Wright and Boesak helping Emmanuel mark anniversary
(Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright will speak.)
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1075 Shalimar Drive, is marking its Centennial this month.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the congregation and community will hear from Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright at a 100th anniversary banquet that will be held at 6 p.m. at the Greek Orthodox Church at 435 Keating Drive.
In 2008, Wright became pastor emeritus of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, where he served for 36 years. President Obama and the First Family were once members of Trinity United Church of Christ.
Through a combination of his studies of West African music and Judeo-Christian thought, Wright has created ministries to address the needs of the community to enrich the lives and faith of his congregants.
Wright is a co-founder of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Pastors Conference and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Virginia Union University, The Kwame Nkruamah Academy and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference. In addition, he also co-founded the Center for African American Theological Studies in Chicago (CAATS).
Boesak
At the 10 a.m. worship service on Sunday, Oct. 19, Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak will speak. He is the Desmond Tutu Chair of Peace, Global Justice and Reconciliation Studies at Butler University and the Christian Theological Seminary.
A native of South Africa, he is a tireless advocate for social justice. Since gaining international acclaim for his doctoral dissertation, “Farewell to Innocence,” nearly four decades ago, Rev. Boesak has emerged as one of the world’s preeminent authorities on liberation theology. A prolific writer, Rev. Boesak has authored 17 books, and edited or co-edited four, in addition to publishing numerous articles on theology and politics.
In 1914, when it was founded, Emmanuel held services in a rented house in the 1300 block of Excelsior St. It has had many powerful leaders over the years, including its current pastor, Dr. John Mendez. Ironically, Mendez and his wife, Sarah, are celebrating their 31st anniversary this month as Emmanuel’s First Family.
