Gorton and Evans to Speak at Neighborhood Church Breakfast
Neighborhood churches are a big part of what makes east Lexington so special. Liberty Road Faith Fellowship is a relative newcomer to the area, and is a gathering of Christian believers from many different historic denominations.
The church has quickly made a name for themselves in the neighborhood by hosting a popular monthly “Legends” breakfast series. The series also often provides an opportunity to get to know local elected officials and leaders.
The April Legends Breakfast on Saturday April 27 will include guest speakers Mayor Linda Gorton and District 6 Councilmember Angela Evans.
The Legends Breakfasts at Liberty Road Faith Fellowship started soon after the union of Liberty Road Community Church and Faith Fellowship in May of 2016.
It began as a Men’s Breakfast suggested by the late Dr. Bill Turner and organized by then-Administrative Board chairman Ron Reaguer.
Originally there were no speakers until Mr. Reaguer asked church member Jim Host if he could arrange for speakers once monthly (usually on the third Saturday of the month).
When Mr. Host invited former UK great Jack “Goose” Givens to speak, everyone wanted to attend and thus the name changed to Legends Breakfast.
Host’s contacts in the world of sports, particularly UK, allowed him to invite numerous well known figures. They all had a connection to athletics but, like Goose Givens talking about his role in securing wireless networks for all of Kentucky, they also had a message.
For instance, Mitch Barnhart, UK athletic director, spoke of the department’s support of the University’s commitment to the academic progress of all its student athletes and its financial support of the University’s infrastructure. UK Hoops coach Matthew Mitchell and baseball coach Nick Mangione talked of their unconditional sponsorship of the spiritual growth of their teams. Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day brought his story of a faith journey that led his support of track chaplain’s at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.
Derrick Ramsey, a UK and NFL great, spoke of the opportunity afforded him by athletics to make something of his life after sports. Former UK football coach Guy Morriss related his health struggles brought about by pro football and present UK coach Vince Morrow talked of the type of young men the program recruits.
Tom Hammond, of NBC sports, and Larry Conley, one of “Rupp’s Runts,” as well as Voice of the Wildcats Tom Leach and UK great Cameron Mills gave the program a boost as did former “Voice” Ralph Hacker.
Even Jim Host related his rise as the first scholarship baseball player at UK to leading the evolution of NCAA sports media networks and changing the face of college athletics’ media productions.
When Host had to temporarily take a break from coordinating the series to rehab a total knee replacement, David Bondurant secured Dave Adkisson, president of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, as the speaker in March and persuaded Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Sixth District Councilmember Angela Evans to address the group in April. (The Mayor was originally scheduled for February but the birth of a granddaughter led to a postponement.)
Linda Gorton, the longest-serving member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, is serving her first term as Lexington Mayor. Mayor Gorton was elected in November 2018 with 63% of the vote.
Mayor Gorton has started her term with an emphasis on developing a comprehensive action plan to help those who suffer from opioid addiction. Another early and ongoing priority is economic development … jobs, jobs, jobs. Mayor Gorton is focused on making Lexington a technological hub, including high tech agriculture.
Councilmember Angela Evans serves the constituents of our sixth district — home to 17 neighborhood associations, nine public schools, and seven city parks, including the Brighton Rail Trail, a shared use trail from Man O War Blvd, connecting to Pleasant Ridge Park and Polo Club Boulevard — and Hamburg. She began her legal career as a public defender in Lexington—she served on the Ethics Commission from 2002-2009 and was the Chairperson from 2007-2009. One of her proud accomplishments for the community is her implementation of Lexington’s first Youth Citizens Academy which provides high school freshmen with hands- on introduction to local government.
The May Legends series speakers will be announced soon, and the series will then be on summer hiatus, resuming in September.
The April Legends Breakfast is on Saturday, April 27 at 9 am at Liberty Road Faith Fellowship. Breakfasts are held in Kearns Hall (behind the church) at 9:00 a.m. Please call (859) 277-0420 to make reservations if you plan to attend.
Neighbors can also join Councilmember Angela Evans at the 6th District Wide Meeting on April 29 at 6:30 pm at Eastside Library. For questions or to RSVP, please email Deborah Slone at dslone@lexingtonky.gov.
This article also appears on page 11 of the April 2019 print edition of Hamburg Journal.
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