On September 11-13, 2023 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm nightly, Union Baptist Church will present a three-day forum focused on the Black church in America, “Intergenerational Issues Impacting Black Churches”.
Clergy, laypeople, historians, political scientists, sociologists, educators, and the community at large would benefit from this forum.
Day One’s theme is “Black Churches and Generational Change: Sixty Years Since the March on Washington” and will be facilitated by Dr. R. Drew Smith, Professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Days Two and Three will be facilitated by Mr. Frederick E. O’Neal, and the theme is “The Intergenerational Witness: Perspectives on Today’s Black Church”.
These two renowned religious scholars will delve into the metamorphosis of the Black church over the generations since the mid-20th century. Dr. R. Drew Smith and Mr. Frederick E. O’Neal will examine social, economic, cultural, and political influences that have shaped and continue to shape the Black church experience. They will analyze the diverse interests, lifestyles, beliefs, and conditions within the Black community that have contributed to the evolution of the Black church over the years. The needs, desires, and expectations of Black church members of various ages and classes and how these factors shape the Black church experience will also be explored.
Forum participants will gain a deeper understanding of the history of the Black church over the last 60 years, and how its status is related to the ever-evolving environment. The hope is that a greater awareness of the origins, iterations, and influences connecting the Black Church and the community at large will inspire a greater respect for and infusion into the Black Church going forward.
Anyone interested in attending should complete the pre-registration form by clicking the icon below.
Ministers are asked to please share this information with their congregation; all others are asked to please share this information with your Facebook friends (including sororities and fraternities) and other social media and email connections.
The forum will also be also streamed on YouTube and Union’s Facebook Live.
Union Baptist Church, located at 405 West Seventh Street in Cincinnati’s West End, has been a beacon of light and spiritual enlightenment in the local community and beyond since its inception in 1831, the oldest local African American Baptist church on record.
Rev. Dr. Orlando B. Yates, Union’s current pastor since 1988, is a man of God who seeks to serve this present age, his calling to fulfill. This three-day forum is one of the many initiatives under his leadership that seeks to educate, influence, and draw the broader community closer to God.
