Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray, Jr. Delivers Martin Luther King, Jr. Presentation

Seward, Neb. (01/11/2018) — Concordia University, Nebraska will welcome Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray, Jr. to campus as part of an annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy to speak to the community.

Gray currently serves as director of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Black Ministry, reaching out to black communities, ministering to African immigrants, and providing guidance to congregations on ministering to minority groups. He also will serve as a liaison to the church-wide Black Clergy Caucus and oversee the development of resources for Black Ministry throughout the Synod. His presentation is titled "Where do we go from here in a changing world and demographics?"

"The LCMS and many in the Christian world celebrated the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, reminding the church and its communities that, It's Still All About Jesus. The LCMS Black Ministry celebrated the 140th Anniversary of Black Ministry in Convocation, reminding the church and its communities that we are, All For Jesus. The 21st century challenge for the Church of Christ and the LCMS is 'where do we go from here,'" said Gray.

Concordia's Student Committee for Diversity and Inclusion has been building up to the presentation by focusing on some of the little-known people who contributed to the civil rights movement. Gray will meet with the committee on Monday. On Tuesday, he will speak to education and pre-seminary students, preach for the daily chapel service, and hold a keynote presentation that evening.

Along with this presentation, Concordia will be hosting multiple events in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The movie "I Am Not Your Negro" was screened at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9 in the Janzow Cattle Conference Room with a discussion panel between professors afterwards. On Friday, Jan 12, there will be a variety show in Weller Chapel Auditorium with students reading poems, sharing testimonies and speeches, performing songs, and acting out skits. Another movie night will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, with the movie "Selma" as the main feature.

Culminating all these events, Rev. Dr. Gray's speech will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23 in Weller Chapel Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public. The Looking Beyond Speaker Series is sponsored by the Regina E. Maehr and Martin J. Maehr Lectureship Endowment.

Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Nebraska, that currently serves more than 2,700 students. Concordia more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world. For more information, visit cune.edu.

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