19th Annual Christy Lecture April 23

The Rev. Leroy Barber, vice president of Mission Year, is the featured speaker of the 19th annual Christy Lecture, Sunday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in Westminster's Wallace Memorial Chapel.

He will speak about "The Kingdom: Young Adults and the City."

Barber became active in the Mt. Zion Baptist Church as a teenager, and after he married, he went on to become a deacon as he worked with the youth teaching and leading retreats. 

In 1990, burdened by the plight of the city's homeless, he continued God's work by founding the Restoration Ministries, Inc. to serve homeless families and children living on the streets or in shelters of Philadelphia.  A few years later he began doing volunteer work with Cornerstone Christian Academy, a private Christian elementary school serving the urban poor.  In 1994, we obtained his license to preach and became associate minister and minister of evangelism at the Mt. Zion Church.

Barber's next journey took him to serve at the founding director of Atlanta Youth Academies, a private elementary school for low-income families of the inner city.  In 1998, he created a non-profit organization to provide spiritual, recreational and educational services to children and families in the community.  He began the East Lake Community Fellowship church, now known as Community Fellowships in 2000. 

Barber attended Temple University and the Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia and received his bachelor of arts in Christian Education from Immanuel Bible College and his M. Div. at Immanuel Seminary in Atlanta.

The Wayne H. Christy Lecture Series annually honors Dr. Wayne H. Christy, who was a long-time faculty member and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Westminster College.   The program seeks out men and women who distinguish themselves by relating religion to issues of contemporary life.

For more information, contact the Westminster College Chapel Office at (724) 946-7115. 

The Rev. Leroy Barber