UCC general minister and president to bring 'Conversation on Faith' to Elmhurst College

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> UCC general minister and president to bring
> 'Conversation on Faith' to Elmhurst College

> Written by staff and wire reports
> November 30, 2010

The Reverend Geoffrey A. Black, general minister
and president of the United Church of Christ,
will present "God is Still Speaking: A
Conversation on Faith" at Elmhurst (Ill.) College on Dec. 9.

"I've had the pleasure of speaking with Rev.
Black about our heritage and mission," says
Elmhurst College President S. Alan Ray, noting
his school's affiliation with the 1.1-million
member UCC, which Black came to lead in September 2009.

"The United Church of Christ and Elmhurst College
share much in common, especially our commitments
to social engagement, self-formation and respect
for faith, meaning and values," says Ray. "I am
delighted to welcome Rev. Black back to our
campus to continue and advance this dialogue."

Black's ministries, both within the church and in
the communities in which he has lived, have been
shaped by ecumenical commitment, concern for
equal justice, African-American empowerment and
community improvement. He has worked with such
organizations as the Nassau Coalition for Safety
and Justice and the Amistad Cultural Center of
Long Island, which he co-founded.

Black served as conference minister of the UCC's
New York Conference for nine years. During his
years in ministry, Black served as pastor of the
Congregational UCC of South Hempstead (N.Y.),
assistant chaplain at Brown University, and
lecturer in the field-education department at
Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

> His visit is part of a yearlong series of
> dialogues on faith ? its varieties,
> contradictions and influence in the modern world.
> Still Speaking: Conversations on Faith includes
> lectures and cultural events, service and
> outreach projects, and academic work.

The series takes its name from the UCC's "God Is
Still Speaking" initiative, an ongoing campaign
to reaffirm the church's role as a welcoming,
justice-minded community. Still Speaking is
Elmhurst's way of marking the graduation
centennial of two of its most esteemed alumni,
theologians Reinhold Niebuhr (Class of 1910) and
H. Richard Niebuhr (Class of 1912).

Black will speak at 7 p.m. in the Founders Lounge
of the College's Frick Center, 190 Prospect Ave.,
in Elmhurst. The event is free and open to the public.

Elmhurst College

(<http://www.elmhurst.edu>www.elmhurst.edu) is a
leading liberal arts college 8 miles west of
Chicago. Its mission is to prepare students for
meaningful, ethical work in a multicultural,
global society. Approximately 3,400 full- and
part-time students are enrolled in 22
undergraduate academic departments and nine graduate degree programs.