The Rev. James Forbes, Jr., senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City, will deliver the sermon at Elon University's Baccalaureate service at 3 p.m., Friday, May 23 in Alumni Gymnasium. Details...
A native of Burgaw, N.C., Forbes is the first African-American to serve as senior minister of one of the largest multicultural congregations in the country. The Riverside Church is an interdenominational, interracial and international church affiliated with the American Baptist Churches and the United Church of Christ.
Forbes’ charismatic style and extensive preaching career have been recognized by several national publications. Newsweek magazine named Forbes one of its 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world in 1996, and Ebony magazine chose Forbes as one of America’s greatest black preachers in 1984 and 1993.
He has been active in a number of civic and interfaith groups and committees, including the Department of Justice Roundtable on Youth Violence at the White House in 1998. Forbes delivered the keynote address at the President’s Initiative on Race in 1998 and has lectured frequently on the theme of urban ministry.