Presbyterian leader to preach in Oak Ridge on Feb. 23

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., will be the preacher at the Feb. 23 Sunday worship service at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge.

The Office of Public Witness implements the social justice agenda of the General Assembly of PC(USA) through advocacy with leaders of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.

For 68 years, Nelson said, this office has been “speaking truth to power.” He believes that grassroots organizing can influence the political sphere in today’s globalized culture.

The Rev. Sharon Youngs, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, knows him from her previous work as a PC(USA) national staff member.

“J. Herbert is one of the most committed and dedicated individuals I know when it comes to working for justice,” Youngs said. “I have the utmost respect and admiration for him.”

Nelson previously served as founder and pastor of Liberation Community Presbyterian Church in Memphis. This 15-year-old church was the first African-American church developed in the Presbytery of Memphis in 46 years.

He served as associate director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis. As a consultant, he provided staff development training for staff who provide assistance to low-performing schools.

He served for 11 years as pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church, a redeveloping congregation located in a thriving, middle-class area in Greensboro, N.C.

Nelson earned a doctor of ministry degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

The worship service will begin at 10 a.m. The church is located on the southeast corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive.