Oakland MLK event honors King's mentor

The East Bay Church of Religious Science will host “The Living Wisdom of Howard Thurman” in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday weekend, Sunday, January 16, 2011, from 3:00-5:00 PM. The public is invited.

The Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman was a guide and mentor for Dr. King and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. His work speaks directly to today’s personal and social issues, highlighting the powerful connection between spirituality and social transformation.

Thurman was a philosopher, theologian, educator, reformer, and author of more than 20 books, including Jesus and the Disinherited and The Inward Journey. In 1936 he led the first African American delegation to meet with Mahatma Gandhi, and became an advocate of Gandhi’s methods of nonviolent social change, inspiring many in the American struggle for civil rights, justice, and freedom. Thurman co-founded the first interracial interfaith congregation in the United States, the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, in San Francisco.

Ebony magazine named Dr. Thurman among the 50 most important figures in African American history, and Life magazine hailed him as one of the greatest preachers in the nation.

The event will provide an introduction to Thurman’s life and legacy. It will feature excerpts from the video interview "Conversations with Howard Thurman," and consider the relevance of his wisdom for the critical issues of the present day.

The presenter for the session will be Dr. Liza Rankow, an interfaith minister and the director of OneLife Institute (www.onelifeinstitute.org). She regularly teaches classes on Thurman in community and academic settings, and is co-editor of the recently released six-CD audio collection, "The Living Wisdom of Howard Thurman."

Rev. Rankow will also offer a ten-week class on Thurman at the East Bay Church, on Thursday evenings, beginning February 3, 2011.

The church is located at 4130 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. The Rev. Dr. Elouise Oliver is the Senior Pastor. For more information: www.ebcrs.org or call 510-420-1003.

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