User:Jonathan Jennings/Dr. Raymond P. Jennings

Dr. Raymond Polson Jennings March 28,1924 - April 4, 2006

Raymond P. Jennings was a Baptist Minister with his first church in 1942, a non-denominational congregation, Prairie Town Community Church, near Cameron, Missouri where services were held in an abandoned school house on the prairie. Ray was The University Chaplin and Teacher at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama, Japan from 1950 - 1960. He became an American Baptist Minister affiliated with the Pacific Coast Baptist Association and believed in an All Inclusive Church. Towards the end of his 62 year career in Christian Ministry Ray was the Director of Communications for International Ministries for the Division of Communication (Reporter/Analyst) and traveled the World for twelve years playing the devils advocate. In his retirement Ray served as interim pastor to eight congregations and was a board member of the Seafarers Mission of the Golden Gate.

Ray was pastor of numerous churches throughout his life but most notable was his ministry beginning 1968 at Berkeley First Baptist Church in California. In Berkeley with the civil unrest of students and residents demonstrating in support of French Students at the University of Paris at Nanterre and Sorbonne University in Paris Ray felt more like a Pastor then he ever had in his career. Seeing a demonstrator being needlessly beaten by police from his living room window Ray stepped outside and asked the officer to show some restraint but was met with a billy club to the thigh. Rays ministry began anew in the following days meeting with then City Council Member Ronald V. Dellums and befriending Fred Cody owner of Cody's Books on Telegraph Avenue. ...