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July 2007
Charles G. Adams Is Inaugural William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of
the Practice of Ethics and Ministry
Contact: Wendy
McDowell, 617.496.6004
CAMBRIDGE, MA, July 10, 2007—The Rev.
Charles G. Adams, one of the most prominent and dynamic ministers in the
United States, has joined Harvard's Faculty of Divinity as the first
William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of the Practice of Ethics and
Ministry, starting a five-year term on July 1, 2007.
"Charles Adams is one of the country's
most accomplished religious leaders," Dean William A. Graham said in
announcing the appointment on June 4. "He is not only a widely acclaimed
preacher, but has been just as influential as a pioneer in linking the
church's mission to urban revitalization through economic, educational,
and social initiatives. This range of experience makes him an especially
apt choice to inaugurate the Nickerson professorship, which was created,
in part, 'with special attention to economic policies and practices as
they affect both the profession of the ministry and society as a whole.'
"
Adams, BD '64, has been pastor of
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit since 1969. Under his
leadership, the church has established social, educational, and
recreational programs for a congregation that now numbers at more than
10,000 members. Its various economic development initiatives have gone
even further, in helping to revitalize much of northwest Detroit.
Beyond Detroit, Adams has been integral
to the World Council of Churches' efforts to combat racism. In this
regard, for example, he spoke before the United Nations on South African
apartheid. He has been president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP and
holds memberships on numerous boards, including the National Council of
Churches and Morehouse College. In 1994, he accompanied President Bill
Clinton to Jordan to witness the signing of the peace accord between
Jordan and Israel.
In addition he has acted as one of HDS's
most trusted advisers over the years, and has won several of the
School's alumni/ae awards. He was a founding member of the Black Alumni/ae
Network, now known as Alumni/ae of African Descent; he played an
integral role in raising the money to create the Black Seminarians Fund;
and he has been a guiding force in the development and growth of HDS's
Summer Leadership Institute, an annual two-week program begun in 1998
that trains pastors and lay leaders in community and economic
development. Not only has Adams served on the SLI faculty each year, but
he has engendered a fruitful cross-fertilization between Hartford and
Harvard, bringing Harvard professors to speak at his church.
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