Rev. Dr. Evelyn C. Graves; Yeadon Church, Drama School, Theater Founder Dies at 87

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Rev. Dr. Evelyn C. Graves
Image via the Graves family.

The founder of Evelyn Graves Ministries Church — encompassing a drama production company, a drama school and a private Southwest Philadelphia Christian church — died Sunday at her Folcroft home, writes Valerie Russ for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Rev. Dr. Evelyn C. Graves was 87.

The drama company performed all over the United States and in the Caribbean, South Korea, and South Africa.

Rev. Graves wrote many of the plays it produced.

Graves’ focus was on the community, creating programs, a day-care center, employment services, a monthly food bank, clothing drives, homeless outreaches, and assistance measures for those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

In the 1960s and 1970s, she worked to reduce Philadelphia’s gang violence, said her daughter, Cassandra Graves, the assistant pastor at her mother’s church.

“She was a loving and caring mother,” her daughter said. “She taught us good principles. She always told us, ‘We are servants of the people.’”

Rev. Graves received a 1995 citation from President Bill Clinton and a 2015 certificate of appreciation from President Barack Obama.

In 2016 part of Woodland Avenue was renamed “Dr. Evelyn Graves Way.”

Read more in The Philadelphia Inquirer about the life of Rev. Dr. Evelyn C. Graves.

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