MEMPHIS, TN — There are many special features at this year’s Congress, being held June 17 – 22, including the inaugural Lunch and Learn.
The fourth annual Women of Wisdom Luncheon and the First Lady’s Fashion Show will be combined for a spectacular time of inspirational messages and fashion enjoyment.
A tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Civil Rights Museum will be made.
The host pastor, Rev. Keith Norman,
is the Pastor of First Baptist Church, located in the Binghampton community of Memphis, Tennessee.
He is the shepherd of a ministry that is dedicated to serving a predominantly African-American community in transition, a community currently targeted for revitalization in housing, education, and crime prevention.
During First Baptist’s long history of service to this community, Pastor Norman has been successful in implementing an on-going campaign of community revitalization and strategic planning for future generations of FBC, including the completion of a $2 million-dollar Multi-Purpose Family Life/Worship Facility in 2003 and the completion of a $6 million-dollar Sanctuary and Chapel in 2012. This vision-inspired ministry also purchased and renovated a 50,000-square-foot abandoned building, known as The H.O.P.E. Zone (Haven of Perfective Empowerment). The H.O.P.E. Zone will be dedicated to Christian education, senior living, temporary housing for the homeless and other much-needed ministry and services for the people of God and the community at large. As founder and principal officer of GREATER WORKS, Inc., he continues to emphasize organizational management aimed at empowering the church in action and optimum service to the community.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Pastor Norman is a much-sought-after guest speaker, evangelist, and lecturer, who has an extensive speaking schedule throughout the United States and abroad. Preaching and teaching opportunities (2006-2009) occurred in Guyana, South America, Jamaica and The West Indies, Patmos, Ephesus, Delphi, Thessaloniki,
Rev. Keith Norman and their four children – Keith, KeAsia, Keenan, and Kiara Photo submitted
Athens, Lagos, Nigeria, Tel Aviv, Tiberias, and ultimately, Jerusalem. Locally, he is the past state president of the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Education Congress and past Dean of Christian Education for the Greater Memphis Sunday School and Nurture for Baptist Churches Congress. In 2009, he completed training for the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Training and now serves as a Chaplain with the Law Enforcement Chaplains Corp of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Board of Directors of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, and is a former consultant for the Memphis Police Department. He also served as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shelby County Health Care Corporation (THE MED), and serves as a former Chair of the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Commissioner. He serves as the Chair of the Tennessee Historical Commission.
In 2014, Pastor Norman was named Baptist Memorial Healthcare’s first Vice President for Government Affairs. Since that time, he has also become a member of American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), where he is pursuing Fellows status within the ACHE.
As past Chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, Pastor Norman served as an Obama Delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Presently, he serves as Past President of the Memphis NAACP and has also served as Religious Affairs Chair. In addition, he serves as the TN State Conference NAACP Religious Affairs Chairman and was elected to the Special Contribution Fund Board of Trustees. In 2017, he was inducted into the Academy of Homiletics, an organization made up of only 400 members across the world, and purpose is to bring together professors and teachers of Homiletics for the study of the place preaching in theological education, discussion and sharing of ideas and method, and for fostering of scholarly research.
A graduate of Morehouse College (1987), Pastor Norman has completed the Institute of Church Administration and Management Program at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) (2004). He has received honors and studied community revitalization and church/corporate partnerships at Harvard Divinity School (2006) as well as the Invitation Strategies for Church and Community Partnership, Wharton School of Business – University of Pennsylvania. Pastor Norman is a graduate of the Memphis Theological Seminary where he earned a Doctorate in the Ministry Program – Leadership (2016). He is a 2010 President’s Volunteer Service Award recipient and a member of the 2009 Leadership Memphis Class, as well as the 2010 Memphis Leadership Academy. On April 4, 2012, Pastor Norman was awarded the “Champion of Change” award as part of President Obama’s Winning the Future Initiative. October 2, 2012, Pastor Norman was awarded the Bishop Carroll T. Dozier Peace and Justice Award by Christian Brother University.
