The Mercer Preaching Consultation will be held Sept. 18-20, 2005, at the King and Prince Hotel at St. Simons Island. This year’s program offers an outstanding lineup of speakers. Registration is limited to 200 because of the size of the meeting rooms at the hotel.
The Mercer Preaching Consultation is co-sponsored by the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology and the Center for Baptist Studies, both of Mercer University. An outstanding group attended this stellar event last year — despite the postponement due to the hurricanes — at which Dr. Clyde E. Fant, Dr. Charles E. Poole, Dr. Kirby Godsey and a number of others spoke.
The Reverend Gardner C. Taylor will be the major presenter this year. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rev. Taylor is widely known as a preacher, teacher, lecturer and author. He was recognized as one of the nation’s 15 Greatest Black Preachers by Ebony magazine. He is senior pastor emeritus of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y., which became the most prestigious black church in America under his leadership.
Other great speakers this year include:
Dr. Kirby Godsey, president and CEO, Mercer University;
Dr. Robert Setzer Jr., pastor, First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon;
Dr. Kay Wilson Shurden, marriage and family therapist, Macon;
Dr. Jim Evans, pastor, First Baptist Church, Auburn, Ala.;
Dr. Margaret Dee Bratcher, professor of Christianity, Mercer University;
Dr. Hardy Clemons, pastor emeritus, First Baptist Church, Greenville, S.C.;
Dr. Bill Coates, pastor, First Baptist Church, Gainesville, Ga.; and
Dr. Sarah Withers, retired pastor’s wife and retired educator, McDonough, Ga.
More information is available at http://www.mercer.edu/baptiststudies to see the three-day event format.
*Registration is $50 per person. A registration card is at the page linked above; that card needs to be mailed with a check in the appropriate amount to Terri Massey, University Advancement, Mercer University, 1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207. Her phone number for additional information is (478) 301-2943 or (800) 837-2911, extension 2943.
Make checks payable to The Mercer Preaching Consultation.
The event will be held at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, 201 Arnold Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. A block of rooms at area hotels has been reserved at special rates. Ask for The Mercer Preaching Consultation group rates. At the King and Prince, (800) 342-0212, rooms begin at $135 per night, single or double. The rate at the Hampton Inn, (912) 634-2204, is $105 per night and includes breakfast, and at the Village Inn and Pub, (888) 635-6111, is $89 per night. Rooms will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for room reservations at these special prices is Thursday, Aug. 18.
A golf outing is planned for Monday, Sept. 19, at The Hamptons Golf Course. Golf registration is $65 per person, payable to The Hamptons at the time of the outing.
St. Simons Island is one of the major recreational centers in not only the state but also in the southeast. Free time will be available to walk the beach, play some golf or shop in the quaint little village of St. Simons.
