Contrasting Religious Leaders Preach in Ocean Grove
The OCEAN GROVE CAMP MEETING ASSOCIATION (OGCMA) is a Christian ministry committed to providing opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, renewal and recreation in a seaside setting that helps pastors and their churches achieve their mission in the world. Indeed, the central feature of religious activity at Ocean Grove each summer is its series of Sunday Worship Services in The Great Auditorium, each conducted by a different minister, pastor, or noted religious speaker from different churches nationwide.
Among them during this, OGCMA’s 147th season, is Dr. Barry C. Black, previously Chief of Navy Chaplains and currently U.S. Senate Chaplain. There is also Mr. Lee Strobel, a former journalist and atheist who, more than 25 years ago, discovered the joy and strength of Christianity and has been spreading the word ever since.
The diversity of their backgrounds and callings, paired with the commonality of their faith and dedication to others, truly exemplifies OGCMA’s openness to Christians of all denominations for a broad range of religious services, activities, and educational offerings.
The Great Auditorium is located at Pilgrim and Ocean Pathways in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and is handicapped accessible. For further information, visit the OGCMA website at www.oceangrove.org or call 800-590-4064.
Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.) was elected as the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate in 2003. Prior to going to Capitol Hill, Chaplain Black served in the U.S. Navy for over 27 years and ended his distinguished career with the Service as the Chief of Navy Chaplains. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and an alumnus of Oakwood College of Andrews University; North Carolina Central University; Eastern Baptist Seminary; Salve Regina University; and United States International University. In addition to earning Master of Arts degrees in Divinity, Counseling, and Management, he has Doctorate degrees in Ministry and Philosophy/Psychology.
As Chaplain of the Senate, he opens each day the Senate is in session with a prayer. His larger, year-round responsibility is to provide counseling and spiritual care for the Senators, their families and their staffs – a combined constituency of over 7,000 persons. Says Black, “I see my role to be a confidential counselor, spiritual advisor, scripture teacher, intercessor, and friend [to those listed above] as they seek to discover and live God’s wonderful plan.”
Dr. Black was commissioned as a Navy Chaplain in 1976 and during his career was stationed widely in the U.S. and abroad. By the time he worked his way up the ranks to Rear Admiral, he had been decorated with the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, among many others.
Not surprisingly, Chaplain Black has been recognized as an important role model and leader in the African-American community and has been duly awarded as such. Among his many accolades: the 1995 NAACP Renowned Service Award for his contribution to equal opportunity and civil rights; the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award from The Morehouse School of Religion; and, in 2004, the Old Dominion University chapter of the NAACP conferred on him the Image Award for “Reaffirming the Dream – Realizing the Vision” for military excellence.
Lee Strobel was a steadfast spiritual skeptic throughout his life, from his troubled childhood to his education and work as a hard-nosed journalist. But his life took a 180° spiritual turn in 1981 for several reasons: a health crisis (now thoroughly healed) that challenged his ideas, beliefs and feelings about life itself; still-unresolved issues with a cold father
who straight-out told his young son he didn’t love him; and his journalistic curiosity and vigor that challenged him to investigate one of humankind’s most fundamental questions: is there really a living, loving God?
After working for several newspapers in the early years of his journalism career, Strobel spent 14 years as the multi-award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. He earned his Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri and his Master of Studies in Law at Yale Law School. He won Illinois’ highest honor for public service journalism from United Press International and also led a team that won UPI’s top award for investigative reporting in Illinois. But despite this success, his personal spiritual investigation set him on a new path. For the last 25 years, his life’s work has been to share the evidence that supports the truth and claims of Christianity and to equip believers to share their faith with the people they know and love.
Mr. Strobel is the best-selling author of more than 20 books. His classic, The Case for Christ, is a perennial favorite that details his conversion to Christianity and sparked his popular Case For… series. His latest book, The Case for Grace, won the 2016 Nonfiction Book of the Year from the EPCA and he has been a featured guest on national networks including ABC, Fox, Discovery, PBS, and CNN. He was also the host of Faith Under Fire, a provocative program that brought together some of the brightest Christians and skeptics to debate issues central to the Christian faith. Earlier this year, Pure Flix Entertainment announced they will be creating a major motion picture depicting his journey from atheism to faith.
Mr. Strobel is currently a teaching pastor at Woodlands Church in Texas, where he speaks multiple times each year, and he recently joined the faculty at Houston Baptist University as a Professor of Christian Thought. As part of his speaking ministry, he travels across the country (and sometimes the world) sharing his testimony, encouraging believers, and challenging skeptics. He regularly speaks at conferences, commencements, fundraisers, and other major events. His sermon topics at Ocean Grove will be “The Unexpected Adventure” and “The Case For Grace.”
(Source: Christian Newswire)
