Campbellsville University in Kentucky and Morehouse College in Georgia top of the list of 40 schools whose students or graduates have registered for the first Festival of Young Preachers. Each of theses schools has six young preachers. The Festival will be held at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, January 7-9, 2010.
Ministry professor Scott Wiggington wrote the festival into the syllabus of his university class at Campbellsville. He hosted Academy Executive Director Dwight A. Moody who spent the better part of a class period presenting the mission and programs of the Academy. As a result, five students registered: Andre Morton, Willis Deitz, Joshua Hardesty, Micah Spicer and Sean Stengl. In addition, James Bennett, soon to graduate from the School of Theology at Campbellsville, also registered.
Dean of the Chapel Lawrence Carter was also the key person in recruiting five Morehouse College students and one alum to register for the festival. Dr. Moody’s visit to his Atlanta campus inspired him to host mini-festivals on his own campus prior to sending in the registrations for the six students. The Morehouse chapel is the official sponsor of all six; Dean Carter is serving as their mentor for the festival. These six include Reginald Sharpe, Jr., Nicholas Richards, Tyrone McGowan, Jr. Jordan Casson and David Magruder. Morehouse graduate Willie Francois III is a student at Harvard Divinity School.
The six Campbellsville preachers and the six Morehouse preachers will all preach on Thursday and Friday. As mentor to all six Morehouse men, Carter must introduce each one before he preaches and this will keep him hopping from one venue to another, especially on Friday when he must move quickly from the Fellowship Hall to the Choir Suite at 10am, then to the Chapel at 10:55, and back to the Fellowship Hall for the 11:50 preaching session.
All of these young preacher sessions are free and open to the public. Indeed, the public is encouraged to attend. In fact, a scholarship prize of $1,000 (and a second prize of $500) will be awarded on Saturday to the young preacher who is supported by the most people who register as supporters.