|
|
Central United Methodist Church
Reverend Edwin Rowe
Central United Methodist Church
23 East Adams
Detroit, MI 48226
313-965-5422
23 East Adams
Detroit, MI 48226
313-965-5422
© Copyright 2010
Central United Methodist Church-
Detroit, MI
All Rights reserved
Updated:12/21/10 hpd
Central United Methodist Church-
Detroit, MI
All Rights reserved
Updated:12/21/10 hpd
Central United Methodist Church
23 East Adams Street
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone:313.965.5422
23 East Adams Street
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone:313.965.5422
The Reverend Edwin A. Rowe was born in Ottawa, Canada and moved to the east side of Detroit
at the age of 4 months. He is a graduate of Denby High School. Ed was motivated to enter the
ministry after introducing himself to Reverend John Jury, whose church was being picketed by the
John Birch Society. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Adrian College.
Reverend Rowe received a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Theological Seminary in 1971 where he was a leader of the Seminarians Organized for Racial Justice, which was part of a movement to shut down the seminary and to demand that it teach a curriculum relevant to the social movements of that period. He served as a student intern at churches on the west side of Chicago, during the 1968 civil unrest which followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Later he became a community organizer for the South Shore Commission in Chicago.
Reverend Rowe received a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Theological Seminary in 1971 where he was a leader of the Seminarians Organized for Racial Justice, which was part of a movement to shut down the seminary and to demand that it teach a curriculum relevant to the social movements of that period. He served as a student intern at churches on the west side of Chicago, during the 1968 civil unrest which followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Later he became a community organizer for the South Shore Commission in Chicago.
Reverend Rowe considers it a great privilege to have served many advocacy ministries and
progressive congregations within the United Methodist Church thought out his career. As Director
of the Pontiac Ecumenical Ministry and Pontiac Citizens Coalition, he led efforts to organize
citizens to revitalize inner city churches and address the issues of quality education safe and
affordable housing and health care for the poor. These efforts resulted in the creation of the
Pontiac Light House, Women's Survival Shelter, and the Pontiac Citizens Coalition Federal Credit
Union. He rode Pontiac school buses to protect students during the cross district busing unrest.
Appointed director of the Wayne State University Wesley Foundation in 1980, Reverend Rowe created monthly student forums on
issues of peace, justice and non-violence. Other activities included the sponsorship of a teach-in on the American involvement in El
Salvador featuring former Ambassador Robert White.
As senior pastor at Cass Community United Methodist Church in the Cass Corridor , Ed oversaw five different centers of outreach ministry: the Activities Center for the Developmentally Disabled; the Interfaith Hospitality Ministry including a homeless drop-in center and rotating shelter for Wayne County; the Senior Activities Center; Project SCOUT offering case management services for senior citizens, and a food program that provided hot breakfast, delivered lunches to shut-ins and emergency packaged food. He served on the Board of Directors of the Concerned Citizens of the Cass Corridor and the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation. He was part of the establishment of Tent City in Detroit to bring attention to the plight of the homeless at a time when public housing stood empty and participated in two marches to the state capitol to protest welfare cuts.
As senior pastor at Cass Community United Methodist Church in the Cass Corridor , Ed oversaw five different centers of outreach ministry: the Activities Center for the Developmentally Disabled; the Interfaith Hospitality Ministry including a homeless drop-in center and rotating shelter for Wayne County; the Senior Activities Center; Project SCOUT offering case management services for senior citizens, and a food program that provided hot breakfast, delivered lunches to shut-ins and emergency packaged food. He served on the Board of Directors of the Concerned Citizens of the Cass Corridor and the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation. He was part of the establishment of Tent City in Detroit to bring attention to the plight of the homeless at a time when public housing stood empty and participated in two marches to the state capitol to protest welfare cuts.
Ed was appointed senior pastor to Central United Methodist Church, in downtown Detroit in 1994. This ministry includes the NOAH
project which offers social services, health care and feeds 29,000 bag lunches to the homeless each year, a Value Shop providing
clothing for low income Detroiters, the Peace for Youth project to teach non-violence to public school students, and the Swords Into
Plowshares Peace Gallery, a visual arts gallery dedicated to peace. It supports partner organizations such as Welfare Rights advocacy
for the poor and Safe Journeys, which works with victims of domestic violence. He has been part of the movement to defeat of
Proposition E, which would have continued the state take over of the Detroit school board. He was a leader in supporting the Detroit
News and Free Press strikers and has been part of delegations to Iraq and Palestine to promote peace. He continues to be a leader in
the peace and justice movements, involving him in many aspects of this work both locally and globally.
Reverend Rowe has two children, Krista and Ryan. He is married to Nida Donar, also an outstanding activist in the community.
Reverend Rowe has two children, Krista and Ryan. He is married to Nida Donar, also an outstanding activist in the community.