Millsaps College president Frances Lucas announced today that the Reverend Ross Olivier will speak at the College’s 113th Commencement ceremony. Rev. Olivier serves as the senior pastor for Galloway United Methodist Church in Jackson.
“Ross Olivier is a man of dedication,” Lucas said in her announcement. “He was dedicated when he led 23 congregations in apartheid-ridden South Africa, and he holds steadfast to that quality today. We are honored that he has agreed to encourage our senior students who are about to embark upon careers and graduate study. They will depart better prepared after hearing about his experiences.”
After what he describes as a Damascus Road conversion to Jesus Christ in 1977, the Rev. Olivier entered the ministry where he studied for six years. His first church to pastor was in Heidelberg, South Africa, a small town in a rural area. Since that time, he has served congregations throughout South Africa and in other countries served by the Methodist Church of South Africa (MCSA).
Widely recognized as a gifted preacher and teacher, the Rev. Olivier has conducted preaching missions internationally. He is passionate about his work and the need for the church to be a faithful agency of spiritual development.
He has been quoted as saying that he always tries to be a pastor and a prophet. In a 2004 article written by Millsaps graduate Casey Parks, he said, “I want to be a prophet pastorly and a pastor prophetically. I want to comfort the afflicted, but I also have the calling to afflict the comfortable.”
Graduation begins at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, May 12, and is traditionally held in the Bowl, the outdoor area adjacent to the A. Boyd Campbell College Center. In case of rain, the ceremonies will be held at Christ United Methodist Church at 6000 Old Canton Road.
