The "Message in the Middle" series continues in 2012-2013 with powerful messages of hope and inspiration from leaders from across the country.  Set in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, "Message in the Middle" is designed to offer encouragement and motivation for staff, students and faculty at Dillard University.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, November 14 - Melech E. M. Thomas

Minister Melech E. M. Thomas is a first-year Master of Divinity candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. He is a 2011 graduate of Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Culture and a Minor in Community and Economic Development. As a student-leader at Howard, Melech served as the coordinator of the HU "Do You Care?" Anti-Gun Violence Campaign, where as many as 500 students participated in anti-gun violence events on campus and in the surrounding community. Through the campaign's efforts, over 3,000 students signed a petition calling for a White House National Summit on Gun Violence and a permanent reinstatement of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. He has also completed graduate studies at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Melech has spoken, preached, and lectured for several educational institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, West Chester University, University of Central Florida, and James Madison University and for ecumenical organizations such as the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, The Nation of Islam, and the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education. A portion of his work has been used for theological training by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.

Melech Thomas is the youngest child of the Rev. Drs. Michael O. Thomas and Debyii L. Sababu-Thomas and is on the ministerial staff at Hemingway Temple AME Church in Baltimore, Maryland. All accomplishments aside, Melech Thomas is one who seeks to serve God and God’s people through love, transformation, and justice.

Wednesday, October 31 - Reverend Olu Brown

Olu Brown is the founder and lead pastor of Impact Church 1.0. He is married to Farrah Brown and they are the proud parents of Daya Brown. A native of Texas, Olu graduated from The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and was Associate Pastor at Cascade United Methodist Church for six years prior to starting Impact Church.

Wednesday, October 10 - Reverend Dominque A. Robinson

Rev. Robinson began her Christian walk under the leadership of her late (paternal) grandmother, Overseer Della V. Smith, who founded and pastored Deliverance House of Prayer (Irvington, NJ) until her untimely death. Dominique gave her life to Christ in November of 1998 and launched the genesis of her preaching ministry (age 13). At the age of 18 she transferred her membership to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church where she currently serves as an ordained Itinerant Elder.

Rev. Robinson earned her Master of Theology (May 2011) concentrating in Homiletics and Pastoral Care, at Candler School of Theology. While completing this degree, Dominique earned her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Certification in December 2010 and worked as a Teaching Assistant to Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, who has been recognized as a pre-eminent homiletician in the nation. She has served as a chaplain at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta and was selected to serve on the Academy of Preachers Leadership Team Member, a national organization that advocates and equips young preachers.

Rev. Robinson is currently the Staff Associate for CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) and Contextual Education Department at Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA) and plans to pursue doctoral studies in the near future. Additionally, Rev. Robinson is a Contributing Editor to Harvest magazine, a national web based Christian publication, and is the author of Unspoken Praise: A Manual on Liturgical – Praise Dance. Rev. Robinson is an associate minister at St. Stephen A.M.E. Zion Church, Asbury Park, New Jersey, under the pastorate of Rev. Derinzer Johnson (Mid-Atlantic I Episcopal District). While residing in Georgia, Rev. Robinson worships and serves at the Solid Rock A.M.E. Zion Church (Rev. Dr. Roe Nall Jr., Pastor).

It is Dominique’s life’s goal to utilize her doctrine and discipline in order to be an effective advocate for children, youth, and young adults as well as to empower African American women within the academy and the Black Church.

Wednesday, October 31 - Reverend Olu Brown

Wednesday, November 14 - Minister Melech E.M. Thomas

Wednesday, November 28 - Reverend Courtney Jenkins - CANCELLED