Rev. Sterling King Jr., a community activist and past leader of Macedonia Baptist Church in Bethesda, died Feb. 23.
“He was a man of great integrity, of impeachable character,” said Rev. Segu Adebayo, who succeeded King as pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church. “He was, for me, a special mentor and a great friend and role model.”
During Juneteenth Freedom Day in 2021, King, of Silver Spring, received the African American Living Legends Awards from Montgomery County for his “leadership in helping shape the cultural heritage of the African American community.”
In a video entitled Advice for Future Leaders, King said, “Serve with integrity. Serve with honesty. Do not try to be something that you are not.”
King was the spiritual leader at Macedonia Baptist Church from 1988 to 2016. He served on many boards, including Interfaith Works, during the time that organization was called Community Ministry of Montgomery County. Interfaith Works CEO Courtney Hall called him “a towering figure in our community as a faith leader and a tireless advocate for equality and civil rights.”
He attended Howard University School of Divinity. He retired from Howard University in 2010 as a tenured associate professor in the School of Business and chairperson of the Department of Management.
He was pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church for 28 years. He served as president of the Black Ministers’ Conference of Montgomery County from 1999 to 2001 and was also on the education committee.
We mourn the passing of community leader and former IW board member Rev. Dr. Sterling King Jr. Read IW CEO Courtney Hall's statement. https://t.co/7vpPUCaOeY pic.twitter.com/s3h7P0kvnL
— Interfaith Works (@InterfaithWorks) February 24, 2022
