Black Church Summit speakers announced

Black Church Summit speakers announced

21 Jan 09 12:00 AM EST

National Black Justice Coalition Announces
4th Annual Black Church Summit

Speakers and guests to include
NAACP President Alice Huffman and Bishop Yvette Flunder

The National Black Justice Coalition will have its fourth annual Black Church Summit on March 28th, 2009 at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, CA. Speakers and guests at this year's event include national leaders in the civil rights movement alongside high profile speakers in the national Black church.

Featured speakers are Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, the Presiding Bishop of the Fellowship and Senior Pastor of City of Refuge United Church of Christ, and Rev. Frederick Haynes III of Dallas, TX. These powerful spiritual leaders have been empowering people to change their lives and the world for decades. They will be joined by dynamic special guests Rev. Deborah L. Johnson, Rev. Byron Williams, California NAACP President Alice Huffman and others.

This historic event is particularly important in the aftermath of the recently passed Proposition 8 in California, and the issues that surfaced during and after this election will make for a lively and sorely-needed conversation on race relations and the state of the LGBT movement. The theme of the summit is "We've come this far by faith."

Topics to be discussed include:

Allies In Partnership With Justice
We've Come This Far By Faith
State of Black LGBT People Of Faith: Where Do We Go From Here?
Presentation of the Pioneer in Faith Award

Featured Speakers

Rev. Dr. Frederick Haynes III
Dallas, TX

Dr. Haynes has received numerous awards and recognition. Like great preachers before him, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College. In 2000, he was invited by 42 nd U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton to participate in dialogue regarding issues impacting the African-American community. And he has spoken on national platforms, including the National Urban League Convention.

For 26 years, Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes, III has made it his mission to empower changed people to change the world. His message is clear: If Christians are to positively impact the world, they must be willing to minister beyond the walls of the church.

As senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church since 1983, Dr. Haynes leads one of the largest church congregations in Dallas. In the last decade alone, the 31-year-old church has grown from approximately 500 members to over 8000 members.

Bishop Dr. Yvette Flunder
San Francisco, CA

Rev. Flunder founded the City of Refuge Community Church UCC in 1991 in order to unite a gospel ministry with a social ministry. City of Refuge is a thriving inner-city congregation that celebrates the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ.

In 1984 Rev. Flunder began performing and recording with "Walter Hawkins and the Family" and the Love Center Choir. Rev. Flunder is also an ordained Minister of the United Church of Christ and a graduate of the Ministry Studies and Master of Arts programs at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California. In June 2003 Rev. Flunder was consecrated Presiding Bishop of Refuge Ministries/Fellowship 2000 a multi-denominational fellowship of 50+ primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing churches and faith-based organizations from all parts of the country and Africa.

Responding to the needs of the AIDS epidemic, Rev. Flunder and her staff opened Hazard-Ashley House and Walker House in Oakland and Restoration House in San Francisco through the Ark of Refuge, Inc., a non-profit agency which provides housing, direct services, education and training for persons affected by HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area, throughout the USA and in three countries in Africa.