Pastor of Bombed Alabama Church, John H. Cross Jr., Passes Away
Reverend John H. Cross Jr., the heroic pastor who dug through the rubble looking for survivors after his Alabama church was bombed in 1963 passed away at the age of 82. During the blast, four young girls were killed, becoming additional tragedies during the civil rights movement. Cross presided over the solemn funeral services of the girls and Martin Luther King Jr. delivered memorable eulogies as well.
Cross had a very full, meaningful life in the service of God and his congregations. Cross became the pastor of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1962. The bombing occurred in 1963 during a youth service practice. Cross spent the years after the bombing working to reconcile the pain and conflict between the people of all races. In 1968, he went to the Alabama State University to become the director of the Baptist Student Center. In 1972, Cross became the associate pastor of Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur. From 1977 to 1989, he was the black church relations director for the Atlanta Baptist Association.
Cross suffered a series of strokes in recent months which lead to his death this week.