ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s famed Ebenezer Baptist Church and author of The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety and Public Witness, will speak to local and national leaders in Eckerd College’s Wireman Chapel at 7 p.m., Mon., Oct. 29.
The presentation, titled “Lift Every Vote,” will cover the deeply spiritual aspects of participating in social engagement and activism. Warnock also will discuss Florida’s Amendment 4, a November election ballot initiative that would automatically restore voting rights to 1.4 million Floridians who have been convicted of crimes and have served prison sentences.
Warnock became the pastor at Ebenezer, a church once led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at age 35 and in the 13 years since has grown its congregation by 4,000 members. Among his many awards and accolades, he was called on by Former U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver the closing prayer at the Inaugural Prayer Service in 2013 and the sermon at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2016.