Keith Aaron Lee

The journey for the REVEREND K. AARON LEE began on February 20, 1947. He was born to Jake and Velma Hamilton Lee in Detroit, Michigan. After attending Detroit Public School, Aaron went o to Wayne State University where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Psychology. He then pursued a career in teaching middle school (Oakland, CA). During a home visitation, Aaron accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He was baptized in a Pentecostal church in Detroit. He was re-baptized when he joined First Union Baptist Church in San Francisco, California, where he met Annie Price. After accepting the call to the ministry of sharing the Good News, he was led to New Liberation Presbyterian Church (San Francisco) where Aaron was invited by the Rev. Dr. Hannibal Williams to be the Lay Youth Minister. He later enrolled in the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo. During the first year of Seminary, he married Annie Price who now had become the love of his life. He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. At the time of his death, Rev. Lee was pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.While enrolled in Seminary, he served as a Student Intern at the Orick Presbyterian Church (Orick, California). He served as Interim Pastor of Orick Presbyterian Church. He returned to Seminary for his final year of Seminary. Upon completion of Seminary, Rev. Lee received a call as Lay Youth Minister at First Presbyterian Church of Newark (Calif.). After one year, he was called to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, Calif., where he was ordained as Pastor. After five years, the Lord called him to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. After six years, the Lord called him to Organizing Pastor for New Imani Community Church.Rev. Lee has served at every level of Presbyterian Church governance, including but not limited to Commissioner to General Assembly, and a member of Synod and Presbytery committees. His most recent church-wide involvement was membership and chairing the New Church Development Committee of Baltimore Presbytery. Rev. Lee respected both the policy of the Presbyterian Church and the spirituality of the African-American tradition. He had the vision of a church that would be fully Presbyterian in its governance, fully Africentric in orientation, and global in its population.Rev. Lee’s knowledge of God’s word was maintained by a passionate desire to teach that word faithfully and accurately. He committed himself to fulfill whatever the task demanded, even if it required personal sacrifices. Because, for Rev. Lee, church was an all-consuming passion, Seeking God’s perfect will was first and foremost.As organizing pastor of New Imani Community Church, Rev. Lee placed emphasis on sharing the good news (Evangelism Explosion), being a ministry of clarity (Bible Study), providing discipleship training, and praising God through high technology. His last revelation was to initiate a ministry of healing.Having a heart for youth, Rev. Lee encouraged the young people to provide ministry ideas. Our children’s choir “Ashe Kids” resulted when the children assembled together singing in the sanctuary while the adults fellowshipped after Worship. (He even served as Day Care Provider). Another passion was music. When needed, he would provide piano accompaniment for services. Additionally, he wrote music and at times would use original music during services. He provided premarital counseling to many couples. He was and advocate for social justice. He served as former co-chair of BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development) and was actively involved in BCON (Baltimore County Organizing Neighborhoods). He was on the Board of Directors for Liberty Assistance, Inc. He could interact with people no matter what their gender. Ethnicity or socioeconomic status. He had and open door policy. He felt comfortable interacting with the upper class as well as the impoverished.As a New Church Development Pastor, he opened his home and heart to all of the members of meetings, fellowship and retreats. He was a keep-it-real person whose sense of humor ministered to the whole person. This was evident in his interaction with those students hungry for God’s word. He loved to entertain and took considerable pleasure in the art of cooking food on the grill. He may even have considered himself the Barbeque King.His interests included global travel. He traveled to the Ivory Coast, pilgrimage to the Holy Land, including Egypt (Cairo), Japan, Germany, Mexico and Canada. He told last week’s Bible Study class that he wanted to see six of the seven continents; he had no interest in Antarctica. If it was possible for Rev. Lee to drive to all the continents, this would have been accomplished because we can all agree that Rev. Lee drove like a New York cab drives.While most of us slumbered, God called Aaron home. On the seventh day of August, 2005, K. Aaron Lee completed his earthly journey.Predeceased by father and brother, Aaron is survived by his devoted wife, Annie; two sons, Daniel and Emmanuel; daughter, Kristen; godson, Tyreik McLennon; his mother, Mrs. Velma Lee; mother-in-law, Mrs. Leonia Price; brother-in-law, Wilbert Jackie Price (Toni), sisters-in-law, Wanda Jones and Tina Price Swan; nephew, Leroy Jones; nieces, Delmonique Burlison and Doretha Jones; a best friend, Rev. Les Ransom, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Keith Aaron Lee

February 20, 1947 - August 7, 2005