Preston Robert Washington (August 26, 1948 – June 25, 2003) was a prominent minister of Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
[1][2] He was a co-founder of the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement and held leadership positions from 1986 to 2001, bringing millions of dollars in development projects for housing and retail to the neighborhood.
dissertation was The Black Religious Imagination: A Theological and a Pedagogical Interpretation of the Afro-American Sermon in the Twentieth Century.
[5] In 1976, Washington became a senior pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, serving there until he died in 2003.
"[2] Washington encouraged his congregation to welcome tourists who arrived by busloads to hear gospel music.
[2] Washington even organized the church service so that his preaching would take place after the tourists, many who did not speak English, had left.
"[2] Washington also pushed the role of a church into managing three parks and a jobs skills training program.
[3] He married Renee Frances Washington who also became a minister and assisted at Memorial Baptist Church.