By Dick Alton

To renew and deepen the commitment of the faith community to care for God’s creation, Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park will host an “Earth Revival” weekend. Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, will be the guest speaker focusing on “Love God, Live Green and Liberate All” from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 1. The community is invited to join in this energizing and inspiring program followed by refreshments and conversation. Rev. Moss says, “It is our moral obligation to fight injustice and inequality by cutting pollution and bringing good, clean energy jobs to every community.” Moss graduated from Yale Divinity School and the Chicago Theological Seminary. He has taught courses on the “Art of Prophetic Preaching in the Urban Context.”

The Friday evening event will be followed from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2, by a series of Congregation and Individual Resource Workshops. Area congregations, organizations and individuals are invited to participate in workshops including, Growing a Strong Green Team; Energy Efficiency (Elevate Energy); Solar Energy (Microgrid); Native Gardens (West Cook Wild Ones); Faith in Places Resources; Moving Toward Zero Waste (Biosphere Technology) and tours of Euclid’s solar and geothermal installations.

The Earth Revival will be held at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church at 405 S. Euclid Ave. in Oak Park. All events are free and open to the public. The Earth Revival is co-sponsored by the Interfaith Green Network, Faith in Place and Archdiocese of Chicago Office for Peace and Justice.

For more details or questions, contact Dick Alton (richard.alton@gmail.com) or call 773.344.7172. Please RSVP here.

Additional Biographical Information about Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III is part of a new generation of ministers committed to preaching prophetically that the message of love and justice are inseparable companions, forming the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has a unique gift to communicate across generations. His creative Bible-based messages have inspired young and old alike. His intergenerational preaching gift has made Dr. Moss a popular speaker on college campuses, at conferences and churches across the globe. Dr. Moss is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, an honors graduate of Morehouse College, Yale Divinity School, and he has earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Dr. Moss is highly influenced by the works of Zora Neale Hurston, August Wilson, Howard Thurman, Jazz and Hip-Hop music. The work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pastoral ministry of his father, Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., of Cleveland, Ohio, have been primary mentors for his spiritual formation.

He is the former pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga., his first pastorate, where the church grew from 125 members to more than 2,100 disciples during his tenure. Dr. Moss is currently Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Dr. Moss is an accomplished author. He published his first book, “Redemption in a Red Light District” in 1999 and co-authored “The Gospel Re-Mix: How to Reach the Hip-Hop Generation” in 2006. His sermons, articles and poetry have appeared in publications such as “Power in the Pulpit II: America’s Most Effective Preachers, Joy To The World: Sermons From America’s Pulpit,” “Sound The Trumpet: Messages of Hope for Black Men”, “The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama,” Sojourners Magazine and The African American Pulpit Journal.In 2012, he published, with his father, “Preach!: The Power and Purpose Behind Our Praise.” Dr. Moss published his collection of sermons, “The Gospel According to The Wiz: And Other Sermons from Cinema,” in 2014.

He is an ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ, carrying dual standing in both denominations. He is a life member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, board member of the Christian Century Magazine, Chaplain of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor Child Advocacy Conference.

Dr. Moss is married to his college sweetheart, the former Monica Brown of Orlando, Fla., a Spelman College and Columbia University graduate. They are the proud parents of two creative and humorous children, Elijah Wynton and Makayla Elon.