The UUCUC Racial Justice Team is exploring work with the Reparations Coalition of Champaign County and is honored to host Rev Thomas as part of that work.
Rev. Terrance L. Thomas, our guest preacher this coming Sunday, has been minister of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Champaign since 2019. He holds a Master of Divinity degree with a focus on African American Church Leadership and Spiritual Care from Garrett-Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, IL, and is pursuing a Doctor of Divinity degree in Pastoral Leadership and Community Engagement from Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, OH. Rev. Thomas describes himself as unapologetically Christian, a socialist with
left of center politics, and a believer in liberation and humanist theology. “I believe God is on the side of the oppressed and has given us the power to free ourselves and change the world with the help of the Holy Spirit. I center Black people (all Black people) in everything I do.”
He grew up on the southside of Chicago, the 4 th of 6 children. His father was a veteran of the Chicago Police Department and his mother a palliative care nurse. He has 5 children (4 boys and 1 girl) and two dogs, named Nat Turner and Maya Angelou. He is engaged to be married on April 20! The Racial Justice Team approached Rev. Thomas to be our guest preacher because he is a notable community and religious spokesperson on racial justice issues such as reparations and liberation theology.
