The Rev. Jay Alford, 75, pastor and activist, dies

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Jay Alford, a longtime pastor active in politics and community affairs, has died.

The Rev. Mr. Alford, 75, pastor of Highway Tabernacle Church in Austintown from 1973 to 2002, died Tuesday. Arrangements are by Lane Funeral Home in Austintown.

“He was a spiritual father to me,” is how the Rev. Rusty Wills, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Poland, described Mr. Alford. “There is a void in my heart.”

The Rev. Mr. Wills said he came to know Mr. Alford through the Greater Youngstown Coalition of Christians, which Mr. Alford helped organize.

Mr. Wills praised Mr. Alford for his work in race relations. “He made a real commitment to demonstrate his beliefs through his own lifestyle,” Mr. Wills said, noting Mr. Alford moved to Youngstown to be involved. “He didn’t just talk about change, he lived it. And did what God called him to do.

“He wasn’t about building a mega church but building the kingdom of God,” Mr. Wills said, noting he thought Mr. Alford was instrumental in the founding of 18 area churches.

Mr. Alford was a local leader in the successful fight to stop two statewide gambling initiatives. Mr. Alford vocally opposed a 1996 ballot referendum to legalize riverboat gambling and a 2006 plan to have casino gambling in Ohio.

He also involved himself in Youngstown politics after retiring from Highway Tabernacle and moving to the city.

Read more in Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com