Clark Memorial United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church’s motto is “Open heart. Open Minds. Open doors.” Well here at Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, they have a long history of opening hearts, minds, and doors. It began after the Civil War with the establishment of Clarke Chapel in 1865. The original location was on the southern edge of downtown. 

The congregation moved here and changed its name to Clark Memorial Methodist Church in 1945. During the Civil Rights movement, this building was a major site of nonviolent action workshops. It began with Dr. Matthew Walker Sr. who was a member of the church and also a doctor and professor at Meharry. Given the church’s proximity to Fisk, Meharry, and TSU, Dr. Walker arranged for training sessions to be held at Clark Memorial.

Most of these training sessions were led by the Rev. James Lawson Jr.. Lawson was a divinity student at Vanderbilt University who was later expelled for his role in the Nashville sit-ins in 1960. So, what was his role? Between 1953 and 1956, Reverend Lawson lived as a Methodist minister in Nagpur, India, where he studied Gandhi’s nonviolent techniques. He brought those techniques to Nashville. In 1958, Lawson began training local college students in the practice of nonviolent action. Many of these workshops were held right here at Clark. 

According to Jessica Bliss of the Tennessean, the students had a lot of questions: “What if someone spat on them? What if a friend was attacked? What if they were hurt? For every question the young black men and women posed to James Lawson, the reverend had one response: You will not fight back.” They were asked to role play—some acting as violent segregationists—others as nonviolent resisters. Their intense preparation paid off when Nashville lunch counters began the desegregation process.

Then, in 1961, Clark Memorial Methodist Church hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference. More than 50 years later, the church continues to serve the Nashville community with “Open Hearts. Open Minds. And Open Doors.”

Head back down 14th Ave North toward Jackson St. and turn RIGHT onto Jackson. Fisk University is just ahead on your right. You can find street parking or turn into the small lot behind the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library to listen to this stop or walk around the campus.