Thomas Dowdy to Speak at Congregational Life Ministries Dinner

There has been a change of the speaker and topic for the Congregational Life Ministries Dinner at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Tampa, Fla. Thomas Dowdy, an African American pastor serving at Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif., will speak on the topic “Keeping the Faith, Acting in Faith,”

The dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, at 5 p.m.

“In the last year, we have all witnessed so much tension, fear, and hurt in our country. Especially as current events have been part of a growing awareness about racial inequalities and the structural violence that plagues our most vulnerable communities,” said an announcement of the change from Intercultural Ministries director Gimbiya Kettering.

“Many of our congregations have been praying for healing and peace. And still we are seeking and searching to do more. What is a faithful response, in the Brethren tradition, to the violence of racism? What actions could come from our values of community, simple living, and peace? How can our faith be part of the needed work of racial justice?”

Dowdy also is the Wednesday morning preacher at the 2015 Annual Conference. He is a member of the Intercultural Ministries Advisory Committee and is active in Pacific Southwest District leadership. He was part of the committee that wrote the “Separate No More” paper that was adopted by Annual Conference in 2007.

Tickets for the dinner cost $27 and may be purchased onsite at the Annual Conference registration area at the Tampa Convention Center. For detailed information about the 2015 Annual Conference go to www.brethren.org/ac .

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