Special to the Courier
The annual Martin Luther King Jr., Commemorative Service will be held at 4p.m. Jan. 12, at Pleasant Grove AME Church, 1450 W Oglethorpe Highway.
MLK Committee member Donald Lovette said the service will be hosted by Reverend John E. Morse and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Michael-Angelo James, the newly elected Mayor of Waycross.
James received his undergraduate degree in Education from Troy University. And earned advanced degrees from Valdosta State University, Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and Truth Bible College.
He is the author of three books, a nationally-certified and licensed Christian counselor, and is the founder and proprietor of Bishop’s Chamber Christian Counseling Center.
Dr. James’s career reflects his dual passions for ministry and education. Having been a licensed (1980) and ordained (1983) minister for nearly 40 years, he has received several national and international distinctions.
He was deemed Senior Bishop of Emmanuel’s International Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Incorporated, became the first consecrated Bishop of Progressive Interfaith Ministries Association, and was named the 22nd International Bishop of the Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Alliance of Churches. Dr. James is the establishmentarian of the International Cathedral of Faith Fellowship, and, in 2018, was elevated to the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Global Conference of Bishops.
Dr. James’s accomplishments in education are of equal note. He is a former teacher and assistant principal of Waycross High.
Currently, he is the founding Chancellor and Professor of Christian Education at Emmanuel’s International Cathedral of the Holy Spirit’s Bible College (multiple sites), Graduate Professor of Pastoral Administration at the First Born Seminary and Training School, and Professor of Interpersonal Relations and Professional Development at Coastal Pines Technical College (Main Campus)—all based in Waycross.
Beyond his extensive professional record, Dr. James is a noted public servant.
He currently serves as president of the Waycross Area Ministerial Alliance and as executive director of the Waycross branch of the NAACP. He is Immediate Past-President of both the Kiwanis Club of Waycross and the Okefenokee Toastmasters Club #8269, and is the Immediate Past-Chairman of the Waycross and Ware County Planning Commission.
He holds membership in many organizations including: the Ware County Children’s Initiative, the Waycross YMCA, the Waycross-Ware and Glennville Chambers of Commerce, the Okefenokee Heritage Center, and the Okefenokee Ministerial Alliance. Dr. James serves as a volunteer chaplain for the Georgia Department of Corrections, a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for foster children, and is a silver life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. For his service, he was awarded the State of Georgia’s 2011 Man of the Year.
Dr. James is the son of Mr. Sylvester and the late Mrs. Juanita P. James. He is the father of one adopted son, Army Captain Marshall Lee James, and has six grandchildren.