Rev. Dr. Barbara L. King
Hillside International Truth Center, Inc.
2450 Cascade Road, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30311
(404) 472-1929 (Office): (404) 472-9882 (Fax)
The Reverend Dr. Barbara Lewis King is the Founder/Minister of the Hillside
Chapel and Truth Center, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia. She began this nondenominational,
ecumenical ministry in 1971 with twelve members in her living room. The Hillside
complex, where Dr. King, affectionately called Dr. Barbara by her members,
covers nearly twelve acres with a growing congregation numbering more than
10,000. Hillside has a very visible and important role in the development
of metropolitan Atlanta through its numerous programs and outreach projects.
In November 1991, the Church-In-The–Round was completed.
A native of Houston, Texas, Dr. Barbara was raised as a member of the legendary
Antioch Baptist Church where she received a very early spiritual orientation.
Dr. Barbara began teaching Sunday school at the age of 13, and at age 15,
she had her first public speaking engagement as Women’s Day speaker for her
church. Her grandmother, Ida Bates Lewis (an active Churchwoman), and her
father, Lee Andrew Lewis (the first African American motion picture operator
in Texas), were significant influences in her life.
In 1955, Dr. Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in sociology from Texas
Southern University. She is also a professional trained social worker, having
earned a MSW Degree from Atlanta University in 1957. She has also been awarded
three Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees and has completed the course work
for a Doctorate in Educational Administration.
After living in Chicago for a number of years and working as a social work
administrator, Dr. Barbara and her son, Michael, moved to Atlanta in the
early 1970s.
Dr. Barbara’s ministry has extended throughout the world. She has traveled
extensively in the United States, several countries abroad including Finland,
Russia, England, Israel, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, the Caribbean,
Brazil, and British Guiana. Her universal appeal coupled with Hillside’s
espousal of International Ministry, makes it appropriate that Hillside was
the first African-American New Thought affiliate to establish a sister-church
in South Africa in May 1994.
In addition to her speaking engagements, she is author of seven books and
monologues. Her numerous sermons and lessons are available in video and audiotape
packages. Dr. Barbara hosts her own television program, “A New Thought, a
New Life.” Her autobiography, “Spirit Said To Me: The Healing and Spiritual
Journey of Barbara Lewis King,” will be published in 2006.
She is regularly featured on nationwide media broadcast. In 2003, Savoy Magazine’s
Power Issue of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in America listed Dr. Barbara
as number eight among the “Soul Stirrers”. She has been featured in
Newsweek, Essence Magazine, Dollars and Sense Magazine, Focus, Atlanta Magazine,
Upscale, and Gospel Music Ministry Connection Magazine. The November 1998
issue of Ebony Magazine featured Dr. Barbara as “One of Fifteen Outstanding
Black Women Preachers,” and in the March 1998 issue as “ One of the 100 Most
Fascinating Women of the 20th Century.” Dr. Barbara has been selected as
one of Atlanta Magazine’s “20 Women Making a Mark on Atlanta.”
The Atlanta Business League nominated her as one of “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black
Women of Influence for 1999.” She was a 1997 recipient of the Atlanta Gospel
Choice Award, which honors Atlanta’s leading clergy for their leadership
and revitalization of their church communities. Both Dr. Barbara and her
son, Michael, were featured in the 1998 Allstate “From Whence We Came, Celebrating
the Ties that Bond,” awards calendar and radio advertisements. The Atlanta
Business League inducted her into their “Hall of Fame” in March 2000. The
Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority voted Dr. Barbara
as one of the “Phenomenal Mothers of the Year.” HUSH PRODUCTIONS awarded
her the “Inspiring Women 2000 Millennium Award” in May 2000. She was
given the “NOBEL Women Shining Star Award” by the National Organization of
Black Elected Legislative Women in June 2000. On October 13, 2001,
Women Looking Ahead inducted Dr. Barbara as an official member of the 2001
100s list of Georgia’s Most Powerful & Influential Women. On February
8, 2003, Dr. Barbara was a guest panelist participating in the symposium
sponsored by Tavis Smiley and C-SPAN, State of the Union: The Black Church:
Relevant, Repressive, or Reborn? On April 3, 2003, Dr. Barbara received the
prestigious recognition by being inducted into the International Hall of
Honor Portraits in the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel, at Morehouse College
in Atlanta, Georgia.
President George Bush, Jr. has invited her to the White House. Also,
Former President William Jefferson Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, regularly
invited Dr. Barbara to events at the White House. She appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s
“Remembering The Spirit” segment in November 1998.
On August 18, 2001, Dr. Barbara received the highest honor bestowed upon
a woman in Africa. Through elaborate ceremonies, rituals and prayers, she
became the first female to be enstooled as a Chief at Assin Nsuta, Ghana,
West Africa. Her stool name is Nana Yaa Twunmwaa I. Nana means Chief, Yaa
means Thursday’s child, a child with special spiritual power, special energy
and special courage. Twumwaa is related to the name of Yaa Asantawaa. Yaa
Asantawaa is a spiritual sister of Nana Yaa Twumwaa I and a national hero
to the Ashanti people of Ghana. She led hundreds of men against the British
army to recapture the sacred stool of the Ashanti people. Nana Yaa Twumwaa’s
name is, therefore, rooted in the rich history of the Ashanti, for which
she is justifiably proud.
Nana Yaa Twumwaa I is on the council of Chiefs for the Nkosuohene of the
Benkum Division of the Assin Apimanim Traditional Area. As a Chief, she is
proud to represent an area that encompasses the well-preserved Slave Route
Site, the Slave River (Ndokonsu), the slave cemetery. The Slave Route Site
and tombs of enslaved ancestors are a major tourist attraction receiving
several thousand visitors each year.
In the field of religion, Dr. Barbara is known as a minister with an extraordinary
gift. Her portrait hangs in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Museum in
the gallery of “Women In The Pulpit.” She has the ability to provide leadership
through example and instruction, but more importantly, she is known as a
spiritual healer and a truth motivator. Not only has she provided leadership
to her congregation and the community, but to the larger spiritual community
through the Barbara King School of Ministry, involvement in the International
New Thought Alliance, and mostly recently, guest lecturer at the Harvard
Divinity School Summer Institute for Ministers (2000).
In September 1997, Dr. Barbara had another divine idea. She created and developed,
“Barbara King’s Tall is Beautiful,” a shop for tall women and teens. Dr.
Barbara herself stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, and understands the need for
attractive clothes for women and teens of height.
Most recently, Dr. Barbara was selected to participate in the 2005 Clinton
Global Initiative. The inaugural gathering, held in New York City in September
2005, attracted leaders from around the world. Spearheaded by former President
Bill Clinton and the William J. Clinton Foundation, the goal of the Clinton
Global Initiative is to focus the world’s leading minds on confronting some
of the most challenging global dilemmas. The initiative seeks to generate
solutions through provocative discussions, debates and workshops. Some of
the initiatives focus areas include the escape from poverty; religion, conflict
and reconciliation; climate change, business opportunity and challenge, governance,
enterprise and investment. Some $1.3 billion was raised during the three-day
gathering.
In
2006, Dr. Barbara joined other Atlanta ministers and relief agencies during
the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. Hillside made an initial donation of
$10,000 to the American Red Cross, dispatched Hillside volunteers throughout
the city to assist at local shelters, provided the Hillside bus to bring
survivors from the Adamsville Center to church service at Hillside, and donated
one of the church properties to a displaced family. The house was completely
furnished by Hillside member donations.
When asked how she would like to be remembered, Dr. Barbara said: “For my
personal commitment to touch someone’s life and help them to see their very
special talent to be given to the world as only they can do.”
+ DD, Honorary Doctorate of Divinity, Bethune Cookman College,
Daytona Beach, FL
+ DD, Honorary Doctorate of Divinity, The Christian Church
of Universal Philosophy, Seattle, WA
+ DD, Honorary Doctorate of Divinity, University of Metaphysics,
Portland, OR
+ MSW, Social Work Administration, Atlanta, GA
+ BA, Sociology, Texas Southern University, Houston TX
+ Leadership Atlanta
+ Leadership Georgia
+ Post Graduate Studies in Educational Administration -
University of Chicago and Atlanta University
+ Baptist Missionary Training School (merged with Colgate
Rochester Divinity School) – Chicago, IL
+ Founder/Minister, Hillside Chapel & Truth Center,
Inc., Atlanta, GA; 1971-Present
+ Founder/President, Barbara King School of Ministry, Atlanta,
GA; 1977-Present
+ Dean of Students, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; 1973-1974
+ Director, South Central Community Mental Health Center,
Atlanta, GA; 1971-1973
+ Instructor, Atlanta University School of Social Work,
Atlanta, GA; 1970-1971
+ Dean of Community Relations, Chicago City College, Malcolm
X Campus, Chicago, IL; 1967-1969
+ Executive Director, South Chicago Community Services
Association, Chicago, IL; 1966-1968
+ Program Consultant, Church Federation of Greater Chicago,
Chicago, IL; 1960-1966
+ Program Director, The Henry Booth House, Chicago, IL;
1957-1959
PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDINGS
|
+ Piddlin for The Soul
+ Transform Your Life, The Berkley Publishing Group, New
York, NY
+ How To Have A Flood And Not Drown
+ What Is a Miracle?
+ Love Your Body Temple
+ Giving Is Receiving
+ The Church: A Matter of Consciousness
+ Prosperity That Can’t Quit
+ “Portrait of Sweet Success”, honored for her exemplary
leadership, hard work and professionalism in the community and in the state
of Georgia, August 2005
+ Honored by “Childkind’s 100 Who Make a Difference”, Atlanta,
GA, August 2005
+ “Lifetime Achievement Award” given by the New Thought
Organization, Phoenix, Arizona, July 2005
+ Leadership Award presented by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Washington, DC, July 2005
+ Featured as number eight of the “Soul Stirrers” in Savoy
Magazine’s Power Issue of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in America
+ Inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International
Hall of Honor Portrait; Morehouse College; 2003
+ Panelist, State of the Union: The Black Church: Relevant,
Repressive or Reborn? Sponsored by the Tavis Smiley Group and C-SPAN; 2003
+ Enstooled as Chief at Assin Nsuta, Ghana, West Africa;
2001
+ Inducted into the “Hall of Fame”; Atlanta Business League;
2000
+ “Phenomenal Mothers of the Year”; Nu Lambda Omega Chapter
of the Alpha Kappa Sorority; 2000
+ “Inspiring Woman 2000 Millennium Award”; Hush Productions;
2000
+ “Women In The Pulpit”; Smithsonian Museum; 2000
+ “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence” Award; Atlanta
Business League; 1999
+ “100 Most Fascinating Women of the 20th Century”; Ebony
Magazine, March 1999 Issue; 1999
+ “20 Women Making a Mark on Atlanta”; Atlanta Magazine;
1999
+ “One of Fifteen Greatest Black Women Preachers”; Ebony
Magazine; 1998
+ Cover; Gospel Music Ministry Connections Magazine; 1993
+ Excellence in Religion; North Atlanta High School; 1993
+ First Lady of Religion; Revlon Corporation; 1992
+ Inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers;
Morehouse College; 1992
+ Hillside Chapel & Truth Center History Included in
Smithsonian Institute Black Women Ministries
Videotape Collection; 1992
+ Completion of $3 Million Church-In-The-Round; 1991
+ Congressional Award; Barbara Rose-Collins of Michigan;
1991
+ “Super Achiever” Award; Atlanta Business League; 1991
ADDITIONAL HONORS AND AWARDS
|
+ Academy of Women Achievers; YWCA OF Greater Atlanta
+ Achievements in Religion Award; Management International,
Inc.
+ Achievements in Religion Award; The Charmettes, Inc.
+ Achievements in Religion –Honoree; Professional Women
of Atlanta
+ African American Biographies, Profile of Five Hundred
Fifty-Eight Current Men and Women
+ American Delegate to Nairobi, Kenya; Mayoral Appointee
+ “Distinguished Achievement as a Religious Leader in Her
Nation”; Directory of Distinguished Americans
+ Essence Women of the Year; Essence Magazine
+ Fifty Most Influential Black Women in Georgia Award;
Georgia Coalition of Black women
+ Honorary Member, Federal Woman’s Resource Center; Clark
College
+ Image Maker Certificate; Atlanta Professional Women’s
Directory
+ International Travel Mission to Helsinki, London, Nassau,
Leningrad, Egypt, Canada, Jamaica, Bermuda and Senegal
+ International Year of One Hundred Top Business and Professional
Women; Dollars and Sense Magazine
+ Key to Three Cities –Tuskegee, Alabama; Roanoke, Virginia,
and Macon, Georgia
+ National Alumna of 1983; Atlanta University
+ Outstanding Leadership Award; National Association of
Black Americans
+ The World’s of Who’s Who of Women Directory of Distinguished
Black Americans
+ Top Fifty Spiritual Leaders; Upscale Magazine
+ Who’s Who in Black America
+ Who’s Who in Social Welfare
POLITICAL ACCOMPHISHMENTS
|
+ Member, National Rules Committee, Democratic National
Committee Elector: Georgia Democratic Party
+ Member, Ethics Board of Metro Atlanta; 1986 Mayoral Appointee
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY
SEVICE
|
+ Concerned Black Clergy, Board Member
+ Adolescent Book Camp of America; Board of Directors
+ American Management Association
+ Atlanta Bureau of Police Services; Chaplain
+ Atlanta Community Relations Commission; Appointed by
Mayor Maynard Jackson; December 1992
+ Atlanta Medical Heritage
+ Atlanta Religious Mobilization Against Crime; Appointed
by Mayor Maynard Jackson; December 1992; Co Chair
+ Atlanta Women’s Network
+ Bethune Cookman College Board of Directors
+ Black Women Entrepreneurs, Inc; Chaplain
+ Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta; Trustee
+ EduPAC
+ Fulton County Development Authority; Board of Directors
+ Fulton County Sheriffs Department - Chaplain
+ Interfaith Airport Chaplaincy, Inc; Board of Directors
+ International Congress of Women Ministry; International
President
+ Jerusalem House Board of Directors; Advisory Council
+ Joint Board of Family Practice (Georgia); Appointed by
the Governor; 1986
+ Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission; Appointed by the
Governor
+ Minority Advisory Committee of the Georgia Department
of Labor
+ National AIDS Fund
+ Office of Women’s Health Advisory Council
+ Prevention and Motivation Programs, Inc.
+ State Committee on the Life and History of Black Georgians
+ Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta
+ Academy of Certified Social Workers
+ Apex Museum of African American History; Life Member
+ Atlanta Business League
+ Fulton County (Georgia) Community Action Authority, Inc
+ International New Thought Alliance
+ National Association of Social Workers
+ National Association of the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP); Life Member
+ National Council of Negro Women; Life Legacy Member
+ National Women’s Law Center
+ Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
CITATIONS AND CERTIFICATES
OF APPRECIATION
|
+ State of Georgia: Governor’ Office and Office of the
Secretary of State
+ Atlanta Public Schools
+ Attestation of Pilgrimage Certificate; Israel
+ Baptist State Convention of Illinois
+ Black Women’s Coalition of Atlanta
+ City of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office
+ Concerned Black Clergy
+ Directory of Distinguished Americans
+ Fifty Most Influential Women in Georgia
+ Fulton County (Georgia) Board of Commissioners
+ Image Maker; Atlanta Professional Women Directory
+ Mame Williams Civics Club; Chicago, IL
+ Miss Black America of Atlanta Pageant; Judge
+ NAACP Church Community; Atlanta, GA
+ NAACP Women’s Auxiliary; Chicago, IL
+ Resolution: State of Indiana
+ Resolution: State of Ohio; City Council of Cleveland,
Ohio
+ Twenty-Four Movers and Shakers in Atlanta; Atlanta Journal-Constitution
+ WAOK A.M. Radio, Atlanta, GA