April 18, 2024
The Georgia Baptist Pastors Day at the State Capitol will take place Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
Combining the annual Legislative Prayer Breakfast and Pastors’ Day into one helped make last year’s event such a success. Because of that, this year’s event, hosted by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Public Affairs department, will once again combine the two.
We encourage you to join us at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and to hear from legislators, public policy experts, and activists. This also is a great opportunity to invite your State Senator and House Member to attend with you.
Some of the speakers lined up for the event include:
Former Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden will speak at 7:30 a.m. at the Legislative Prayer Breakfast. Bowden, an outstanding student-athlete at West Virginia University, two-time ACC Coach of the Year at Clemson University, and widely sought-after motivational speaker, has dedicated his life to making a difference in others' lives. In addition to traveling across the U.S. speaking, he has appeared as an expert college football analyst on ESPN television and radio, as well as co-hosted two football television shows with FOX Sports and the ACC Football Network.
Catherine Davis is the founder and president of pro-life organization The Restoration Project. Davis, a public speaker and civil rights champion, is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tufts University who attended the University of Bridgeport School of Law. She will be speaking on the subject that she spoke on recently at the National Right to Life Convention: The Reconstruction Period of a Post-Roe Era.
Former Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler will be with us. Loeffler was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2020. Today, she volunteers her time and resources as the founder and chairwoman of Greater Georgia, a non-partisan, statewide voter-mobilization organization, and the vice chair of Citizens for a Greater Georgia. She will be doing a question-and-answer time talking about current issues facing our country.
Chad Connelly is the founder and CEO of Faith Wins. He will be the keynote speaker during the noonday luncheon. Chad is well known in political and religious circles around the nation as an effective speaker, relationship builder and prolific fundraiser and is in demand as an inspirational speaker on a variety of topics. He has appeared on numerous national television shows and has been a featured commentator on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and others.
Two additional speakers will be joining us:
Attorney Matt Sharp with Alliance Defending Freedom will deliver a religious liberty update. Sharp serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Legislative Advocacy with ADF. He has authored legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and national policy organizations on the importance of First Amendment rights.
John Kindt, a retired professor from the University of Illinois will present a gambling awareness update. Professor Kindt is known for his lectures and debates all over the U.S. on the topic of gambling. He has testified several times before Congress on the social and economic detriments of the gambling industry. His academic perspective of this predatory activity is the best in the country!
In addition to the speaker sessions, we will also participate in a tour of the State Capitol before lunch. This will give our participants a better understanding of how to communicate with the legislators when in person at the Capitol.
Make plans now come and be with us. Every legislator, pastor, pastor’s wife, and ministry leader is invited to discover how to navigate the public square for the sake of the gospel.
Also, we encourage all our pastors to invite their legislators to breakfast. This is a great time to engage them in a personal and spiritual way! If you don’t know who they are, you can find out here. Legislators can register by visiting the same site shared below.
Space is limited, so I encourage you to register today! Registration is free, but both breakfast and lunch will be offered as add-ons for $15 each. The signup and the full schedule can be found online at https://gabaptist.org/events/pastors-day-at-the-capitol/.
I look forward to seeing you at this year’s event!
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Mike Griffin is the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
