T W Lewis Lecture Series October 27-28

This fall’s 2023 T.W. Lewis Lecture Series on Jesus and a Just Society will be A Gospel Response:  Access to Healthcare.  As people of faith, we will look at the compelling reasons it should matter to us, that all Mississippians have access to good healthcare and hospitals.  Jesus was quite insistent in his love command, telling us we’re to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Though we will speak to it, our direct focus will not be on the legislative issue of Medicaid Expansion.  Ours is a larger issue, a kingdom of God issue; an issue we believe matters to the God who made us. So, how then do we think about access to good healthcare for all of our people in Mississippi?

Instead of just one keynote speaker, we’ve arranged for a handful of Mississippians who’re already working in this arena.  Here are our presenters… 

• The Rev. Dr. Chuck Poole, twice the former pastor of Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, and now with Together for Hope.  Dr. Poole will frame the issue of accessible healthcare as a Jesus issue, that should matter to people of faith.  He will speak Friday night, “Concerning the Way Scripture Leans,” and Saturday morning, “Concerning the Way Jesus Leans.”
• The Rev. Dr. Jason Coker, president and director of Together for Hope.  Together for Hope—headquartered in Jackson—is a nationwide coalition of 338 counties to address rural poverty.  Dr. Coker will speak Saturday morning on "Hope is a Four-Letter Word," not a wish, but an action.
• Dr. Sandra Melvin, Doctor of Public Health;  CEO and founder of The Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health.  Speaking Friday night, Dr. Melvin will help paint the individual human face on healthcare in Mississippi, and point the way toward  “Walking In Our Faith to Create Healthier Communities.”
• Mr. Von Gordon, executive director of The Alluvial Collective (formerly The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation).  Speaking on Saturday morning, he will humanize the issue with real Mississippi stories, to address how the most vulnerable often get left behind in healthcare legislation; "Sacred Creations in Unhealthy Cultures."
• Dr. Dan Jones, former chancellor of the University of Mississippi, and former dean of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.   Speaking also as a medical missionary for seven years in Korea, Dr. Jones will probe the church’s failure to see that loving others means addressing real needs:  “Has the Great Commission Church Lost its Passion for The Great Commandment?” (Saturday afternoon).
• Dr. Michelle Owens, a practicing OB-GYN in Jackson, and the current president of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.  Also known to many as the voice of MPR’s Southern Remedy for Women, Dr. Owens will speak Saturday afternoon on “Our Sisters’ Keepers: Meeting the Challenges of Maternal Health In Mississippi.”
  
  

Panel Discussion moderated by Ms. Deidra Bell, and featuring our presenters, with Q & A from attendees.

Friday evening, October 27
5:30 - 6:15 - Reception in the Fellowship Center
6:15 - 6:30 - Welcome and Introductions
6:30 - 7:30 - Lecture 1- Rev. Dr. Chuck Poole, “Concerning the Way Scripture Leans”
7:30 - 8:15 - Lecture 2- Dr. Sandra Melvin, “Walking In Our Faith to Create Healthier
                            Communities”
8:15   -   Adjourn
Saturday morning, October 28
8:15 - 8:30 - Gathering with snacks, coffee
8:30 - 8:45 - Welcome and Introductions
8:45 - 9:30 - Lecture 3- Rev. Dr. Chuck Poole, “Concerning the Way Jesus Leans”
9:30 - 10:15 - Lecture 4- Mr. Von Gordon, "Sacred Creations in Unhealthy Cultures"
10:15 - 10:30 - Break
10:30 - 11:15 - Lecture 5- Rev. Dr. Jason Coker, "Hope is a Four-Letter Word"
11:15-12:30 - Lunch on your own
Saturday afternoon, Oct.ober 28
12:30 - 1:15 - Lecture 6- Dr. Dan Jones, “Has the Great Commission Church Lost
                                        Its Passion for The Great Commandment?”
1:15 - 2:00 - Lecture 7- Dr. Michelle Owens, “Our Sisters’ Keepers: Meeting the
                                      Challenges of Maternal Health In Mississippi.”
2:00 - 2:15 - Break
2:15 - 3:15 - Panel Discussion - Ms. Deidra Bell, moderator
3:15 - Closing
Sunday Worship, October 29
11:00 - Rev. Dr. Chuck Poole preaching the Worship Service
" What Matters Most?"  -  Matthew 22:34-46