Stories of the Ordinary

This seminar focuses on how everyday people make a difference in the world. Ordinary stories highlight seemingly small gestures of love and support. We will draw attention to the beauty that routine can bring to daily life. This session will highlight everyday missions with an emphasis on people making a difference from unlikely places—people who “make” from hard places something beautiful.
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Speakers
Leroy Barber

Leroy Barber has dedicated more than 20 years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism, and living what Dr. King called “the beloved community.”

Leroy starts projects that shape society; in 1989, burdened by the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless, he and his wife Donna founded Restoration Ministries, to serve homeless families and children living on the streets. In 1994 he became Director of Internship Program at Cornerstone Christian Academy. Leroy was licensed and ordained at Mt Zion Baptist Church where he served as Youth Director with Donna, and also served as Associate Minister of Evangelism.  In 1997, he joined FCS Urban Ministries, working with Atlanta Youth Project to serve as the founding Executive Director of Atlanta Youth Academies, a private elementary school providing quality Christian education for low-income families in the inner city.

Since 2006, Leroy has served as the President of Mission Year, a national urban initiative introducing 18-29 year olds to missional and communal living in city centers for one year of their lives.  He also became Executive Director of FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta in 2009.  Rev. Barber is the co-pastor of a church plant, Community Life Church, and is on the boards of Atlanta Youth Academy, Word Made Flesh and the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Leroy helped found DOOR Atlanta and Community Grounds Coffee shop in Atlanta. Leroy is the author of New Neighbor: An Invitation to Join Beloved Community, and Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World and was also chosen as a contributor to Tending to Eden, and the groundbreaking book UnChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters.

Leroy has been married to Donna for the past 27 years and together they have three adult children – Jessica, Joshua, Joel, and two adopted children – Asha and Jonathan.

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