Prominent Winston-Salem preacher to lead opening chapel service at WFU

Rev. Dr. Sir Walter Lee Mack Jr.

The Rev. Dr. Sir Walter Lee Mack Jr., pastor of the 3,000-member Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, will preach during Wake Forest University Divinity School’s opening chapel service at 11 a.m. Sept. 6 in Wait Chapel. The service is free and open to the public.

Mack, author of the book “Passion for Your Kingdom Purpose,” will deliver the sermon “The Blessing of a Beginning.” The service is offered as part of the Divinity School’s series of 11 a.m. Tuesday worship services planned for the 2005-2006 academic year. The annual series brings prominent guest preachers to Wake Forest and gives Divinity School students the opportunity to preach in front of a congregation.

A native of Winston-Salem, Mack has gained national recognition as a passionate preacher with a strong interest in community development. His church bought a 12-unit apartment complex, and he organized a drug-dealer conference that offered support and spiritual guidance to former drug dealers, drug users and their families. His efforts were recognized this year by the magazine The African American Pulpit, which named him one of the top 20 preachers in America under the age of 40.

Mack has created several programs, including the Family Life Institute, Union Urban Ministries, a Food and Clothing Bank and a Global Missions and Evangelism Conference. He holds a bachelor of arts from Elon University, a master of divinity degree from Duke University and a doctor of ministry degree from United Theological Seminary.