Joel Mac Davenport, devoted churchman, dies at 54

JOEL MAC Davenport Sr. was a member of Morris Chapel Baptist Church in the 1970s, but he had a special liking for a young lady who was attending another church.

He found that if he wanted to date the girl, she and her family insisted he attend their church, Holy Cross Lutheran.

So, he transferred his allegiance from the Baptists to the Lutherans and he and the young lady, Patricia Ann Curtis, dated. On Jan. 20, 1973, they were married.

Theirs was a very special marriage. They became charter members of two ministries designed to support couples who desire to strengthen their marital vows - CURE (Couples United for Relationship Enrichment), and CARE (Couples Alliance for Relationship Enhancement.)

"Joe and Pat allowed their marriage to serve as an example to the lives of every couple they met," his family said in an obituary.

Joel Davenport, a 31-year supervisor for the Masonry Preservation Group, Merchantville, N.J.; founder with his wife of the Spirit & Truth Worship Center in Yeadon, and a onetime semi-pro football player and marathon runner died Oct. 23 of heart failure. He was 54 and lived in Mount Airy.

He was born in Albany, Ga., to Calvin Davenport Sr. and the former Gussie Lee McLeod. The family moved to Philadelphia in 1963, and Joel graduated from Thomas Edison High School in 1972. He took liberal-arts courses at Community College of Philadelphia.

Joel joined Morris Chapel Baptist Church shortly after arriving in the city.

A dedicated athlete, Joel played for several years with the Philadelphia Saints and Venango Bears semipro football teams. He participated every year in the Broad Street Run and the Philadelphia Marathon.

After becoming a Lutheran, Joel served a number of times as a delegate to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America assemblies, and was a member of the African American Lutheran Association and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Committee on Discipline.

In 2001, he and his wife founded the Spirit & Truth Worship Center for worshippers of African descent. Starting with a membership of two, the center now has more than 200 congregants.

It was chartered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in December 2005.

Joel was a graduate of the Faith-Leadership Academy and the Pennsylvania Diakonia, programs of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod designed to equip and instruct laity to further their work in the ministry. In 2004, Joel graduated from the Melvin Floyd School of Evangelism, run by a former Philadelphia police officer.

"Joel had a heart for evangelism and a lifelong desire to further his walk with the Lord," his family wrote. "He was never above serving on a committee or working to renovate or clean the church property."

Joel was a lover of music, and never missed an opportunity to lift his voice in praise with the choirs of Holy Lutheran Church, the Spirit & Truth Center and other places of worship.

He enjoyed working with young people, especially in sports programs. For seven years, he served as a chaperone and parent adviser for the city Department of Recreation swim teams.

Besides his wife of 35 years, he is survived by three sons, Joel Mac Davenport Jr., Jamar Davenport and Dwayne Frazier; a daughter, Shanena Davenport Fogan; two brothers, Calvin and Ryan Davenport; three sisters, Donna Farrow, Kathy Davenport and Lynn Davenport, and three grandchildren.

Services: 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Spirit & Truth Worship Center, 1000 Church Lane, Yeadon. Friends may call at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Mount Lawn Cemetery, Sharon Hill. *