News and Announcements

PRESS ROOM METROPOLITAN AME CHURCH
1518 M St. NW
Washington, DC 20005    

JUNE 23, 2010                                              

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Anthony Hawkins
202-331-1426

BIBLICAL SCHOLAR TO PREACH AT METROPOLITAN

WASHINGTON (June 23, 2010)  –  Renowned preacher, author, divinity educator and scholar Dr. Cain Hope Felder will preach at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, 1518 M St. NW, on Sunday, July 11 at 9 a.m. for the celebration of the historic church’s 172^nd anniversary.  Metropolitan is the oldest AME church in the nation’s capital and has hosted US presidents, statesmen and world leaders.

Recently declared one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historical Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Metropolitan will use the occasion to announce  a multi-million dollar National Capital Campaign to help finance the restoration of its massive edifice.  “The Washington community is invited to join us for this special event,” said the Rev. Ronald E. Braxton, Metropolitan’s senior minister. 

Dr. Felder, professor of New Testament Language and Literature and editor of The Journal of Religious Thought at the Howard University School of Divinity, has been on Howard’s faculty since 1981. Prior to coming to Howard, he taught within the Department of Biblical Studies (1978-1981) at Princeton Theological Seminary.  Founder of the Biblical Institute of Social Change (BISC), he was recently honored for “extraordinary accomplishments” at Howard University’s 86^th Annual Charter Day Dinner. His books include “Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, and Family” and “The Original African Heritage Study Bible.”   He is a sought-after preacher, lecturer, consultant and media interviewee and has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times and EBONY, and on BET, PBS, BBC and NBC.

Metropolitan, built by free blacks and former slaves as a connectional church for the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, is an important landmark of American history.  Frederick Douglass, whose funeral was held at Metropolitan, often worshiped at the church.  The memorial service for Booker T. Washington and the Washington funeral services for Rosa Parks were also held there.

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Dr. Cain Hope Felder

Please join us as we celebrate our 172nd Church Anniversary on July 11, 2010 at 9:00 AM. Dr. Cain Hope Felder will be the guest preacher.

Dr. Cain Hope Felder is professor of New Testament Language and Literature and editor of The Journal of Religious Thought at the Howard University School of Divinity. He also serves as chair of the Ph.D. program and immediate past chair of the Doctor of Ministry program. He has been on Howard’s faculty since 1981.

Prior to coming to Howard, he taught within the Department of Biblical Studies (1978-1981) at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Felder is an ordained Methodist minister within the United Methodist Church. From 1969-1972, Dr. Felder worked as the first national director of the United Methodist Black Caucus, then headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1990, he founded the Biblical Institute of Social Change (BISC), headquartered in Washington, DC.

A prolific writer, his publications include “True to Our Native Land” (Augsburg Fortress, May, 2007), the first African American commentary on the New Testament; “Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, and Family” (Orbis Books, 1989) – 16th printing; and “The Original African Heritage Study Bible” (Winston Publishing Company, 1993). A world-renowned scholar, he is a sought-after lecturer, consultant and media interviewee. He has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times and EBONY, and on BET, PBS and NBC, to name a few. Read more. . .