From Lenoir-Rhyne University:
LRU to host the Rev. Reggie Longcrier
Event held in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.HICKORY, N.C. – In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs will host the Rev. Reggie Longcrier in P.E. Monroe Auditorium at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15.
Longcrier has spent the past 29 years as Chaplain of Catawba Correctional Center in Newton, N.C. As a public speaker, he hosts events throughout the nation, speaking at correctional institutions, churches, human service agencies, and in various other settings. Longcrier’s book, From Disgrace to Dignity, tells his amazing story of recovery from heroin addiction and incarceration.
He is the founder of Exodus Missionary Outreach Church in Hickory, which has continued to grow its non-denominational multi-ethnic congregation since opening in 1997. Exodus Church has gained an outstanding reputation for its diversity, inclusiveness, and innovative approach for reaching minority populations.
Longcrier is also founder and executive director of Exodus Homes, a faith-based United Way organization with eight program locations throughout Hickory. The organization provides transitional to permanent supportive housing for people returning to the community from treatment centers and prison. It also offers a comprehensive continuum of services to meet the needs of its residents, including in-house enterprises which create jobs for residents. The success of Exodus Homes has earned the program numerous awards from across the nation.
During a City Council meeting on Oct. 17, 2017, former Mayor Jeff Cline proclaimed Wednesday, Oct. 18 as Reverend Reggie Longcrier Day in the City of Hickory.
The annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) March, sponsored by the Hickory Branch of the NAACP, will begin immediately following Longcrier’s program. The march is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Emma Sellers, LRU director of multicultural affairs, at 828.328.7288 or Emma.Sellers@lr.edu.
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