Athens State University will be welcoming Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr. as he speaks on “The Common Good – A Timeless Measure of Faith & Education” at a Lunch & Learn on June 16 at 11:30 am in the Sandridge Student Center Ballroom. As part of the “Athens Forever” Bicentennial Series, the event will be free and open to the public. Lunch will be served, and registration is required.

Churches and colleges got their start together in the United States, including sharing humble beginnings. Those early church colleges were more public than private. Far from sectarian institutions, they captured much of the religious diversity of the time. Today, both church and public educational institutions need to remember those early days when all was driven by the common good.

Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is a distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus and senior consultant of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He came to Wesley Seminary in 2003 as the founding director of the Lewis Center after 18 years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. Previously, he was a local church pastor in Mississippi for many years.

A native of Mississippi, Dr. Weems is a graduate of Millsaps College; Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University; and Wesley Theological Seminary. He holds honorary degrees from Baker University, Central Methodist University, and Millsaps College.

His years in local church ministry in Mississippi were marked by emphasis on both evangelism and social concerns. His work in Mississippi led the distinguished Mississippi writer Willie Morris to describe him as “one of the persons who added much to the growing civility of Mississippi.”

The author of ten books, his classic Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity, is described by Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School as “an invaluable guide to leadership in the church.”

Please join us for this free lunch and learn as Athens State University revisits our 200 years of history and explores our past affiliation with the Methodist Church. For more information or to register, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/39t5kfu8