Contact:
Regina Boone
Development and Public Relations
919-546-8269
For Immediate Release

Shaw University Celebrates Religious Emphasis Week
Raleigh, NC - (February 2, 2004) - Reverend Dr. John W. Kinney, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Virginia, will speak at Shaw University during the Religious Emphasis Week. The first service was held today, Monday from 11 a.m. - noon. The remaining services are as follows:

· Tuesday, February 3rd from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
· Wednesday, February 4th from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
· Wednesday, February 4th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

All services will be held in the Thomas J. Boyd Chapel. 

Dr. John Kinney is a native of Wheeling, West Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and his Master of Arts degree from Virginia Union University School of Theology in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Kinney earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in 1979 from Columbia University Union Theological Seminary in New York. While in his pursuit of theological excellence, he received a variety of fellowships and awards, including the Rockefeller Doctoral Fellowship and the Fellow of the Graduate School from Columbia University. Through his education and gift of preaching, he earned the position of Dean of the School of Theology at Virginia Union University. 

Dr. John Kinney shows the same passion and dedication to the academy as he does to his parish. He has served as the beloved pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Virginia, spreading his vision and spiritual guidance to those in the church and in the community.

Reverend Kinney shares his life with his wife, the former Quentina E. McDaniel, and their three children, Earl Quentin, Erika Quevette, and Erron Quincy.

Shaw University, founded in 1865, is the oldest historically Black institution in the South. Since 2003, the University has been under the leadership of Dr. Clarence G. Newsome. President Newsome’s leadership pursues the theme: “Strides to Excellence: Only the Best!”