Rev. John Jackson
In observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Law Observance
The Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr., Founder and Senior Pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, will deliver the Keynote Address for the 39th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Law Observance Program, to be held at the City of Gary’s oldest Baptist Church- the historic First Baptist Church, 626 West 21st Avenue, Gary, Indiana, 46407, on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 3:00 PM. Admission is free and open to the General Public.
The event is sponsored by the Katie Hall Educational Foundation, Inc., to honor the lives and legacies of U.S. Representative Katie Hall (D-IN-1) and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1983, U.S. Representative Hall authored and sponsored House of Representatives Bill, H.R. 3706, commonly known as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Law, which has designated the third Monday in January since 1986 to remember the life and work of the civil rights leader.
Pastor Jackson believes deeply in the words of Jesus, “To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and Mind…”. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Reverend Dr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Divinity degrees from Loyola University and McCormick Theological Seminary, respectively, in Chicago.
Pastor Jackson earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in May 2014.
Reverend Dr. Jackson served as the Associate Pastor of Men’s Ministries and the Pre-Marital Counseling Program at the dynamic Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC) in Chicago under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
In 2004, Reverend Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr., was called to serve as Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Gary, IN. Since its first worship service on the second Sunday of October 2004, Trinity UCC-Gary has been consistently growing. To accommodate its ever-expanding ministries, Trinity UCC-Gary completed the construction of its new sanctuary for worship and held its first worship service in the new edifice on October 5, 2008. It is located at 1276 West 20th Avenue in the City of Gary.
Trinity UCC-Gary‘s motto is “We are not just another church; we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church committed to the community!” We are “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.”
Dr. Jackson formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ. The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference and serves to minister with and to over seven associations that include over 122 congregations of the United Church of Christ.
Dr. Jackson is also a Board Member of Faith In Place. This environmental organization serves to empower people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice. It provides resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities.
Dr. Jackson also serves on the Anti-Racism Task Force of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Pastor Jackson holds sacred both arms of the Cross. The vertical arms allow us to connect with heaven for the holy power to carry out the work of liberation horizontally. To that end, Pastor Jackson believes that the Church of Jesus Christ should be the one place in life where anybody can come up with any problem and get an answer to that problem.
Pastor Jackson works tirelessly in the Gary community with National organizations like the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference while seeking collaborations with the global community to be a voice for the voiceless and bring justice to the oppressed.
Reverend Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. shares his life with his wife, the former Janiece N. Barney, their three adult children, and five grandchildren.