May 4, 2024
The Georgia Baptist 10th Annual Pastors’ Day at the State Capitol will take place Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Once again, we will be combining the annual Legislative Prayer Breakfast and Pastors’ Day into one event.
We encourage you to join us at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and to hear from legislators, public policy experts and activists. This also is a great opportunity to invite your state senator and house member to attend with you free of charge.
As always, our event is not just for pastors. All legislators, pastor’s wives, and ministry leaders are invited to discover how to navigate the legislative landscape for the sake of advancing a witness for the gospel in the public square.
This year’s list of speakers includes:
Kelvin J. Cochran, who will speak at 7:30 a.m. at the Legislative Prayer Breakfast. Kevin serves as senior fellow and vice president at Alliance Defending Freedom. In this role, he oversees the spiritual care of ADF team members, speaks at ADF events and conferences, and assists the ADF Church and Ministry Alliance.
Cochran dedicated over 30 years of his life to fighting fires and protecting the communities. His exemplary service record drew the attention of President Obama who appointed Cochran as the administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration in 2009. He then resumed his post as Atlanta Fire Chief in 2010. After the city of Atlanta terminated Cochran’s employment because of his Christian faith and beliefs, ADF represented him in a federal lawsuit. A federal court ruled the city of Atlanta discriminated against Cochran’s religious views and violated his First Amendment rights, and the city of Atlanta agreed to a favorable settlement.
He received his Doctor of Education degree in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University and is the author of two books, a sought-after public speaker, and is an advocate for religious liberty and unity of the body of Christ.
Dr. Jim Garlow is the Founder and CEO of Well Versed, a ministry to members of Congress, ambassadors at the United Nations in New York City, and other elected officials, bringing Biblical principles of governance to government leaders. He has met in small delegations with 10 presidents and prime ministers (and one king) from around the world.
Garlow is an author, communicator, commentator, historian, cultural observer and has served most of his adult life as a pastor. Garlow is heard daily on nearly 800 radio outlets nationwide in his one-minute commentary called “The Garlow Perspective,” and has appeared on numerous national TV shows on NBC, ABC, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC and Comedy Central.
Garlow has done over 1,600 radio, TV and print interviews – national and local – covering a wide range of topics: historical, theological, political, religious liberty, marriage and family issues and cultural trends. He has written 21 books, one which hit the New York Times Bestseller list.
He graduated from Drew University (Ph.D. in historical theology), Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Theology), Asbury Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity), Southern Nazarene University (B.A. & M.A.), and Oklahoma Wesleyan University (A.A.).
Attorney Matt Sharp serves as Senior Counsel and Direct of the Center for Legislative Advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he focuses on state and local legislative matters.
Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation. He regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights.
He has also testified before the United States Congress on the importance of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Chloe Cole, a poised and articulate 19-year-old young woman, passionately advocates against the practice of transitioning minors.
Driven by a noble mission to safeguard children from potentially harmful ideologies and medical interventions, Chloe draws from her personal experiences to shed light on the distressing consequences of “gender-affirming” care for adolescents. Having embarked on her own transition journey at the tender age of 12, only to subsequently detransition at 16, Chloe speaks with firsthand authority on the deeply traumatic effects experienced by minors undergoing such treatments.
She has testified before a congressional committee and has appeared with many government leaders, activists and in the media, advocating against “gender-affirming” care for minors.
In addition to the speaker sessions, we will also participate in a tour of the State Capitol before lunch. This will give our participants a better understanding of how to communicate with the legislators when in person at the Capitol.
During the lunch time we will also be giving awards to our two Legislators of the Year. Senator Ed Setzler and House Representative Will Wade will be our 2023 recipients.
Please make plans now to join us. Also, we encourage all our pastors to invite their legislators to the breakfast. This is a great time to engage them in a personal and spiritual way! If you don’t know who they are, please check the following link: Find out here. They can register by visiting the same site shared below and do so free of charge.
Space is limited, so I encourage you to register today! Registration is free, but both breakfast and lunch will be offered as add-ons for $15 each. The sign up and the full schedule can be found online at https://ga.sbcworkspace.com/pub/event/register/55236644
I look forward to seeing you at this year’s event!
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Mike Griffin is the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
