Every year at the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference, we pause to pay tribute to a preacher whose ministry should be remembered. This year, we honored the late Dr. E.V. Hill Sr.
E.V. Hill was the longtime pastor of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Pastor Hill touched a generation with his gospel preaching, community leadership, charitable work, racial reconciliation, and media ministries. He was also the author of A Savior Worth Having and Victory In Jesus.
Dr. Hill and my father were good friends. He officiated my dad’s funeral. He led the meeting when I was called to serve the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church installed me as pastor. Until his death, Pastor Hill counseled, encouraged, and supported my ministry.
The late Dr. C.A.W. Clark used to preach a well-attended revival in Los Angeles every year. One year, Dr. Clark had to go home early for a funeral. The host pastor asked me to preach the last night of the meeting. It was a suicide mission for a young preacher. Dr. Hill introduced me that night. My ministry credibility was established in Los Angeles largely because Pastor Hill endorsed me.