Gilchrist Sunday is an annual Lenten speaker series that connects Trinity and the wider community with leading theologians and ministers to dig deeper into what it means to be a faithful witness in today’s world. Founded in 1982 and named for charter members Pat and Katie Gilchrist, this ministry is endowed by funds given in their honor by Press and Nancy Millen and the Gilchrist family.
On March 20, 2022, Trinity was proud to host Rev. Dr. Baron Mullis as our guest speaker. His sermon, The Cultivation of Figs, and his lecture, Belonging in an Age of Disintegration: Can Spiritual Discipline Rescue Faith?, are available at the links below.
Belonging in an Age of Disintegration: Can Spiritual Discipline Rescue Faith?
The Rev. Dr. Baron Mullis serves as the 17th pastor of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, est. 1698. Considered to be the mother church of American Presbyterianism, First Church founded the first American Presbytery in 1706. Dr. Mullis previously served as senior pastor of Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, and as Associate Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
Deeply committed to the parish church, Dr. Mullis’s ministry has concentrated on building inclusive congregations that are committed to their communities. He has served as a trustee for Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, our denomination’s only historically black seminary, as well as on the board of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. During his ministry in Atlanta, he was board chair for Intown Collaborative Ministries, a non-profit dedicated to seeking neighborhood-based solutions to homelessness and food insecurity. Passionately dedicated to public education, Dr. Mullis initiated a partnership between his congregation and a high-poverty school, John Wesley Dobbs Elementary, in southeast Atlanta that was awarded Atlanta Public Schools “Partnership of the Year.” He is the author of numerous articles and book reviews, and one collection of sermons.
Since moving to Philadelphia, Dr. Mullis and his spouse, Lester Morris have enjoyed getting to know their new city while avoiding Covid-19.