Jarvis Christian College Announces Speaker

Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III keynote speaker
for Jarvis Christian College 2017 Spring Commencement

Hawkins, TX – The Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, will give the keynote address during Jarvis Christian College’s Commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, 2017, in the E.W. Rand Center on the College campus.

The Rev. Haynes is engaged in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, fighting against racial injustice, promoting economic justice and empowerment in under-served communities and touching and transforming the lives of the disenfranchised. For over 30 years, Rev. Haynes has served as a visionary and innovative senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church. Under his leadership, the ministry and membership have grown from less than 100 members in 1983 to over 12,000.

Friendship-West has moved three times under Rev. Haynes’ leadership to accommodate its growth. When Friendship-West moved to its Kiest location, it moved to a community characterized by crime and violence. Rev. Haynes led Friendship-West to work with local officials and neighborhood groups in such a way that the community saw a drop in the crime rate and the neighborhood association was organized and headquartered at Friendship-West.

Rev. Haynes graduated with honors from Bishop College in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and English. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and in 2005 he received his Doctorate in Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation, where he had the opportunity to study at Christ Church, Oxford University, in Oxford, England.

Rev. Haynes is a committed community activist who has formed alliances with local community leaders and Dallas city officials to fight domestic violence and poverty by organizing a Faith Summit on Poverty.

Rev. Haynes has received numerous awards and honors for his ministry and activism. Ebony Magazine named him to its Power 100 list of most influential African Americans in 2012. The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame inducted him. He was honored to give remarks at the memorial service of one of the most respected world leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries, President Nelson Mandela. This privilege was even more special because it took place at the Washington National Cathedral, the same sanctuary the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last sermon.

Rev. Haynes is the author of “Healing Our Broken Village,” which seeks to address the issues that have contributed to broken communities and lives. He also authored “Soul Fitness,” an inspirational and motivational daily devotional.