Dream Movement Founder Opens McKendree's Chapel Series on Sept. 13

Leadership, Relationships, Hospitality and Service are Themes

(LEBANON, Ill., August 19, 2016) — Cesar Vargas, an immigration reform activist and founder of the Dream Action Coalition, will open McKendree University’s 2016-2017 Chapel Series at noon on Sept. 13. The public is welcome to attend at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on campus.

At age 5, Vargas crossed the border with his family from Tijuana, Mexico into San Diego. He grew up in New York and went on to become the first undocumented person granted permission to practice law in New York state. Named one of the “top 40 Under 40 Latinos in American Politics,” he is a Latino outreach strategist for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Future guest speakers at Bothwell Chapel on campus will include the following:

Sunday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.: Rev. Robert Dillingham, pastor of Farina United Methodist Church and a McKendree graduate, will talk about relationships at the Homecoming Weekend chapel service.

Friday, Dec.9, noon: Hospitality is the theme of the holiday season’s Lessons and Carols Service with Rev. Don Long, Jr., of O’Fallon United Methodist Church, who has served in the ministry for nearly 30 years.

Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, 4 p.m.: Rev. Traci Blackmon will be the keynote speaker at the annual Christian Unity and Martin Luther King Service. Initially ordained in the African Methodist Church, she has served in various capacities of ministry for nine years and is the first woman pastor in the 156-year history of Christ The King United Church of Christ in St. Louis.

Wednesday, April 5, 5 p.m.: A Jewish Seder Meal, a ritual feast that marks the beginning of Passover, will be served in the chapel’s Circuit Riders room. The Seder involves a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Wednesday, April 26, noon: Dr. John Greenfield, professor of English, will reflect on his 32-year teaching career at McKendree as he prepares to retire in 2017.

-McK-