BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " VERNON KING " NEPHEW OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER Dr MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr WAS ALSO A BAPTIST MINISTER : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                                 BLACK   SOCIAL   HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Vernon King, MLK Nephew, Dies In N.C. 

By W. WINSTON SKINNER                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Vernon C. King, son of a Newnan pastor and nephew of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died. Vernon King was also a Baptist minister. He was serving as pastor of senior pastor of St. James Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., when he died on May 1 at 48. His father, Alfred Daniel Williams King, became pastor of Mount Vernon First Baptist Church in Newnan in 1959 just a few months before Vernon King was born. 

"He only pastored four churches, and one of them was Mount Vernon," Dianne Wood of the African-American Alliance said of A.D. King. Mount Vernon was the first pastorate for the recent Morehouse graduate. A.D. King next pastored in Birmingham and was pastor at Zion Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., before returning to historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he was co-pastor with his father. The co-pastorate at the historic Atlanta church lasted only about a year. A.D. King came to Ebenezer after his brother was assassinated in 1968. A.D. King, an accomplished swimmer, died July 21, 1969, in what was officially deemed a drowning accident. A memorial service for Vernon King was held on May 7 at St. James. A second service followed on May 9 at Ebenezer. Vernon King was born in Atlanta on Sept. 6, 1960. He received a bachelor of arts degree in religion in 1983 from Morehouse College. From September 1986 to June 1988, he continued his education at Emory University's Candler School of Religion, where he concentrated his studies in pastoral care and church administration. On April 12, 1987, Vernon King was ordained at Ebenezer. He served as senior pastor of the Spirit Creek Baptist Church in Augusta from 1992-1997 and senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fairmont, N.C., from 1997-2000. Vernon King had served as chaplain of Union Corrections administered by the Atlanta Bureau of Corrections and chaplain of the Georgia Restoration Center. He also had been a pastoral counselor for Southside Psychology Clinic in East Point, Ga. Vernon King was host and producer of "Coping with Christ," a radio talk show, from 1990-1992. He was involved in many civic and religious organizations. He was part of Augustians United, a bi-racial group, during his time in the eastern Georgia city. Vernon King served on the boards of the King Center and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference board of directors, an organization his uncle helped found. Martin Luther King III, on behalf of the King family, issued a statement following his cousin's death: "With great sadness, I announce the death of my beloved cousin, the Rev. Vernon Christopher King, a wonderful man who served God and humanity with remarkable dedication and a beautiful spirit of humility. To me he was like a brother and to all of our family, he will remain forever dear in our hearts. He will be sorely missed, as well, by his congregation and his many friends and admirers." Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Robin Scott King of Washington, DC., and their two daughters, Victoria Chelsea and Venus Chantel King. He is also survived by his mother, Naomi B. King; a sister, Dr. Alveda C. King; and a brother, the Rev. Derek B. King Sr. In addition to his father, a brother, Alfred King II, and a sister, Ms. Darlene King, preceded him in death.