Homeless pastor to speak at Come Celebrate

7/25/2012

Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith, a homeless and poverty advocate, will be the featured speaker at the Come Celebrate event Aug. 4 at Lawrence First United Methodist Church West Campus.

Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith, left, visits with Lester, a homeless man taking shelter inside a culvert beneath a busy street in El Paso, Texas. (UMNS photo by Mike DuBose)
Smith is a United Methodist pastor currently serving in the Rio Grande conference. Last year, she sold her home, car and other possessions in order to live among and minister to the homeless in the southwest Texas region.

She has been featured in “Interpreter” magazine and other United Methodist publications.

“Rev. Smith has such a compelling story to tell, and I think many people will find her work inspirational and that her stories actually hit quite close to home,” said Courtney Fowler, a member of the conference’s Commission on Diversity and Advocacy.

The event also will feature performances by members of several ethnic local churches, including the combined choir from Asbury-Mount Olive UMC in Topeka.

In addition, the Cherokee Choir from D.D. Etchieson United Methodist Church in Tahlequah, Okla., will perform various tribal music.

There will be several lunch options available for sale, including barbecue, Indian tacos and Korean food.

The event is free to attend. More information is available at www.kansaseast.org/events/detail_ke/4218.