Rev. Dernard Newell and Rev. Dr. Larry Clark will present “Racial Politics” at the First Thursday discussion series at noon, Thursday, January 5, at Monroe Street United Methodist Church.
Rev. Newell serves as director of diversity and belonging for the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, with nearly a decade of professional experience as a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging professional.
He has pastored congregations for more than 15 years, served as university chaplin and adjunct professor at DePaul University, and practiced law as an assistant state attorney in Chicago.
He earned a master of divinity degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, a juris doctorate from the Howard University School of Law, a master of public administration from the George Washington University, and bachelor of arts degree in political science from Miami University, Oxford Ohio.
“I am committed to continuing to foster an atmosphere where people feel that they belong and can carry out the call that God has placed on their lives,” said Rev. Newell.
Rev. Clark has been a United Methodist minister since 1979, pastoring churches in Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus. He has also served as executive director of Toledo Area Ministries and taught courses at the Methodist Theological School, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. He graduated from BGSU in 1977 with a degree in social work and earned a master of divinity at Methodist Theological School, focusing his studies on the Bible, in particular, the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
He also received a masters in Christian education with a specialization in drama. At BGSU he studied sociology and received a Ph.D.
The First Thursday series is prepared by an interfaith coalition of local peace and justice advocates and organized by Monroe Street United Methodist Church, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and Social Justice Advocates.
“All people of all faiths need to go beyond ourselves to learn about the issues of our time. We have a responsibility to our family, our neighbors, and our fellow citizens to understand the negative impact of racism on us personally and in our culture. We need to learn about this critical issue in our community through the lens of social justice and the common good,” said St. Paul’s Pastor Rev. Pete Bowmer.
The theme of the series is “Culture at the Crossroads: Critical Issues of Our Time.”
“When we hear about racist attitudes and practices, we are called to respond,” said Fr. John Blaser, retired priest in the Diocese of Toledo. “We are called to accept and include all people as children of the same God. The presentation will help us understand the situation in Toledo and how we can help bring unity to our community.”
Monroe Street United Methodist Church is at 3613 Monroe Street, Toledo.
Cost of $15, payable in cash or check at the door, includes lunch and presentation. Parking is available behind the church. Make reservations to FirstThurs dayToledo@gmail.com by January 3. Registrants should indicate preferred meal option– regular or vegan. It is expected that attendees will be fully vaccinated or wear a mask.
First Thursday gatherings will continue February 2 with Rev. John Jones and Elisa Huss-Hage discussing “HOPE Toledo Pre-K: Our journey to create a comprehensive, community-based approach to high-quality preschool.”
