Richmond street renamed for beloved Trinity Baptist Church pastor who 'lived what he preached'

RICHMOND, Va. — Trinity Baptist Church in Richmond honored its late pastor Saturday with a street renaming ceremony celebrating a man who guided the congregation and community for 45 years.

The Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. led Trinity Baptist from 1980 until his death last December. The street in front of the church was renamed in his honor at a ceremony attended by elected officials, longtime church members and community leaders.

Congressman Bobby Scott, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan and Richmond Mayor Danny Avula all spoke at the event. Former Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, a longtime friend of James, also addressed the crowd.

"I think it's important for us to honor people who serve well and who live well, and this serves as a monument to the fact that A Lincoln James came this way, that his legacy will not die, but that his legacy will live on," Jones said.

Jones said both he and James came to Richmond from other cities — Jones from Philadelphia, James from Chicago — and built a friendship grounded in mutual respect.

"He was a very genuine friend, authentic. He said what he meant, meant what he said, and he was just a good person, a good person," Jones said.

Jones also remembered James as a nationally recognized preacher.

"Lincoln James was one of our great pastors. He was a great pulpiteer known nationally as a great preacher," Jones said.

Wendy Bullock, the interim pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, said the honorary street sign would serve as a permanent reminder of what James stood for.

"He was an awesome pastor, mentor, friend. He was active in the community, always a community activist, and he has been a faithful preacher, teacher, and a supporter of the community in whole. He served on the parole board for a while, so always caring about somebody else," Bullock said.

For James's daughter, Alexandra James, the moment carried deep personal meaning. Her grandfather — also a minister — had a portion of 55th and Michigan Avenue in Chicago named in his honor in 2007, with then-Senator Barack Obama present for the ceremony.

"He would say, oh my gosh, I'm living my father's life. He would be so excited that he continued the legacy and that now he's being honored in the same way that my grandfather was honored in Chicago," Alexandra said.

She said her father's faith was not something he left at the church door.

"He lived what he preached. He walked his faith out inside of our home and in the community," Alexandra said.

Alexandra also said many who knew her father publicly as a stoic community leader never saw the side of him she knew best.

"A lot of people saw his stoic, very, you know, just a man of the community and a man of faith, but he was hilarious," Alexandra said. "So all of his jokes, all of his sayings — he had all of these like axioms and idioms and parables that actually still guide me to this day and my granddaughter and my daughters, his granddaughters."

Cynthia Chatman, who has been a member of Trinity Baptist since 1985, said James was the kind of pastor who made sure no one in his congregation felt alone.

"You could always come to him and he always had an answer to any questions you had. He was always there. If he was hospitalized, he would try to make it to see you or he would call you on the telephone and he would always pray for you," Chatman said.

She said the street renaming was long overdue.

"I think it's excellent because he ministered here for 45 whole years and he deserves it. It was well deserved," Chatman said.