In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Black Studies Program at Cleveland State University will present a lecture by Dr. C. Jay Matthews, senior pastor at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church and president of United Pastors in Mission, on Thursday, January 17 at noon.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will take place in University Center Auditorium, located at 2121 Euclid Ave. (corner of Euclid Ave. and East 21st Street).

Matthews’ lecture is titled “Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Drum Major for Peace.” Matthews has served in ministry for nearly 25 years, and was previously chaplain at the Cuyahoga County Youth Development Center as well as the youth pastor and assistant pastor of Mount Sinai Baptist Church. Under his leadership, Mount Sinai has grown to become a non-traditional church with more than 4,000 members.

Matthews is a civil rights activist and is one of the leading children, juvenile and family advocates in the greater Cleveland community. He serves as a member of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and on the board of United Way Services and the Adoption Task Force. He is chairman of One Church, One Child and chairman of the local NAACP's Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.

Matthews is currently developing a community-based ministry plan for the revitalization of the neighborhood surrounding Mount Sinai to provide much needed services to that community.

Matthews is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary and earned a master of arts in religious studies, a master of divinity and a doctorate of ministry. He is married to Pastor Jacquelyn D. Farris-Matthews.

For more information, please call the Black Studies Program at Cleveland State University at 216.687.3655.

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