Biography
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was born on March 7, 1913, in Fort Worth, Texas, in a Black family. He was named after the three young men in the book of Daniel who were thrown into the fiery furnace. His father, Sam Lockridge, was a preacher, and the family was of modest means. He grew up in the segregated South in the years before the Depression. He was a lively boy, with a love of music and speech. He attended the local schools and went to Western College in Kansas City, Missouri, where he studied for the ministry. He was ordained as a Baptist minister and began to serve as a pastor.
He held pastorates in Kansas City and Detroit, in the 1940s and early 1950s. He was known for his preaching, which was marked by great rhythm and passion. He had a deep and resonant voice, and he used the old tradition of the Black pulpit, with its call and response, its poetry and its power. He was a man who loved the Scriptures and who knew how to hold a congregation. In 1953, he was called to be pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, California, where he served for forty years, until his retirement in 1993. He built up the church from a small congregation into a large and active body of several thousand. He also served as a leader in the National Baptist Convention.
He was a leader in the civil rights movement. He was an advocate for the rights of Black people and worked to bring about change in San Diego. He was a man who stood for justice, and he preached against racism. He also served on a number of civic boards and was a friend of public officials. He was a counselor to many young people. He was known to be a man of humor and of warm personality. He wrote a number of sermons and spoke at conferences across the nation.
He is best known for a sermon, My King, or That's My King, which he preached in 1976 at a conference in Dallas. It is a short and powerful description of Jesus, which proceeds through a long series of statements, each introduced by the phrase, my King is. He said that his King is the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, the King of righteousness and the King of ages. It builds in force with each line, and it ends in a shout of praise. It was recorded and has been heard by many millions of people. It has been used in churches and on the internet. It is one of the best known pieces of preaching in modern times.
He had weaknesses and trials. He was often away from home, and his family bore the strain. He also had some health trouble. He was known to be a man with strong opinions. He also had to bear with the pains of a long ministry in a racially divided society. He served with courage.
He died on April 4, 2000, in San Diego, at the age of eighty-seven. His life shows the effect of a preacher who stayed in one place and gave a message that has been repeated across the world. His sermon is a lasting gift to the church.