Gospel Brunch
featuring Reverend Marcus King & Reverend Michael Williams Waters
Please be our guest
Sunday, August 31, 2008
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
African American Museum
Please R.S.V.P. by August 22nd
Tel: 214-670-7809
Email: larry.jefferson@dallaslibrary.org
(please note Gospel Brunch in the subject line)
The event includes a lecture, entertainment
and brunch for $15.00. Tickets may be purchased during the festival or at the door.
Reverend Marcus King, for over a decade, Rev. Marcus D. King has been compelled by God to bring practical, biblical understanding to individuals strongly desiring to further develop their relationship with God and others.
A native of Terrell, Texas, Marcus received his Bachelor’s degree in English and Christian Ministry while attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX and Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, TX. He is pursuing a Master of Christian Education degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. His career in changing lives through teaching began early in life and continued as an eighth-grade English teacher in West Dallas.
In June 2001, following over 5 years of serving as Singles Director, Sunday School teacher and various other leadership positions during his tenure under the leadership of the late Dr. E.K. Bailey at Concord Baptist Church in Dallas, Marcus was led to the esteemed position of Pastor of Family Communities at the 10,000 member Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas, TX where the dynamic Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III is the Senior Pastor. Through spiritual gifts of leadership and teaching coupled with divine creativity, Marcus has been used by God to transform thousands of lives by offering alternatives to secular hang-outs such as Singles Unplugged.
The dynamic proclamation of the Gospel, transformative teaching style and comedic candor are just a few character traits that have placed Marcus in the ranks of highly respected and sought-after speakers across the nation. His appearances include Regional and National Christian Singles Conferences in major cities across the nation, including Kingston and Runaway Bay, Jamaica. Other media appearances include Daystar Television Network, KNON 89.3, Dallas Community Television, PAX Television and his own radio show entitled Thirsty Thursdays on KGCM internet radio. Also among his accomplishments are two published inspirational devotional books for those single or married entitled “Thirsty Thursdays.” In August 2006, Rev. King released the second volume entitled, “Determination”.
As the founder and president of MD King Ministries, Rev. Marcus D. King has devoted his life to bring a spirit of wholeness and purpose into every life that longs for encouragement.
Reverend Michael Williams Waters, The Reverend Michael Williams Waters is the senior pastor of Greater Garth Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Dallas, Texas. A fifth-generation ordained minister and Itinerant Elder in the North Texas Annual Conference of the A.M.E. Church, Rev. Waters is a member of the conference Board of Ministerial Training Examiners. He has formerly pastored two churches: Tyree Chapel A.M.E. Church, Blooming Grove, Texas and Greater Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, Grand Prairie, Texas. In addition to the pastorate, Rev. Waters is the Dean of Chapel of Paul Quinn College and an adjunct professor of Religion.
An honors graduate of Southern Methodist University (SMU), Rev. Waters holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and in religious studies with a minor in history and a Master of Divinity degree with certificates in African American Church Studies and in Urban Ministry from the SMU Perkins School of Theology. A past recipient of the Prothro Promise for Ministry Scholarship at Perkins, Rev. Waters was the first seminarian in Perkins’ history elected to successive terms as student body president. He is a former member of the SMU Alumni Board and a past president of the African American Alumni Associates of SMU.
With a God-given vision for community empowerment, Rev. Waters is the founder of two nationally recognized ministries: The Macedonian Project, an outreach ministry empowering African American adolescent males through education, spiritual development, life skills training, and mentoring, developed with an initial grant from the Fund for Theological Education (FTE), Atlanta, Georgia; and the SMU Civil Rights Pilgrimage, a spiritual pilgrimage through the heart of the Deep South to cities and sites significant to the American Civil Rights Movement.
The FTE has lauded The Macedonian Project as a “national model” for community outreach, and the success of the SMU Civil Rights Pilgrimage was featured in the Associated Press article “Traveling classroom uses landmark civil rights sites as teaching tool” (May 2007). Since being appointed as the senior pastor of Greater Garth Chapel November 18, 2006, the inner city congregation has experienced both spiritual and numerical growth, the greatest membership growth occurring in the 25-40 age demographic. Under Rev. Waters’ pastoral leadership several new ministries have been founded to meet the needs of this growing congregation and several community partnerships have been forged to meet the needs of the South Dallas community.
A sought after preacher, lecturer, and workshop facilitator, Rev. Waters has made numerous presentations before civic, collegiate, congregational, corporate, national, and international bodies on topics of interest ranging from corporate diversity initiatives and church conflict management to the intersections of religion and hip-hop culture. He has been a contributor to national and international forums such as the State of the World Forum, Guanajuato, Mexico, the World Methodist Council, Brighton, England, and the National Leadership Conference at the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Rev. Waters has also been interviewed for and featured in local and national broadcasts and in print media, including The NBC Nightly News, ESPN Live, the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, the Fort-Worth Star Telegram and The Associated Press.
A gifted writer, Rev. Waters has published sermons, articles and scholarly works. His offerings include “Look Again!” in The African American Pulpit, “The Necessity of an Anthropomorphic God for the Survival and Liberation of Oppressed Communities,” in The A.M.E. Church Review, and “Where Do We Go from Here: Egypt or the Promised Land,” in Andover-Newton Theological School’s celebrated anthology Becoming Fire: Spiritual Writings from Rising Generations.
For his commitment to community empowerment, social ethics, and social justice, Rev. Waters has been honored with the White House’s Presidential Service Award, B’nai B’rith’s Harold M. Kaufman Memorial Award in Social Ethics, and the William K. McElvaney Award in Peace and Justice. He is also a recipient of The “M” Award, Southern Methodist University’s highest honor.
Rev. Waters is happily married to Mrs. Yulise Reaves Waters, J.D., a graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law. They are the proud parents of a son, Michael Jeremiah. The family resides in South Dallas.