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National Black Religious Summit 13 on Sexuality
The Church in a Changing World

More than 600 African American clergy, religious leaders and young people gathered in July at the 13th annual National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality in Washington, DC, seeking new and effective ways to address high rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS and increased poverty in their communities.

See photos from Summit 13.

The Summit was sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) to encourage dialogue and action in the Black Church on sex and sexuality issues. As part of the Summit, RCRC held a Capitol Hill reception to honor Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for their work on behalf of women and families. Congresswoman Lee, who chairs the CBC, is a leading advocate for comprehensive sexuality education and a co-sponsor of the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act.

With major health care reform being considered by Congress, participants discussed the great need for reproductive health care for African American women and girls. Half of all African-American girls have a sexually transmitted disease and Black women have three times the rate of unintended pregnancy as White women.

This year's adult track included sessions on the economy, homosexuality and the Black church, ministering to pregnant and parenting teens, clergy boundaries, ministry and technology, "Safe Church" practices for children, HIV/AIDS ministries and more. The Teen Leadership Institute, for youth ages 13-18, focused on dating violence, sexuality and spirituality, life goals, divine purpose, and more.

Plenary Speakers
Dr. Joycelyn Elders
A native of Schaal, Arkansas, Dr. Elders is the oldest of eight children. Now a Professor Emeritus of pediatric endocrinology, at the University of Arkansas School of Medical Science, Dr. Elders never saw a physician prior to her first year in college. At the age of 15 she received a scholarship from the United Methodist Church to attend Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR. Upon graduation at age 18, she entered the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant and received training as a physical therapist. Dr. Elders has been active in civic affairs as a member of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Northside YMCA and Youth Homes. She was listed in 100 Outstanding Women in Arkansas, Personalities of the South and Distinguished Women in America. Dr. Elders served as Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service from 1993 until 1995. In 1995 she returned to the University of Arkansas Children’s Hospital until her retirement in 1998. She has won awards such as the Arkansas Democrat’s Woman of the Year, the National Governor’s Association Distinguished Service Award, the American Medical Association’s Dr. Nathan Davis Award, the De Lee Humanitarian Award, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Candace Award for Health Science. Dr. Elders has also received multiple honorary Doctorate of medical sciences degrees and honorary doctorate of letters degrees. Dr. Elders says her greatest achievement is that she married Oliver Elders and they have two sons, Eric and Kevin.

Reverend John William Kinney, Ph.D
Reverend Kinney is the Dean of the School of Theology at Virginia Union University and the beloved pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam, VA. He has devoted himself to the pursuit of excellence in theological training and preparation and has distinguished himself as a systematic theologian, academician and administrator in a career that spans some twenty years. He was awarded his Ph.D. from Columbia University/Union Theological seminary in New York where he authored his Doctoral Dissertation titled “Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: A Historical Exposition and Theological Analysis.” He has received numerous fellowships and awards and currently consults to the American Baptist Convention, the Progressive Baptist Convention, the Baptist General Convention of Virginia and both the United States Navy and Army Chaplain Corps. A prolific scholar and gifted preacher, Reverend Kinney is concerned about bringing men and women into partnership and has worked with numerous churches in the area of men’s ministry and married couples ministry.

Dr. Pernessa C. Seele
Pernessa C. Seele is founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc., a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora by building the capacity of faith communities to address life-threatening diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. In April 2008, Clark Atlanta University honored Dr. Seele with the “Pathway of Excellence Award” citing her as one of its most outstanding graduates of all time. Pernessa Seele received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of New Rochelle, NY and a Master of Science from Clark Atlanta University. She is a native of Lincolnville, South Carolina.

Worship Speakers
Reverend Kenneth Samuel
Doctor Samuel was licensed as a Minister of the Gospel on his 23rd birthday, August 5, 1979, at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, under the pastorate of the Reverend Doctor Joseph L. Roberts, Jr., and Pastor Emeritus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. In 1981, he received his Master of Divinity Degree. In 1996, he received the Doctor of Ministry Degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. His theological focus is in the field of homiletics and social ethics. Dr. Samuel is an adjunct professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department at Clark Atlanta University, and has served as a Teaching Assistant in homiletics at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. An aspiring author, Dr. Samuel is completing his first book for Pilgrim Press on the dynamics of decision making in the local church. Doctor Samuel services numerous civic organizations and sits on the board of Leadership DeKalb, which is the premier leadership development program in DeKalb County Georgia. Doctor Samuel is the proud parent of one daughter, Kendalle Marye, and resides in Lithonia, Georgia.

Reverend Frank Thomas
Reverend Dr. Frank Anthony Thomas has been an ordained minister and pastor for 26 years. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Thomas received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, an additional Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts degree in African-Caribbean Studies from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He has taken his pastoral experience, his love of African American preaching and his abilities as a scholar to McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois where he has taught Preaching in an adjunct capacity for many years. He is married to Joyce Scott Thomas. They have a son, Anthony William, and a daughter, Rachel Sojourner Thomas.

Adult Track

For more information about the Summit, contact 202-628-7700 or info@rcrc.org.