Interfaith Service Speaker: Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III
Education and faith are the hallmarks of the ministry of the Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, infusing his life, his work and his teachings. As Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, and President of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts’ sincere commitment to enhancing the kingdom of God on earth is evidenced in a loyal attention to the daily activities and services of the congregation, as well as the pervasive impact of the church on community development initiatives including homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, cultural awareness and ecumenical outreach.
Under Dr. Butts’ leadership, Abyssinian Baptist Church is committed to the expansion and maintenance of its Christian mission to win more souls for Christ through evangelism, pastoral care, Christian education, social service delivery, and community development. Toward that end, in 1989 Rev. Butts was one of the founders, and is the current Chairman of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, a comprehensive, community-based, not-for-profit organization responsible for over $600 million in housing and commercial development in Harlem. He was also instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change—a public, state-of-the-art, intermediate and high school in Harlem—and he is the visionary behind the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School, which opened in September 2005.
A native New Yorker, Dr. Butts spent a few years in the South, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Morehouse College. He returned to New York and earned a Master of Divinity in Church History from Union Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry in Church and Public Policy from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. The Reverend was conferred with honorary degrees from Morehouse; The City College of New York; Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama; Claflin College of Orangeburg, South Carolina; Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana; Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania; and Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.
Rev. Butts was an Urban Affairs instructor, and served as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at New York‘s City College. He also taught Black Church History at Fordham University, and continues to lecture and speak at colleges, universities and various organizations throughout the United States and abroad. Read More >>