Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie Ben Hill UMC MLK Day Keynote Speaker January 18

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the 117th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Ben Hill United Methodist Church on Monday, January 18, 2016 from 10 a.m. – Noon.

Ben Hill UMC’s Social Concerns Ministry and Senior Pastor the Rev. Byron E. Thomas invite the public to join them for this annual celebration and awards program. Awards will be presented to Ben Hill members in the following categories: Outstanding Community Service, Leadership, Youth Service and Work Area Ministry

Keynote Speaker Bishop Murphy McKenzie’s historic election in 2000 represents the first time in the over 200-year history of the AME Church that a woman has obtained the level of Episcopal office. She also was the first to serve as the President of the Council of Bishops, Chair of the General Conference Commission and was the Host Bishop for the 49th Session of the General Conference of the AME Church in June 2012 with more than 30,000 in attendance.

Currently, Bishop McKenzie serves as the presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District, which is the entire state of Texas. She serves as the Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Paul Quinn College and is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Theological Center in Atlanta. She was named this year by Huffington Post as one of the 50 most powerful women religious leaders in the world.

Bishop McKenzie was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the inaugural President’s Advisory Council of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She is also the National Chaplain of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and is the granddaughter of Delta founder Vashti Turley Murphy. She is the author of five books.

CONTACT: For more information, please contact Martha Bell at csmbell@bellsouth.net

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