2009 Preachers | Waffle Shop | Parking | Volunteer Opportunities
February 26—April 3, 2009
2009 Lenten Preaching Series
Mondays-Fridays 12:05-12:40 pm
Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 pm
Waffle Shop
Mondays-Fridays 11:00 am-1:30 pm
For over eighty consecutive years during the season of Lent, Calvary Episcopal Church has hosted a preaching series featuring inspiring and diverse speakers. Through the Series, which is free and open to the public, Calvary provides numerous opportunities for spiritual renewal and growth, and a deeper relationship with God.
The Series features dynamic local and national speakers from various denominations and faiths and takes place Mondays through Fridays from 12:05 to 12:40 p.m., beginning the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, and continuing through the Friday before Palm Sunday. Wednesday evening presentations also are offered from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., during the Series.
FEBRUARY 26 and 27 at 12:05 pm
Thursday and Friday
DR. MARCUS J. BORG
Hundere Professor of Religion & Culture
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR
The 2009 Lenten Preaching Series will open with renowned “Jesus Scholar” Marcus Borg. He is the author of more than ten books, two of which have become best-sellers, Jesus: A New Vision and Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, and three of which he co-authored with Lenten Series speaker John Dominic Crossan, with whom he will offer a special FAITHANDREASON seminar on Jesus and Paul at Calvary on February 27 & 28, 2009. With the highest of national and international credits, Borg’s deep concern for God’s justice is reflected in all of his published works and lectures. His remarkable memory, love of travel, and sense of humor flavor the presentation of his groundbreaking new approaches to traditional biblical work. An extraordinarily thoughtful human being, Borg’s depth of knowledge and grasp of spirituality and religion provides much to ponder.
FEBRUARY 27 and 28
FAITHANDREASON SEMINAR with Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan
MARCH 2 and 3 at 12:05 pm
Monday and Tuesday
JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN
Biblical Scholar and Author, Orlando, FL
An Irish American biblical scholar known for co-founding the Jesus Seminar, an effort to “demythologize” Jesus, Dom Crossan’s passion lies in digging deep into Jesus and Paul in their contexts and using every available tool to understand their lives and work. In the last forty years he has written 25 books on the historical Jesus, earliest Christianity, and the historical Paul, three of which he co-authored with Lenten Series speaker Marcus Borg: The Last Week: A Day by Day Account of Jesus’s Final Week in Jerusalem; The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach about the Birth of Jesus; and The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary behind the Church’s Conservative Icon. In both his lectures and books, Crossan’s spontaneous witticisms display a remarkable sense of humor.
MARCH 4 at 12:05 pm and 6:30 pm
Wednesday
THE REV. DR. SCOTT MORRIS
Founder & Executive Director
Church Health Center, Memphis, TN
March 4 LISTEN
Dr. Scott Morris, a family practice physician and ordained United Methodist minister, founded the Church Health Center in 1987, to provide quality, affordable healthcare for working, uninsured people and their families. Thanks to a broad base of financial support from the faith community, and the volunteer help of doctors, nurses, dentists and others, the Church Health Center Clinic has grown to become the largest faith-based clinic of its type in the country. Along with St. John’s United Methodist Church and other community partners, Morris has promoted the intersection of faith and health with the annual “Faith & Health” series which brings well-known speakers to Memphis each spring and fall.
MARCH 5 at 12:05 pm
Thursday
THE MOST REV. DR. KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI
Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA
New York, NY
March 5 LISTEN
“Shalom”—peacemaking defined by the Prophet Isaiah and reiterated by Jesus in Luke’s gospel—is a ministry priority for Katharine Jefferts Schori, who took office November 1, 2006, as 26th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Jefferts Schori brings to her ministry emphases on baptismal ministry and adult education. She is known for clear, hard-hitting sermons that connect personal faith with the needs of the world. Learn more at www.ecusa.anglican.org/presiding-bishop.
MARCH 6 at 12:05 pm
Friday
THE REV. DR. JOYCE ANN MERCER
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA
March 6 LISTEN
The titles of her books, GirlTalk/GodTalk: Why Faith Matters to Teenage Girls—and Their Parents, Lives to Offer: Accompanying Youth on Their Vocational Quests, and Welcoming Children: A Practical Theology of Childhood, speak to Dr. Mercer’s unique gift for teaching adults how to serve as partners for children and youth on their spiritual journeys. Her research draws on scripture, cultural theory, theology and social sciences to offer a more complex analysis of the lives of children, and how to truly welcome them into the Church. Dr. Mercer is a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister and former PCUSA missionary in the Philippines. She also is a licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.
MARCH 9 at 12:05 pm
THE REV. SALLY BINGHAM Environmental Minister & President of the Regeneration Project, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA
March 9 LISTEN
Canon Bingham is a priest in the Diocese of California, co-chair of the Episcopal Diocesan Commission for the Environment and has been active in the environmental community for 25 years. She also is founder and president of The Regeneration Project, which is focused on its Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) campaign, a religious response to global warming. The IPL campaign includes a national network of over 5,000 congregations with affiliated programs in 29 states. She has brought widespread recognition to the link between faith and the environment, and as one of the first faith leaders to fully recognize global warming as a moral issue, she has mobilized thousands of religious people to put their faith into action through energy stewardship and advocacy.
MARCH 10 at 12:05 pm
PHYLLIS TICKLEAuthor and Founding Editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly
Millington, TN
March 10 LISTEN
A brilliant storyteller and author of some two dozen books on religion and spirituality, Phyllis Tickle has special insight into how and what Americans believe. Her newest book The Great Emergence describes the social and cultural changes that are affecting Christianity in North America today. In The Words of Jesus, Tickle engages and inspires readers by expressing the relevance of Jesus through His own words. With her series of books The Divine Hours and The Night Offices, she reconnects Christians to the holiness of their everyday lives through the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer. Monthly, she writes the blog "First Sundays" for explorefaith.org.
MARCH 11 at 12:05 pm and 6:30 pm
MARCH 12 at 12:05 pm
Wednesday and Thursday
SARA MILESFounder & Executive Director of St. Gregory's Food Pantry & Author of Take This Bread
San Francisco, CA
March 11 12:05 pm LISTEN
March 12 LISTEN
Author Sara Miles is the Director of Ministry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco and works with churches and community groups to connect liturgy and service. Her book, Take This Bread, recounts how she was raised an atheist, lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and writer, and how early one morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church. "I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christian," she writes. "Or, as I thought of it rather less politely, a religious nut." But she ate a piece of bread, took a sip of wine, and found herself radically transformed. Inspired by the experience of her conversion, Sara Miles founded The Food Pantry, which offers free groceries to over 750 hungry families a week and organizes poor people to feed each other.
MARCH 13 at 12:05 pm
Friday
THE REV. DR. CRAIG STRICKLANDFounding Pastor, Hope Presbyterian Church
Cordova, TN
March 13 LISTEN
Dr. Strickland, founding pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church, Cordova, began the church in his home in 1988, with his wife Lee and 23 people who were committed to reach people not involved in a church. Today, some 7500 people worship at Hope each weekend. The Rev. Maxie Dunnam, former minister of Christ Methodist, Memphis, says, “Craig Strickland is one of the most unique ministers I know…He personifies a new brand of pastor-leader who is not as much concerned about doctrinal and denominational identity as he is about modeling servant leadership and developing a servant people.”
MARCH 16 at 12:05 pm
Monday
THE REV. DR. STEVEN R. MONTGOMERY
Senior Pastor, Idlewild Presbyterian Church
Memphis, TN
March 16 LISTEN
The dynamic leader of Memphis’ largest PC (USA) congregation, Dr. Montgomery is known both for his compelling preaching and his commitment to engaging the church in “hands-on” servant ministry and peacemaking initiatives. Since accepting the call to Idlewild in 2000, he has helped the church grow in spirit and in size, showing particular appeal to young adults and families. He presently serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Inter-faith Association (MIFA) and Columbia Seminary. He is an adjunct faculty member at Memphis Theological Seminary, where he teaches Preaching and Worship and is one of the leaders of the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program. In addition, he currently serves as the Vice-Moderator of the Presbytery of the Mid-South.
MARCH 17 and 18 at 12:05 pm
Tuesday and Wednesday
THE REV. DR. JOHNNY RAY YOUNGBLOOD
Senior Pastor, St. Paul Community Baptist Church
Brooklyn, NY
March 17 LISTEN
March 18 LISTEN
Named one of the “ten most influential” New Yorkers by The New Yorker magazine, Dr. Youngblood and his vision have led to the tremendous growth and extensive ministry of St. Paul in Brooklyn, NY. Born in the state of Louisiana and reared in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, Dr. Youngblood has a strong commitment to spiritual healing, racial parity, social justice, and economic equity for all people. A consummate pastor, teacher, organizer, leader, and artist, Dr. Youngblood empowers and challenges people through socially relevant and intentional ministry with astounding results.
MARCH 19 at 12:05 pm and 6:30 pm
MARCH 20 at 12:05 pm
Thursday and Friday
THE RT. REV. GENE ROBINSON
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
Concord, NH
March 19 LISTEN
March 20 LISTEN
Although he has been a focus of controversy in the Anglican Communion, Bishop Robinson’s real ministry is about preaching the Gospel and helping congregations in the Diocese of New Hampshire to be faithful witnesses to the love of Christ in their communities. After his graduation from the University of the South and General Seminary in New York City, he founded Sign of the Dove retreat center in Temple, New Hampshire, and served as youth ministry coordinator for Episcopal churches in New England. He has consistently worked in AIDS education and prevention, civil rights programs, and programs to combat poverty and promote the Millennium Development Goals, both in New Hampshire and internationally.
MARCH 23 and 24 at 12:05 pm
Monday and Tuesday
RABBI MICAH GREENSTEIN
Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel,
Memphis, TN
March 23 LISTEN
March 24 LISTEN
A brilliant and caring preacher/teacher, not-to-be-missed Micah Greenstein packs the house at the Lenten Series. The Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel and one of Memphis’ most significant leaders, Greenstein’s compassion and vast knowledge of Judaism and Christianity lend a different perspective to our Lenten practices. He is a two-time President of the Memphis Ministers Association, is on the Executive Board of the National Civil Rights Museum, and is past-President of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis, covering six states. He was the first Rabbi ever to speak in the Lenten Series and in 2005, he was selected to be the principal speaker for the State of Tennessee at the Washington National Cathedral.
MARCH 25 at 12:05 pm and 6:30 pm
Wednesday
THE MOST REV. J. TERRY STEIB, S.V.D.
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, TN
March 25 LISTEN
Bishop Steib still remembers working in the sugar cane fields in the Mississippi River town of Vacherie, Louisiana, where he was born. Inspired by doctors, ministers, community leaders, and the Holy Cross Sisters from Wisconsin, who came to teach them religion, Bishop Steib aspired to help others through ministry as well. Bishop Steib was installed as the fourth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis in 1993. One of his most important accomplishments has been reclaiming the Catholic schools to create one Catholic school system. Known as the “Jubilee” schools, this new system includes eight Memphis Catholic schools that were closed and have now been reopened to help serve those most in need—inner-city neighborhood children. Currently Bishop Steib is building a diocesan ministry for gay and lesbian members and he is working on a series of writings designed to help people understand the Catholic faith as a way of life not just a series of obligations.
MARCH 26 at 12:05 pm
Thursday
THE REV. DR. STACY L. SPENCER Founder & Senior Pastor, New Direction Christian Church
Memphis, TN
March 26 LISTEN
After serving as Assistant Pastor for Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Memphis, Dr. Spencer began New Direction Church in 2001, as a plant of Mississippi Boulevard targeting a congregation of Generation Xers, mid-thirties or younger. Beginning with sixty members, it quickly grew to overflowing crowds under Dr. Spencer’s visionary leadership, including a dedicated ministry to those who have had little or no experience with the Church and those who feel disillusioned by traditional churches. In the summer of 2004, New Direction moved into its 74,000 square-foot facility and is now one of the fastest growing congregations in the city with membership of more than 3,000 members.
MARCH 27 at 12:05 pm
Friday
THE REV. OLLIE V. RENCHER
Associate Rector of Pastoral Care & Social Outreach
Church of the Holy Communion, Memphis, TN
March 27 LISTEN
Following five years as Episcopal Chaplain to the University of Mississippi and Assistant Rector of St. Peter’s Parish at Oxford, Mississippi, Ollie Rencher serves Memphis through the pastoral care and social outreach ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi and first-time speaker in the Lenten Series, Rencher invites others through ministry and beyond to deeper conversations about respect and reconciliation among the human race, and the relevance of hope in the twenty-first century. Upon graduation from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City, he was awarded the Church and Society honor for “The American Exploration: No Future Without Forgiveness” based on the reconciliation work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
Monday and Tuesday
THE REV. DR. DANIEL P. MATTHEWS
Rector Emeritus of Trinity Church
New York, NY
March 30 LISTEN
March 31 LISTEN
Dan Matthews is one of the Lenten Series’ perennial favorites. His feisty and inspirational stories give great insight into the role of a Christian and leave listeners on the edge of their seats. Since 1972, the hallmark of Dr. Matthews’ work has been concentrated in larger, inner-city parishes, but he also has played a major role in bringing together faith groups and clergy through the Hallmark Television Channel, the Clergy Leadership Project, and the publication of Spirituality and Health. For years the rector of Trinity, Wall Street, in New York City, Matthews played a major role in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as an apostle for hope and healing in lower Manhattan as the district sought to rebuild itself.
APRIL 1 at 12:05 pm
Wednesday
THE REV. DR. KENNETH ROBINSON
Senior Pastor, St. Andrew’s AME Church
Memphis, TN
April 1 LISTEN
Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson believes that the key to healing human lives is ministering to the whole person. The Harvard-educated pastor and physician served for several years as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services without giving up his role as pastor of St. Andrew AME Church in Memphis. Now back in Memphis full-time, he gave a spirited interview this August to Elizabeth Vargas of ABC’s 20/20 about the epidemic death of black babies in cities like Memphis. Kenneth Robinson speaks the truth in love to his beloved city with a voice that is simultaneously pastoral and prophetic.
APRIL 1 at 6:30 pm
APRIL 2 and 3 at 12:05 pm
Wednesday Evening and Thursday and Friday
MEGAN McKENNA
Author, Theologian, Storyteller, & Lecturer
Albuquerque, NM
April 2 LISTEN
April 3 LISTEN
Megan McKenna is an internationally-known author, lecturer, retreat leader, and spiritual director. Since the 1970s, when she taught at Loyola University, she has championed the power of connecting our biblical heritage with personal experience. She received her doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and has taught in Dublin, Ireland, Asia, South America, Chicago, Marshall Islands, Thailand, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she currently lives. She is the author of more than 30 books, including And Morning Came - Scriptures of the Resurrection, Praying the Rosary, Send My Roots Rain, The New Stations of the Cross, On Your Mark - Reading Mark in the Shadow of the Cross, and the recently released, Harm Not The Earth.
2009 Lenten Preaching Series
The year 2009 marks Calvary's 177th year of "Making God's Love Visible in Downtown Memphis," the 84th year of sharing the Good News through the Lenten Noonday Preaching Series, and the 81st year of supporting our city's outreach ministries through the Waffle Shop.
The Lenten Noonday Preaching Series is planned and presented in association with clergy from First Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, Lauderdale, Idlewild Presbyterian Church,Trinity Lutheran Church.