The Rev. Robert Jones returns to D&E this week. Join us for his lecture! The Phipps Lecture will offer insight into cultural diversity as the Rev. Robert Jones presents an illustrated concert on “The Role of Music in the Civil Rights Movement.” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 10 in the Great Hall of Halliehurst on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. A blues musician, pastor of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Mich., and a lecturer, Jones specializes in music genres and stories that have traditionally motivated and sparked social change throughout history. For more than 30 years, Jones has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe for a wide variety of groups and causes, including YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, Focus HOPE, the NAACP, the Grey Panthers, Habitat For Humanity in Michigan and Mississippi, the ACLU, Empty Bowls, Freedom House of Detroit, Mich., and others. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that we should celebrate, not just tolerate. Rev. Jones will present the blues in all its spiritual range, says Dr. Robert McCutcheon, chair of the Phipps Committee and professor of English at Davis & Elkins. Not just sorrow and lament, which we expect, but also liberation and redemption. Locally, Jones has instructed summer session courses at the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College. In 2013, he performed I Do Not Play No B. B. King, at a Blues Week concert. Jones received special training in Educational Drama through the Storyliving Program at Detroit Historical Museum from 1996 to 2003. He completed concentrated training in Family and Substance Abuse Counseling in 1985 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Near Eastern studies in 1979, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. In 2004 and 2005, Jones was one of 30 Baptist pastors invited to participate in a national seminar on “Worship and Music in the Black Church” at American Baptist College in Nashville, Tenn. He is the recipient of Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Recording and Songwriting in 2002 and 2003, and was recognized nationally in 2007 with the Keeping Blues Alive Award by the Blues Foundation for work as a blues educator. Jones and his wife, Bernice, work together, primarily in the field of sacred music. They have a mutual love for traditional spirituals and gospel, have released two recordings together and toured nationally. During his visit, Jones will participate in a civil-rights themed community worship service at Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11. Established in 1995, The Phipps Lectureship brings accomplished scholars from a wide range of backgrounds to campus to provide opportunities for sharing ideas and experiences in religion, philosophy and related disciplines. Dedicated to continuing Dr. Phippss legacy of scholarship, inquiry and the candid discussion of ideas, the lectureship connects students and the public with leading scholars through classroom visits, small group meetings and an annual free public lecture. For additional information, call McCutcheon at 304-637-1216 or email him at [email protected].
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 01:48:34 +0000
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