by Marcus Allen, Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Madison
For the last several months, I have been partnering with Upper House to plan and host an innovative event coming up this month— the Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit.
When I approached Upper House with the idea, the Midwest GPS took on the shape I had hoped for—a spiritually invigorating event that will uplift and equip preachers and pastors of diverse congregations. How it might help us advance the kingdom of God in Madison and the surrounding region is something we can only imagine.
I want you to be a part of it, to glean from the riches of African American preaching through the teaching of three nationally-known preachers who have a passion for training pastors and ministers: the Rev. Dr. Jerry M. Carter, Jr., the Rev. Dr. Carolyn Ann Knight, and the Rev. Dr. George Lewis Parks, Jr.
These pastors bring their PhDs and seminary-level training to Madison to invigorate our vision and elevate our teaching and service to our congregations and local communities. In their plenary sessions, they will both teach and preach about Christ’s Life, Death, and Resurrection, combining sound theology with revival passion. Together they represent decades of experience in training seminarians, as well as years of service shepherding congregations.
As we’re all facing different challenges post-lockdown, I believe this time together will deepen us personally as well as communally, that this gathering will help us pursue our work afresh and more attuned to how God is moving and wants to move in us as we declare Christ and God’s kingdom.
The conference dates are October 13 (12 PM) through October 15 (1 PM), 2022. We will meet at Upper House (365 East Campus Mall, Madison, WI), where parking vouchers will be provided so all attendees have free parking.
1. There are different ways you might attend this meeting. I recommend you check out the Summit webpage to see the virtual and in-person options.
2. We are inviting members of area churches to attend the 6:30 PM service on Thursday, Oct 13, that features the Rev. Dr. Jerry M. Carter, Jr. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church (2019 Fisher Street, Madison). This service is part of the conference, but also open to the public, and we hope you invite members of your leadership teams and congregation to attend. I would love to see Mt. Zion filled with church members from throughout the community!
3. If you feel led to help spread the word further by using the highlighted resources, we’d appreciate it. One email from you might flip a switch, just as one social media message might capture someone’s attention. To make this as easy as possible, Upper House has a simple page of promotional resources that can be shared through email or social media: a downloadable PDF announcement, a flyer, and a slide/social media image. We all know the power of personal connections: a personal invite from you might help a pastor friend have a transformational learning experience.
4. If you live out of town, two hotels are mentioned on the Summit webpage. A shuttle service is available from the Holiday Inn to Upper House, which relieves some of the stress of driving.