Author and pastor emeritus to discuss justice, love and mercy at Wheaton church Jan. 18

On Thursday, Jan. 18, First Presbyterian Church in Wheaton presents “A Christian Response to Issues of Race and Racism” with the Rev. Wayne Gordon, founder and pastor emeritus of Chicago’s Lawndale Community Church with currently 1,000 worshipping families.

This is a Micah 6:8 event: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. NIV

It will begin at 7 p.m. in the church’s Stewart Hall, 715 N. Carlton Ave. All are welcome to this free event.

Pastor Gordon and his wife, Anne, have dedicated their lives to sharing the good news of Christ and to living out God’s command to act with justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly with God. Their work is focused on bringing people together, rather than looking at the things that divide us.

Pastor Gordon has written a book titled “Do All Lives Matter? The Issues We Can No Longer Ignore and The Solutions We All Long For." Pastor Gordon has degrees from Wheaton College and both Northern and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminaries. In 1975, the couple moved to North Lawndale in Chicago. At that time, it was the 15th poorest neighborhood in the U.S. He was a teacher and coach at Farragut High School, also located in North Lawndale. In over 37 years of ministry, "Coach," as he is affectionately known, has played a key role in numerous community development initiatives.