ATLANTA – The annual Mercer Preaching Consultation Sept. 26-28 in St. Simons Island will feature Allen Walworth, president and CEO of Generis Inc., and the Rev. Dr. Julie Pennington-Russell, lead pastor at First Baptist Church, Decatur.
Established in 1986 by D.F. Norman as a four-day gathering at Jekyll Island, Ga., the preaching consultation was created to allow participants to present or respond to a paper. Upon Norman’s retirement, Franklin Sasser, Bill Hutcheson and Bob Patterson asked Dr. Alan Culpepper, dean of the McAfee School of Theology, to continue organizing the event, which is co-sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia.
“It’s a time for celebrating the calling and the craft of preaching,” Dr. Culpepper said. “It’s a time of fellowship for pastors and spouses. There aren’t many places where moderate Baptist preachers can get together with colleagues in a collegial environment, nurture friendships and recharge.”
Walworth, who is an ordained minister, has a track record of more than 10 years full-time experience in the church stewardship ministry. Walworth was also senior pastor for more than 17 years, leading one small town congregation of about 1,000 members to a large metropolitan church with more than 9,000 members.
Also scheduled to speak are Benjamin U. Barnett, pastor of Atlanta Metropolitan Church in Atlanta; Doug Dortch, pastor of First Baptist Church Tallahassee, Fla.; Glen Money, pastor of First Baptist Church Monroe, Ga.; Michael Oliver, pastor of First Baptist Church of Williams in Jacksonville, Ala.; Jon Roebuck, pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville; and Brett Younger, associate professor of preaching at McAfee.
Besides the conference, other events include a Monday evening worship service and reception hosted by First Baptist Church St. Simons Island, a golf outing Monday afternoon at the Sea Palms Golf Course and a tennis outing.
Registration is $100 per person, with limited availability. For registration or more information, visit http://www2.mercer.edu/Theology/Events/Mercer+Preaching+Consultation.htm or contact Diane Frazier at (678) 547-6470 or by email: frazier_d@mercer.edu.
