Warren E. Pittman

Warren Pittman, 94, who was a Mississippi United Methodist minister for 74 years, died at Silver Creek Retirement Community in Olive Branch, Miss., on Nov. 4, 2015. He served as minister of churches in Jackson, Hattiesburg, Forest, Monticello, and Centerville as well as Superintendent for the Brookhaven and Hattiesburg districts of United Methodist churches. He bound copies of all the weekly bulletins at the churches that he served and saved the volumes into retirement.

During the 1960s when many of his fellow Methodist ministers left Mississippi, he stayed to participate in the state's civil rights struggles. In fact, the day after President Kennedy was assassinated; he delivered a message of faith and peace on local radio in Forest --even though the station manager said he should not reveal his name for fear of violent reprisals. The broadcast was published in the local newspaper. He later helped to initiate the merger of Mississippi's two Methodist conferences that had been historically divided by race. In all, he believed in and practiced redemptive love.

He served on the national Methodist Board of Evangelism and three times represented Mississippi Methodist Churches at the denomination's international General Conferences.

He retired from the active ministry in 1989 as Director of the United Methodist Mississippi Conference' Council on Ministries, where he organized clusters of churches to enhance the ministries of smaller churches.

In retirement, he lived in Madison, Tupelo, Hernando and Olive Branch. His beloved wife, Lanita, died in 2003.

He established a summer fellowship program for students from Duke Divinity School to learn from Mississippi's racial reconciliation efforts. He also supported several community ministries including the United Methodist Church's outreach to the Hispanic community in DeSoto County.

The Edwards Street Community Center in Hattiesburg honored him in 2013 by naming its original building for him. He had conceived of the community center and led its start-up in the poorest part of the city when he was Hattiesburg District Superintendent 30 years earlier.

Warren Eugene Pittman was born Sept. 23, 1921, in Slidell, LA, to Thomas E. and Myrtle Pittman and grew up in Picayune, MS, with his brother Harold, who predeceased him. He worked at Bufkin Men's Store in Hattiesburg before going to Millsaps College to prepare for the ministry. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi where he served as student body president. He then earned a master of divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In 1998, Millsaps College awarded him an honorary doctoral degree.

He is survived by his two sons and their wives, Tom (Cyndi) of Hernando and Bob (Veronique) of New York, NY; his sister-in-law Maudell Pittman; five grandsons, Jonathan (Angie), Bo, David, Rob and Andrew; two granddaughters, Cissye and Lucy; and many wonderful nephews and nieces.

Visitation will be 1 p.m. Saturday followed by the funeral at 2 p.m. with Rev. Clint Gill officiating. Both will be at the Parkway Funeral Home, 1161 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that any memorial donations may be sent to the Warren Pittman Christian Mission Endowment at the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, 315 Losher St., Hernando, MS, to benefit the Edwards Street Mission in Hattiesburg.