Prominent Fisk University graduate the Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby will headline Spiritual Renewal Week services at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, at 6 p.m. March 27, 28 and 29.
Rev. Cosby, senior pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and who received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and English from Fisk University, will be the featured preacher on March 27 and 28.
The Rev. John R. Faison Sr., senior pastor of Watson Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, will preach on Friday, March 29.
Rev. Faison, a native of Boykins, Virginia, and who received a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia State University in Petersburg, served five years in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty in South Korea and Iraq.
“The intent [of the services] is to rekindle the Spirit within us as we seek to walk closer to the Lord,’’ said the Rev. Dr. Kelly Miller Smith Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, and who will preach the church’s Easter services at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 31.
“The Spiritual Renewal Services are also designed to reach those who are unsaved and unchurched,’’ said Rev. Smith, adding that “We should not assume that people stay at the same level spiritually all the time.’’
He added: “We have two powerhouse preachers in Dr. Marcus Cosby and the Rev. John Faison Sr.
“On Easter Sunday, we will look forward to an uplifting Resurrection services as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave and the gift of salvation that God has given.’’
While encouraging the general public to attend the church’s Spiritual Renewal Services as well as the 10 a.m. Easter service on March 31, Rev. Smith also is inviting the public to attend an 8:45 a.m. Easter play at the church called “Choices on the Road to Calvary.’’
Meanwhile, Rev. Cosby, a native of Chicago, received the Master of Divinity Degree in Homiletics and Christian Education from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, and the Doctor of Ministry Degree in Homiletics from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois.
While at ITC, Rev. Cosby was chosen as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America and was awarded the Isaac R. Clark Preaching Award. In 2001, The African-American Pulpit, a scholarly journal that highlights the preaching prowess of African-American preachers across the country, selected him to be included on their inaugural “Twenty to Watch’’ list, and has subsequently published several of his sermons.
In 2008, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr., Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
A member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Rev. Cosby currently serves as a member of the Board of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference; the African-American Pulpit; and the Home Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Rev. Cosby has also become very sensitive to the spiritual needs of individuals, and therefore, focuses his ministry primarily, but not exclusively, toward people who are hurting – especially in the church.
The Rev. Faison, who was licensed to preach the gospel in August 1997, and ordained in February 2006, is a highly sought-after communicator of the gospel who has been privileged to minister throughout the nation.
The young and seasoned alike have been blessed by his message of allegiance and authenticity, as well as his willingness to deal with relevant issues.
In 2005, he founded JRF Ministries Inc., in an effort to expand the reach of his message and further fulfill the Kingdom assignment that God placed upon him.