education in Greenville, S.C. He received a B.A. degree and a Bachelor of Divinity from Howard University in 1961. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Virginia Seminary in June 1984.
During 34 years of ministerial service, he served several churches in the Baltimore-Washington Area, beginning in 1947 as a local preacher in the old Washington Annual Conference at now-Grace UMC in Fairmount Heights. He pastored Eastern UMC in Baltimore, 1956-66; Mt. Zion UMC in Washington (Georgetown), 1966-69; Jones Memorial UMC in Baltimore, 1969 -76; Howard Park, 1976-78; and John Wesley UMC in Baltimore, 1978-90. During the 12 years there, he raised the level of stewardship tremendously, fundraising was cut out and tithing was emphasized, and he began a multi-million dollar renovation program.
He retired in 1990 and became Minister of Spiritual Life and Development at Hills Memorial Church and Minister of Evangelism at Asbury UMC in Washington, D.C.
During his ministry, he also served on conference and district committees. These included: Board of Evangelism and the Urban Work Committee in the mid-60s; Camps and Statisticians Committee, 1966–72; Committee on Work and Administration from 1970–74; the Board of Trustees, N.M. Carroll Home, Board of Ordained Ministry, Conference Relations Committee and the Joint Review Committee. He was a Supervising Elder, 1980-84.
He and his wife Bessie married in 1976 and she worked with him as a devoted and faithful team member until her death in 2008. He often said, “My life would be a mess if it wasn’t for Bess.”
Crosson was an avid traveler, traveling around the world. His most meaningful and noteworthy trip was to the Holy Land, where he walked Mt. Sinai and preached at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Survivors include his children: Delores Jones, William Clark Jr. and Carol Clark-White, seven grandchildren and 16 great- grandchildren.