WACO, TX — A pastor at Mighty Wind Worship Center passed away this weekend after weeks of battling COVID-19.
Pastor Marshall passed away early Saturday morning. While his time here on Earth was short, the impact he made in the Waco community will last for generations to come.
Pastor Marshall Lopez not only had a calling to share the Gospel, but also had a calling to love people.
“He was one of the first people I ever heard talk about reaching out and doing more in the community, and then later on in my life, as a principal here at Cesar Chavez Middle, he was one of the first ones to come up to talk about what we can continue to do for the kids here to reach above and beyond to try to get them to be strong leaders,”said Cesar Chavez Middle School Principle, Alonzo Mcadoo.
“I started studying for a sociology degree, so that I could do the same thing. Inspire kids. Inspire the young, and make a difference in my community,”said Mary Jane Evans, a former student and volunteer of Pastor Marshall.
Pastor Marshall especially had a passion for inspiring future leaders and being a role model for younger generations. He developed the Dare to Dream program to bring words of encouragement to young kids at Cesar Chavez Middle School.
“Every Friday morning at 7:15 they will come in and they will lead the kids in inspirational quotes and inspirational words and just be positive. Giving them a sense of positivity to start the day off right for Friday and going into the weekend knowing that they have people that believe in them,”said Mcadoo.
He also was the founder of Right Track Ministries which created a support system for local juveniles.
“Write letters, visit them, encouraging them the same way he encourages the kids at Dare to Dream... Just that they are so much more and that they didn’t give up on him,”said Evans.
Pastor Marshall’s words of encouragement not only impact hundreds of kids today, but still continues to make an impact later on in life.
“He would also say ‘be great,’ and that’s something I see my kids repeat that phrase. Be great. I’m just glad I got to witness that. I got to be a part of it,”said Mcadoo.
“It was when I was 12 years old. I’m 31 years old now. To see that, now I know exactly where that passion came from,”said Evans.
The family is still making the funeral arrangements at this time. Mary Jane says she has faith that the Right Track Ministries and the Dare to Dream Program will continue on.
