Siblings Lauren and Adam McDuffie are coming to this year’s Religious Liberty Council Luncheon, taking advantage of the discounted ticket price of $20 offered to young ministers. Lauren serves as a chaplain in Tennessee and was a member of the 2015 class of BJC Fellows. Adam is a student at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, and he served as a BJC intern in 2014. We asked them to share why they wanted to attend the event.
Lauren McDuffie
I grew up in churches where I learned about the impact of religious liberty advocacy in our Baptist story. As a student, attending the Religious Liberty Council Luncheon during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly gave me the chance to connect with others who care about these issues, to hear compelling speakers address contemporary issues of religious liberty, and to connect with the work of the BJC as a young Baptist. The BJC Fellows program and the availability of discounted tickets for young ministers to the RLC Luncheon are just a couple of the ways I have been able to build connections between my ministry and the advocacy of the BJC. Especially this year, when the luncheon will be an invaluable opportunity to join the voices thanking Brent Walker for his 27 years of service with the organization, I am grateful for the BJC for making this connection for young Baptists feasible.
Adam McDuffie
Having interned with the BJC, I was able to see firsthand the importance of the work this organization does in fighting for the protection of religious liberty. I also cherished the opportunity to be able to work alongside Brent Walker. His tenure with the BJC has been defined by excellence, including his efforts to expand the BJC’s educational mission and to pass important religious liberty legislation, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Being able to attend the RLC Luncheon and celebrate Brent’s career with the BJC is very important to me. Given that I am currently in seminary, and therefore living on a tight budget, I was unsure whether I would be able to attend the luncheon this year. The discounted tickets available to young ministers makes this experience possible for me and other young ministers. I am immensely grateful for that, and I look forward to attending in June.
The 2016 Religious Liberty Council Luncheon will be held June 24 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Young ministers can purchase tickets for $20, and regular tickets are $40 each. Tables of 10 are available for $400. For more information, call 202-544-4226 or visit BJConline.org/Luncheon.
From the May 2016 edition of Report from the Capital. Click here to view the issue as a PDF document.
