Dr. Walter Parrish III-General Secretary Progressive Baptist Convention
Dr. Parish spoke at PHEN?s 2010 African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit and committed to involve the churches that are members of the Progressive Baptist Convention in the 2011 Rally. He invited PHEN to present before the Convention?s leadership in January 2011. The Progressive Baptist Convention is actively promoting the Father?s Day Rally within its church membership throughout the United States.
While attending Union Theological Seminary, Doctor Parrish was called as the first African American Pastor of the Devoe Street Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. He served that congregation until 1990. In October of 1990 he joined the staff of the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board (MMBB) of the American Baptist Churches, USA.
During his time of service, Reverend Parrish was instrumental in making retirement and health benefits available for historically black denominations which had never had such benefits. These denominations include the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., The National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., and The National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.
In August of 2009, Dr. Parrish was elected General Secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. He began this work in January 2010, following the convention?s mid-winter meeting.
