Grateful members of the Indianapolis community are remembering the life of Pastor Landrum E. Shields.
A prominent minister and longtime civic leader, Shields, who was 84, died on Monday.
He was pastor of Covenant Community Church, which he established in 1994.
He was well known for his community activism.
In 1967, he became the first African-American president of the Indianapolis Public Schools Board of Commissioners, and in 1984 founded the Indianapolis chapter of 100 Black Men, a youth mentoring organization.
Shields also served as president of the Interdenominational Ministers Alliance of Indianapolis, and chaplain of the Indianapolis Airport and Fire Department.
Weary of divisions among Christian denominations during his career as a minister, Shields formed Covenant Community Church as a friendly congregation designed to give people a sense of belonging.
“We’re not interested in becoming a mega church, but one in which we are able to have a care partner relationship with each other,” Shields explained in an interview with the Recorder last year. “We emphasize helping each other and people in need.”
Shields was preceded in death by his wife Marjorie, who died in 2001, and is survived by their four children.
Services for Shields include a calling on July 5 from noon until 8 p.m. at Covenant Community Church, 5640 Cooper Rd. Funeral services will be July 6 at Light of the World Church, 4646 Michigan Rd., with calling at 9 a.m. and the funeral service at 11 a.m.
