Bishop T.D. Jakes to Speak at NABJ Convention

Bishop T.D. Jakes to Speak at NABJ Convention

Minister to Discuss Impact of Mega Churches in America

WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop T.D. Jakes, one of America's most influential religious leaders, will be a featured speaker at the National Association of Black Journalists' 30th Anniversary Convention and Career Fair in Atlanta, NABJ President Herbert Lowe announced today.

Bishop Jakes, a best-selling author and Grammy award-winning gospel music producer, will speak during the plenary session, "Mega Churches: The Power, Influence and Impact," at noon, Friday, Aug. 5, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational church in Dallas with more than 30,000 members, Jakes will discuss the role of large churches in the black community and answer questions from a panel of NABJ members.

"Many of our members know Bishop Jakes through his programs, books and reputation," said Lowe, a reporter at Newsday in New York. "We look forward to hearing from him up close and personally on the state and future of the black church and its role in America's future."

NABJ's convention is expected to draw more than 3,000 attendees and is the largest annual professional gathering devoted to black journalists. It will coincide in Atlanta with MegaFest 2005, a four-day conference led by Bishop Jakes and expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

"It is a great honor to speak to our nation's black journalists, including many who have written about me throughout my career in the ministry," Bishop Jakes said.

NABJ's convention theme is "Telling Our Story" and reflects the association's yearlong celebration of the passion, pride, purpose and power of black journalists over the last three decades, Lowe said.

The convention will also feature the nation's largest journalism career fair along with specialized workshops, plenary sessions with other national figures, professional development breakfasts targeted to various journalism disciplines, a Hall of Fame awards banquet, a gospel brunch, media receptions, an exhibit area and so much more for seasoned, up-and-coming and future journalists.

As part of its anniversary celebration, NABJ will honor the 44 brave men and women who founded it in 1975 and the 15 men and women elected to serve as association president. The 30 most influential moments impacting black journalists since 1975 will also be spotlighted.

For more information about the convention or to register, visit http://www.nabj.org/ or call the NABJ national office at (301) 445-7100. The pre-registration deadline is July 1.

Source: National Association of Black Journalists

CONTACT: Lisa Goodnight of National Association of Black Journalists, +1-301-445-7100 ext. 107, lisa@nabj.org

Web site: http://www.nabj.org/

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