Leadership | Membership | The Challenge | The Commitment | Further Reading
Leadership
THE REV. DR. DORSEY ODELL BLAKE, Pastor
 Dr. Dorsey Odell Blake was officially installed as Presiding Minister of The Church for The Fellowship of All Peoples in October, 1994. Mrs. Sue Bailey (Howard) Thurman presented Dr. Howard Thurman’s robe - which had not been worn since Thurman’s death – to Dr. Blake as a symbol of her trust in his leading the congregation “so that there will be no past greater than our future.” Dr. Blake had served as the minister for two years prior to his installation.
He is the Dean of Faculty and Visiting Professor of Spirituality and Prophetic Justice at Starr King School for the Ministry.
Dr. Blake served as Founding Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and later as Vice President for Community Learning at the University of Creation Spirituality. In addition to responsibilities for curriculum, student and faculty development, he initiated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church that annually draws between 500-700 people. He has held adjunct faculty positions at Starr King School for the Ministry, California Institute for Integral Studies, The Union Institute, and The Ohio University. He has served on numerous dissertation and thesis committees.
Rev. Blake served as the Director of the Center for Urban-Black Studies at the Graduate Theological Union and Core Faculty Member at the GTU; Co-Director, United Campus Ministry, The Ohio University, Athens; and, Program Director of the Howard Thurman Educational Trust, San Francisco. He was the first full-time Black male professor at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 1972-77.
Dr. Blake received the A.B. from Brown University, M.A. and M.Div. from Pacific School of Religion, and D.Min. from United Theological Seminary. He has conducted seminars and workshops locally and nationally. He is the recipient of numerous community service awards and grants from the Fund for Theological Education and the Danforth Foundation.
Rev. Blake has extensive field ministry experience with interfaith groups addressing justice and peace issues. He is a member of the steering committee of Religious Witness with Homeless People and has been in the forefront of peace and justice activities, speaking to small audiences and rallies that have drawn over 200,000 people. In May – June, 2000, he traveled to Morocco with an interfaith delegation of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in a quest to promote interfaith respect and cooperation.
THE REV. KATHRYN L. BENTON, Assistant Minister
 Kathryn was ordained in May 2004 and since that time has been named Assistant Minister at the church. Her ordination follows several years of service at Fellowship Church as Church Secretary, Youth Minister, and Worship Leader.
Before coming to Fellowship Church, Kathryn worked for years in the Episcopal Church in youth ministry, worship design, pastoral care, and lay ministry. Kathryn earned her BA degree in Philosophy and Religion at San Francisco State University and went on to earn her Master's Degree in Creation Spirituality at Naropa University, Oakland.
Currently she is pursuing her Doctor of Ministry degree at the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland. Kathryn lives and works in Alameda, where she teaches Adult Education and serves as the school district liaison at a transitional housing complex. She is the mother of two teenage sons.
BOARD MEMBERS
Ms. Clara Allen
Mr. Courtney Brown
Mr. Michael Brown
Mr. Bryan Caston
Mr. Shashi Dala
Dr. Aubrey Dent
Ms. Kathleen Finnerty
Mr. Glenn Nance
Ms. Gayle Orr-Smith
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STAFF
Dr. Dorsey Blake, Minister
Rev. Kathryn Benton, Assistant Minister
Mr. William Wade, Facility Assistant
Mr. Lawrence Sumpter, Musician
Dr. Carl Blake, Musician
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Membership
Membership is open to anyone who is willing to accept its commitment, participate in its programs and share in its responsibilities. Fellowship's dual membership policy allows a person to have membership in Fellowship Church while also retaining membership elsewhere.
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The Challenge
Fellowship Church challenges each member to make visible the reality that the God of Life and the God of Religion are the same. Each member is called to develop the growing edge of his or her consciousness and discipline of the spirit so that the imagination and talent within can unfold in ways that lead to personal empowerment and societal transformation.
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The Commitment
The founding purpose of Fellowship Church is expressed in its Commitment:
"I affirm my need for a growing understanding of all people as children of God and I seek after a vital experience of God as revealed through Jesus of Nazareth and other great religious spirits whose fellowship with God was the foundation of their fellowship with all people.
"I desire to share in the spiritual growth and ethical awareness of men and women of varied national, cultural, racial, and creedal heritage united in a religious fellowship.
"I desire the strength of corporate worship through membership in The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples with the imperative of personal dedication to the working out of God's purpose here and in all places."
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Further Reading
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The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples was founded in 1944 by Dr. Howard Thurman and Dr. Alfred Fisk as the nation's first interracial interfaith congregation.
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About Fellowship Church