Gregory V. Palmer is resident bishop of the Illinois Episcopal Area (Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference) of the United Methodist Church and preached this sermon in Goodson Chapel on Feb. 9, 2010.
The worship service was held in conjunction with “Triumph & Truth,” a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Black Seminarians Union at Duke Divinity School.
Before his current position in Illinois, Palmer served from 2000 to 2008 as bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference. He also served as president of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from 2004 to 2008 and president of the Council of Bishops from April 2008 to May 2010.
He is co-author of “Becoming Jesus’ Prayer: Transforming Your Life through the Lord’s Prayer” (Pilgrim Press).
A native of Philadelphia, Palmer earned his undergraduate degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. He was ordained an elder in the East Ohio Annual Conference after beginning his ministry in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and served local churches in Ohio and North Carolina.
