Pulpit exchange project seeks to expand

Published 2:47 am Monday, January 15, 2007

By Staff
Human Relations Council recruiting participants for Feb. 18 program
By MIKE VOSS, Contributing Editor
Like the Marine Corps, the Washington/Beaufort County Human Relations Council is looking for some good men and women.
The council is recruiting participants for its second-annual Pulpit Exchange, set for Feb. 18. Churches and people interested in participating in the exchange program should meet at the Temple of Jesus Christ Family Life Center on Hackney Avenue in Washington at 6 p.m. Feb. 1. At that meeting, participants in the pulpit exchange will receive their assignments.
Council members said the pulpit exchange is a way to get church leaders involved in the council’s mission, which includes improving relations among different segments of the community.
Harvey is a member of the Temple of Jesus Christ.
Harvey’s father, Bishop James Woolard, preached at Washington’s First Baptist Church last year as part of the pulpit exchange. The choir from Woolard’s church went with him to First Baptist Church, where it performed during the 11 a.m. worship service.
Harvey said the council hopes to have more churches involved in this year’s pulpit exchange. The exact number of participants won’t be known until after the Feb. 1 meeting, she said.
Eleven area ministers took part in the 2006 pulpit exchange.
Rick Gagliano, one of the council’s pulpit-exchange committee members, believes more churches will be involved in this year’s pulpit exchange.
Those churches, about seven of them, want to be a part of this year’s pulpit exchange, he said.
The following churches participated in last year’s pulpit exchange: San Mateo Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church in Washington, Bebee Memorial CME Church, First United Methodist Church, Metropolitan AME Zion Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Mount Zion Free Will Baptist Church, Chocowinity United Methodist Church, Mount Hebron Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ), Zion Episcopal Church and Temple of Jesus Christ.
Anyone interested in participating in the pulpit exchange should call Wanda Harvey at 946-4188 or 402-7946.