NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Madison, WI) — The focus is on transformation, not transition, as hundreds of college students from across the U.S. gather in Atlanta this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The theme of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s National Black Collegiate Conference is Identity Theft: Expose, Reclaim, Prevail. It is being held at the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown.
This is InterVarsity’s fifth National Black Collegiate Conference. Its aim is to sort out the media and cultural identities that influence dress, behavior, thoughts and interactions in favor of the identities that God desires. The goal of InterVarsity for Atlanta 05 is to develop a new generation of leadership in the black community so that lives are transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed.
Conference Speakers Schedule:
Tuesday, December 27
Evening plenary speaker: Harvey Cozart, InterVarsity campus staff member from Richmond, Kentucky, focuses on “Why We Are Here.” His themes are exploring our identity in God as a part of a community, and understanding and living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it reshapes our identity.
Wednesday, December 28
Morning plenary speaker: the Reverend Dr. Cheryl J. Sanders, Senior Pastor of the Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C. and Professor of Christian Ethics at the Howard University School of Divinity. Her talk is “Who is the I Am?” Her focus is on the characteristics of God that help us embrace our true identity.
Evening plenary speakers: Aberdeen and Roslyn Allen, who are involved in ministry through the Cathedral International Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Their presentation is entitled “DNA” and focuses on male and female identity in the black community.
Thursday, December 29
Morning plenary speaker: the Reverend Dr. Alice Brown-Collins, InterVarsity associate regional director from Holliston, Massachusetts. Her talk, “He is and I am,” identifies God’s steps for transformation.
Evening plenary speaker: the Reverend Sam Pettagrue, Senior Pastor of Sardis Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama, and InterVarsity Trustee. His talk, “Heads or Tails,” discusses identity in relation to money and possessions.
Friday, December 30
Morning plenary speaker: the Reverend Byron Williams, syndicated columnist and Pastor of the Resurrection Community Church in Oakland, California. His theme is “We Are,” which focuses on transformation in the context of community.
Evening plenary speaker: Dr. Dolphus Weary, President of Mission Mississippi in Mendenhall, Mississippi. His talk, “Extreme Makeover: Kingdom Edition,” focuses on how changes are made that reflect the values of God’s Kingdom.
Saturday, December 30
Closing plenary speaker: Ed Ollie, InterVarsity Associate Regional Director from St. Louis, with a final challenge entitled “Now.”
Audio of each speaker is posted on InterVarsity’s website at http://www.intervarsity.org/audio/.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is a national ministry working on 564 U.S. college campuses. InterVarsity believes that college students who are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ will transform the world. InterVarsity is committed to reaching the whole university with a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For additional background go online to: www.ATLANTA2005.org
For more information contact:
Boris Collins
Conference Director
(508) 429-6322
pastorbec@aol.com
Tony Warner
Associate Regional Director
(404) 534-1576
tonwarn@aol.com
