"The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
—Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)

From left to right: the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins III and the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Jr.

Rev. Christine A. Smith, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, receives the Living the Legacy award from the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr. (right), assisted by Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins III (left).

Dr. Anthony F. Lloyd, pastor of Beulahland Baptist Church, Gardena, Calif., and adjunct professor of Practical Theology at Cohen University, received the Living the Legacy award from the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr. (center), assisted by Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins III (left).

While the presidential candidates and most of the country focused their attention on the economic woes of the middle class, the plight of America's poor took center stage in Oakland, Calif., recently at the Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr. Prophetic Justice Institute, "Speak Until Justice Wakes."

The conference, sponsored by National Ministries in partnership with Allen Temple Baptist Church and the American Baptist Seminary of the West, drew 150 prominent and influential pastors, theologians, seminarians and lay leaders from across the country for three days of plenary sessions and workshops on social justice and the prophetic church.

The historic forum began with a kickoff luncheon, hosted by National Ministries' executive director, Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III. In his opening remarks, Wright-Riggins issued this challenge to the conferees:

"We must dare to speak to a country and a culture that is in a concussive state until it wakes up. The country is shell shocked over the economy. While it is focused on and concerned about Wall Street and Main Street, we don't have a clue as to what the impact will be on the 'coping and crisis' classes in our society. Or what it will mean for the most vulnerable citizens, particularly, children and the elderly. We have a God who empowers us to keep shaking this country until it wakes up."

The Rev. Marilyn P. Turner, National Ministries' associate executive director for Program Ministries, who presided over the opening plenary, recognized the venerable Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., after whom the conference is named, for his contributions to prophetic ministry.

"Dr. Smith's life and ministry have been devoted to justice, peace and righteousness and to his belief that the church has the ability and the responsibility to make a change in the world in which we live," Rev. Turner noted.

Following the tribute, Smith moderated a panel discussion, "The Power of the Prophetic Church." He opened with this working definition:

"When we talk about the prophetic, we're not talking about a 'privatistic' gospel. We're talking about the gospel that defines the prophetic in terms of Jesus and the 8th century prophets," Smith said.

"The heretical definition of the prophetic wants to deal with the sweet bye and bye and ignore the nasty now and now. So when we talk about the prophetic, we're talking about religion that does not baptize culture. We're talking about speaking truth to power in the tradition of Amos who said, 'Let justice roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.' "

At later plenary sessions and in workshops, speakers exhorted and challenged conferees on a wide range of topics, including small church and prophetic ministry, children in poverty, HIV/AIDS ministry, prison ministry, domestic violence/anger management, social justice, hip hop and social responsibility, conflict resolution and prophetic justice.

Following her plenary discussion, "Justice Put on Hold: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Dr. Iva Carruthers, general secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference in Chicago, Ill., observed:

"I hope that participants will take away from this convening a renewed sense of call, commitment and mandate to organize ministries of justice in local congregations that will be actively engaged in advocacy, education and activism—not only in their local congregations but also nationally and globally."

"Living Legacy" awards were presented to persons whose life and work exemplify prophetic ministry in action. The award recipients are:

• Jonathan Zingkhaiti, program manager, City Team in San Francisco, Calif., for his transformational work with persons recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
• Rev. Christine A. Smith, author, pastor, award winning preacher, and community activist.
• Dr. Mamie Oliver, co-founder, Community Ministries Centers of Idaho, for her work establishing community centers that provide medical, financial and spiritual care to under-served communities.
• Dr. Anthony F. Lloyd, pastor, Beulahland Baptist Church in Gardenia, Calif., for his community outreach and scholarly writings on counseling and addictions.
• Rev. Ruben Hurtado, pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Hispanic ministry, for his leadership and community outreach to Hispanics in Oakland, Calif.

Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr. is the retiring senior pastor of the 5,000 member Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif. Globally known as a leading advocate of prophetic ministry, Smith personifies the prophetic mantra of "speaking truth to power." He is the author of the book, "Speak Until Justice Wakes: Reflections from J. Alfred Smith Sr." published by Judson Press.

Read reactions to the Dr. J. Alfred Smith Prophetic Justice Institute.

< < Back