Special to IFN
Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, a renowned public theologian and preacher, will be the guest lecturer for the 2024 Davis Lectures series scheduled for November 17-18, at Grace Baptist Church in Statesville.
Voicing a prophetic and progressive Christian faith, Butler will speak on the Christian church’s response to what is happening today in our country and communities.
“Amy is truly one of the finest preachers in the country,” said Dr. Steve Shoemaker, pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “We are delighted to bring her all the way from her home in Hawai’i where she currently serves as Designated Pastor at the Community Church of Honolulu. Following this year’s election, Amy will speak to the importance of moving forward by building deep and connected community and relationships.”
Butler will talk Sunday, November 17, and Monday, November 18, at 7 p.m. on the general theme, “Where Do We Go From Here,” focusing on faith communities and their role in this moment. Each 45-minute lecture will be followed by a time of reflection and discussion with the audience.
She will also preach at the 11 a.m. service at Grace on November 17. “Letting Go For Dear Life” is the title of her sermon, based on Matthew 13:1-9.
These events are free and open to the public.
Butler is the founder and director of Invested Faith, a non-profit whose mission is to help churches and religious organizations discover innovative way to invest their resources in service of the ministry of Jesus. Before that, she served for five years as the seventh Senior Minister and first woman at the helm of The Riverside Church in New York City. She holds degrees from Baylor University, the International Baptist Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary.
Her professional ministry career began as the director of a homeless shelter for women in New Orleans, La. She later became Associate Pastor of Membership and Mission at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. In 2003, Rev. Butler was called to the position of Senior Minister of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, where she was also the first woman to lead that historic congregation.
Her recently published book, “Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other” will be available for purchase at the lectures. In it, Butler draws on the most meaningful, challenging, and soul-shaking moments of her own life to offer larger lessons on theology and relationships.
Though leading institutions of faith in today’s society can be one of the most challenging roles of leadership, Dr. Butler is optimistic about the impact that faith communities have on the world, said Shoemaker.
“That is one of the main reasons Grace started the lecture series in 2002 – to offer the community a concentrated study of scripture that includes current topics, serious inquiry and honest dialogue,” he explained.
The late Dr. Richard T. Davis, a retired minister and chaplain from Durham, led the first series. In honor of his efforts and commitment to the endeavor, the congregation named the series for him and his wife – the Richard and Barbara Davis Lectures. The series has featured a number of respected religious scholars and authors, including John Dominic Crossan, Phyllis Trible, Diana Butler Bass, Brian McLaren, Lauren Winner, Obrey Hendrix, Gary West and Amy Jill Levine.
Thanks to the continued support of the church and community, the Davis Lectures are open to the community at no cost.
Located at 719 Club Drive in Statesville, Grace Baptist was organized in 1971 as an alternative Southern Baptist congregation. It withdrew from the SBC and is now aligned with the Alliance of Baptists, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. The congregation reflects a variety of regional religious backgrounds with a common faith that is committed to being a servant church where every member is a minister.
LEARN MORE
More information about the Lectures series can be found at www.gracestatesville.org.