Gillett honored at MLK prayer breakfast

The 6th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Prayer Breakfast, held Jan. 16, featured speaker Dr. Elmer Gillett, with remarks from community leaders including Rev. Bobby Love, Rev. Carl Patillo, and Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland. Dr. Gillett accepted the Martin Luther King Jr. Living Legacy award from MNU interim president Dr. Jim Diehl for his career-long servant leadership in the African-American community and for the Church of the Nazarene. Dr. Gillett is the pastor of Brooklyn Community Worship Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and also serves as the director of Black Ministries for the Church of the Nazarene.

Featured Speaker and 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Living Legacy Award Recipient

Dr. Elmer L. Gillett, senior pastor of Community Worship Center, Brooklyn, NY, and director of Black Ministries for the Church of the Nazarene. Bio follows this advisory.

Program Highlights:

• Musical selections by Worship Center of Kansas City Praise Team, directed by pastor Eric Cobbins.
• Dramatization by Kosha Johnson & performers.
• Michael Copeland, City of Olathe mayor, and Rev. Carl Patillo, religious affairs chairman of the Johnson County NAACP.
• Celebrate Diversity 2012 award winners*.
• Chris Powers MNU coordinator for diversity and cultural competency: master of ceremonies.

Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor:  The Sprint Foundation

Major Sponsors:  Chick-fil-A Olathe, City of Olathe, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Olathe Medical Center, Olathe Walmart Supercenter
Precision Printing

Sponsors:  Johnson County NAACP, Kansas City District Church of the Nazarene, Olathe Chamber of Commerce, Nazarene Publishing House

*Celebrate Diversity 2012:

MidAmerica Nazarene University is partnering with the Olathe Human Relations Commission and the Olathe School District to sponsor Celebrate Diversity 2012 an essay, visual arts and multi-media contest open to middle school and senior high students in the Olathe School District, the Kansas State School for the Deaf and Home School Students. The award winners will be honored as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Prayer Breakfast program.

Award Recipient and Speaker Bio:

Elmer Gillett, PhD, was born in Belize in Central America. Mentored by a Nazarene missionary, Richard Cornelius, Gillett sensed a call to preach the Gospel, earning a bachelor's degree in English and religion from MNU in 1979. Gillett also holds a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary. He also completed study in preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Ministering in California and serving in various administrative positions, Gillett took the helm of Brooklyn’s Community Worship Center in 1994. With a vibrant ministry in the Brooklyn community, the church has an attendance of 450 with two Sunday services.

Gillett also teaches at the Metro New York School of Ministry and serves on its Credential's Board.

 He is the director of Black Ministries for the Church of the Nazarene in U.S.A. and Canada.

Gillett is married to Carolyn and they have three children: Ashley, David and John-Paul.