Dr. Jackson is a native of Alexandria, Louisiana, currently resides in University Place, Washington. He’s married to Rev. Evette Jackson, and they have two sons, Omari and Eric, II.
After serving for several years, Pastor Jackson was licensed and ordained at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, in Norcross, Georgia, by Bishop Dr. William Sheals. He went on to serve as Assistant to the Pastor, Youth Pastor, and Singles’ Pastor at The Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was the founding pastor of the Greater Heights Christian Church in Lithonia, Georgia, where he served for 8 years. After leaving Georgia, he served as the senior pastor of the Main Post Chapel Gospel Congregation in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Prior to 2014, Dr. Jackson resided in Ewa Beach, Hawaii (the Island of Oahu), while serving a tour of duty at Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter. He now lives in University Place, Washington, and serves as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Tacoma. Additionally, Pastor Jackson’s ministry has reached abroad, as well. He’s taken pilgrimages throughout Israel and done missionary work in Haiti.
In 2003, Pastor Jackson earned a Master of Divinity degree (cum laude), with a concentration in Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Care and completed additional course work in Homiletics, at Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta. Previously, in 1992, he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of Louisiana and graduated from Peabody Magnet High School. Understanding the necessity of education and preparation, Pastor Jackson returned to the academy, and in May 2012, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree (summa cum laude) at the ITC, where he specialized in Pastoral Counseling. (Dissertation: “Bridging the Gap between Sunday in the Combat Zone and Sunday at Home: Case Study: The Intersection of War, PTSD, and Pastoral Care & Counseling for Soldiers and their Families”).
Additionally, he has spent over 30 years in the military – over 25 years as an officer. From 2007 to 2008, Pastor Jackson completed a tour of duty in Iraq, where he ministered to hundreds of Soldiers on a weekly basis and trained over 50 ministers – two of which were licensed into the Gospel ministry. Upon completion of his tour, he became an Army Chaplain and continues to minister today. He has also served in this capacity in the local chapter of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, where he’s a Life Member. Likewise, he was certified by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police as a police chaplain.
Over the years, Pastor Jackson’s ministry has been heavily involved in the lives of the youth and unmarried adults. Beyond that, he has developed a seven-phase series of Ministers’ Development Training courses, in which he covers various subject from ministerial conduct to roles of a pastor. In 2001, after having trained more than 75 ministers, Pastor Jackson launched EDJ Ministries, Inc., whose goal is to educate and elevate the thinking of ministers and lay-leaders.
This man of God is a preacher, teacher, speaker, poet, and the author of Good News From On High! His personal mission is to educate, empower, and encourage all people – both young and mature, “churched” and “un-churched,” laypersons and ministers. With such a love for people, Pastor Jackson has devoted his life to God’s service and people.
Pastor Jackson’s motto is: “Preaching to encourage…and teaching to empower.” This is a goal he sets for reaching God’s people, so they are spiritually equipped. Above all…Pastor Dr. Eric D. Jackson is spirit-filled. He loves the Lord, is crucified with Him!
LIHI Announces Free “Upbeat on Jackson” Concert Total Experience Gospel Choir
The UpBeat on Jackson Concert Series is funded through a Department of Neighborhoods grant.
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAD TO CHRIST?
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What started in the 19th Century as a group of people holding church services in their homes, grew into the city’s largest African American congregation.
Pastor Chris
David Fredrick Mann, the youngest of ten children, was born in Dalton, Georgia, on February 16, 1933 to the union of King Solomon and Mary Mann located at 603 Spring Street. After attending first through eighth grades at Emery Street School in Dalton, David moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with his brother, John “Snook” Mann. He finished his high school education at Miller High School in Detroit and soon after attended Wayne State University. In 1953, David had the privilege of being the first Sepia athlete to sign a professional baseball contract out of the State of Michigan. Adding to this historic fact, two black Daltonians, he and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson, were the first and only athletes to play pro baseball from Dalton,Georgia. David played professional baseball for 13 years with the St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians organizations. David holds the distinction of playing with and being the roommate of Satchel Paige, when they played for the Miami Marlins in 1960.
Another prominent memory for Dave happened in 1963 when he became the first black baseball player to play for the then Atlanta Crackers of the International League. In 1962, the year of the World’s Fair in Seattle, David moved out west to play baseball. He, along with Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrimski and Earl Wilson, came from the Minneapolis Millers, a Triple A Club of the Boston Red Sox organization, to play for the Seattle Rainiers. David played with the Rainiers for three years before retiring in 1965. David fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and made Seattle his home. After retiring from baseball, Dave worked for Nordstrom. He was the first African American male model to be featured in the Nordstrom catalogs. His recognition and achievements in the black community were important, but David was even more passionate about the growth of mankind. He was an ambassador for equal rights and the struggle that brought all of us together.
In the early 70’s, David found an outlet to speak his truths from a black athlete’s point of view. He became the sports editor for The Facts Newspaper, a weekly publication with a focus on the black community in the Pacific Northwest. He wrote Mann’s Bits & Pieces, a newspaper column that was published weekly for over 40 years. David was also a photographer (Mann’s Photography) capturing the memories and moments of a lifetime. David was a man of habit. Healthy living was his obsession. He worked out relentlessly. After baseball, Dave played tennis, skied, and lifted weights. A true man’s Mann, David had three heart attacks on the racquetball court. But his love was golfing. For David, it was more than chasing rabbits and squirrels….it was about the individuals and people he met .
Fir State “David Mann Celebration of Life”
FIRST COVENANT CHURCH is hosting a book event featuring Dominique Gilliard, author of Rethinking Incarceration. Gilliard’s book provides a timely, faith leader’s perspective on more just alternatives to mass incarceration as Seattleites organize against the new youth jail being built and imagine together a society where all thrive and are free.
In 1966 McKinney founded and served as president and CEO of the Seattle Opportunity Industrialization Center. He later led the construction of Samuel Berry McKinney Manor to house elderly and working poor people which was completed in 1998.
Rev. Patrick Bates, Speaker