Rev. Reginald Bachus reflects on mentorship from the late Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts
NEW YORK -- Friends and colleagues continue to share memories of the Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts.
The leader of Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church died Friday. CBS2's Jessi Mitchell spoke with a Brooklyn-based pastor who followed in his mentor's footsteps.
From the pulpit to the pavement, Rev. Butts made a stance that made waves. Rev. Reginald Bachus grew up a third-generation preacher from Kansas, and recognized the presence of prominence at Abyssinian.
"He has been, I think, one of the foremost models that we've seen nationally, particularly in a Baptist church, with what he has been able to do across the wide spectrum of his engagement at all levels for the advancement of our people," Bachus said.
READ MORE: Abyssinian Baptist Church marks first Sunday without leader Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts
Bachus' grandfather once took a young Butts under his wing at the National Baptist Convention, a gesture returned when Rev. Butts brought Bachus into his ministry team in 2015, leaving behind his post as senior pastor of Mount Ollie Baptist Church in Brooklyn.
"I treated it as an apprenticeship to learn all that I could, but for me it wasn't just exclusively the church space," Bachus said.
Bachus quickly took interest in the Abyssinian Development Corporation, and took over its $2 billion portfolio.
"It started me on this path where I saw real estate as the most viable means for social uplift," Bachus said.
"What did you learn from that experience at Abyssinian and bring back to the church you once led?" Mitchell asked.
"A friend once told me that maybe the Lord sent you there o get a firsthand up-and-personal view of the infrastructure you'll need to bring back to Brownsville and the wider city," Bachus said.
Bachus returned to lead Mount Ollie in 2020 and created the 400 Foundation to advance development opportunities for his community -- in the 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American soil.
The pastors' shared passion ensures the work will continue.
There was a prayer vigil service underway at the Abyssinian Baptist Church with the Butts family on Tuesday night.
The funeral arrangements include viewings on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the church, and again Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. That will be followed by a homegoing celebration at 2 p.m.
