Sherman UMC in Evanston, IL has the great pleasure and honor to welcome Pastor Dr. B. Herbert Martin, Sr. to speak at Sherman's 92nd Anniversary celebration 10:30 am on Sunday October 19th 2014
Dr. B. Herbert Martin, Sr., Pastor, Progressive Community Center, The People’s Church has over 47 years of pastoral and related experience, with more than 46 years of ministry work in the Chicago area. Pastor Martin was licensed to preach the Gospel, February 22, 1966 at Bethel AME Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, ordained to the Order of Deacon June, 1970 and ordained Elder in the Baptist Church and to the Order of Elder, June 10, 1973 in the United Methodist Church, Northern Illinois Annual Conference.
Pastor Martin was born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the oldest and largest black town in the USA. He is sibling to five sisters and four brothers. He has five children, six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Arkansas in 1967. In 1971 he earned the Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) in 1986 from Monrovia College, Liberia, West Africa. In 2009 Pastor Martin earned his Doctor of Ministry Degree from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago Illinois and the Doctor of Divinity from Chicago (Honoris Causa) Theological Seminary. He has been a civil and human rights activist since 1955 and a leader for African American unity and self-determination all his adult life. Pastor Martin is a tenacious activist for global citizenship and the building of a beloved community.
Pastor Martin has served as Executive Secretary NAACP, Southside Branch; Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, under the administration of Honorable Mayor Harold Washington. He has served as Executive Director of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations; President of the NAACP - Southside Branch; where he led membership enrollment from 5,000 to 25,000 and raised over $1 million dollars for the Freedom Fund. He was appointed by Governor Edgar to the Human Services Reform task force for the State of Illinois, and in 1995, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He has serves as a board member for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the Bronzeville Children’s Museum, Progressive Day Care and Early Childhood Development Center, the Chicago Community Loan Fund, the Martin Marty Center University of Chicago Divinity School, the Illinois Advisory Council of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Board of Trustees for East West University, Chairman of World Crisis Intervention Network, member of the Council for Global Affairs, a member of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, member of the Interfaith Global Initiative in partnership with The Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center under the leadership of Father Nabil Haddad of Amanda, Jordan, a member of North Star Masonic Lodge Free Masonry, a member of the Phi Beta Sigma National Fraternity and a member of the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity Incorporated.
Pastor Martin is a prolific writer. He has authored numerous articles and pamphlets and has several publication merits. Some of his writings are: Fasting and Prayer Ministry (A Model for Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual Healing); Tithing: Serious Biblical Giving and New Membership, Recruitment, Training, Assimilation and Discipleship. He is a much sought after
speaker, preacher and lecturer with topics that whet the inspirational appetite - Saving the Seed; Endangered Species: the Black Male; What Do You Have God Can Use? Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure; The Awesomeness of God: A Study of the Attributes of God (Holiness, Justice, Mercy, Love) and What’s Hindering the Cushite? - An Examination of issues Confronting Africans in the North American African Diaspora.
Pastor Martin is a clergy in good standing with the International Council of Community Churches, Inc. and has been adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, McCormick Theological Seminary, North Park Theological Seminary, Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary; guest lecturer at University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana; Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Arkansas, Bierzeat University, Palestine, University of Chicago Medical Center and the University of Tel a Viv, Israel. He is a member of the Council of Religious leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. Pastor Martin is the founder and organizer of the Progressive Institute for Biblical Studies and Leadership Formation, Inc.; the founder and organizer of the Progressive School for Prayer and Prophecy and the founder of the Progressive Boys to Men Mentoring Ministry, Founder and President of the National Progressive Institute for Community Development, Inc., President and CEO of Martin LLC, a local organization with a global perspective and business development consultant for Paradigm, a company that delivers exceptional outcomes through catastrophic specialty networks.
It is obvious Pastor Martin’s gifts are too numerous to be contained in only one country or one continent. His evangelical influence is international, inter-faith and cross-cultural spanning several continents and countries: Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, Canada, the Caribbean Crescent and the Middle East. His committed service to the Chicago Center for Cultural Connections Inc. is one expression of his inter-faith activities where he serves as Senior Advisor to the Executive Director. In addition he is a founding member of The Interfaith Global Peace Initiative. This initiative is a network of inter-religious business, education and media leaders. His commitment and diligent effort to develop a global vision of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission has reaped great fruit. He has mentored 12 men and women into active Christian ministry in the USA and abroad. Presently, under his leadership at Progressive Community Church there are more than 10 young men and women examining the “call” of God on their lives. He continues to inspire the members of Progressive Community Church and others to consider Christian vocations in their careers objectives.
Pastor Martin’s Thesis for the Doctorate of Ministry Degree at McCormick Theological Seminary concentrated on developing a “Model of a Center for Healing Ebony Kinships through Transatlantic Re-Engagement between Indigenous and Diasporic Africans.” This Center will be built on 40 acres of ocean front property near the Gulf of Guinea that Pastor Martin purchased. The land is called Oyeadzeyie Estates, being named after Pastor Martin’s African name, Kodjo Oyeadzeyie which means Monday-born man one who settles disputes, creates order and brings peace He envisions the work of The Center to be a place to help reconcile differences between the three Abrahamic religious traditions as well as all religious communities on the globe
Not included in this biography are the many civic and political activities of Pastor Martin during the 1980s and 1990s. Pastor Martin was very active during the Honorable Harold Washington
Administration. He provided pastoral care and support to Mayor Washington and became known as the Mayor’s Pastor” and “The Pastor to the City of Chicago and Vicinity speaking truth to power.”
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