Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, Senior Minister of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, Elected to Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust has elected Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, Senior Minister to Los Angeles' oldest Protestant congregation, to its Board of Directors, making him the first Christian clergyperson in the museum's fifty year history to serve in this way. 

"We're thrilled to have Dr. Colglazier join our board," says Mark Rothman, Executive Director of the oldest Holocaust museum in the United States. "As I've gotten to know him I've grown to admire his role as a strong community leader. He brings us wisdom borne of the wealth of his management experience. His deep work in post-Holocaust studies gives him broad knowledge that can only inform our pursuit of the Museum's dual mission of education and commemoration.  Finally, it would be remiss of me not to talk about the extremely valuable and fresh perspective he will bring as a non-Jewish Board member. Combine all that with his warm, engaging and caring personality, and I can only predict great things we will accomplish together."

With a proven dedication to bringing people together, Dr. Colglazier has been an influential leader in the area of interfaith dialogue here in Los Angeles, having recently created a noted Jewish/Christian/Muslim event at FCCLA when he invited both a Rabbi and an Imam for open dialogue about the commonalities and difference that exist for each of these religions. In addition, he introduced a Yom Hashoah service at FCCLA that was positively embraced by both the Christian and Jewish community.

Throughout his career, Dr. Colglazier has served some of the great churches in America, including University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, the Riverside Church in New York City, and now First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (FCCLA), and he has always been an outspoken advocate for human and civil rights.  While in Fort Worth, he was instrumental in brokering a peaceful agreement for that school system during a highly-charged period of racial protest. As part of the Gates of Chai Lecture Series held at Texas Christian University, he was honored to offer a Christian response to a major speech given by Nobel Prize recipient Elie Wiesel.

"I am honored to serve on the Holocaust museum board," Dr. Colglazier recently commented. "I am convinced that the horrors of the Holocaust should never be forgotten, and I think Christians have a special burden to carry in this matter, given that centuries of anti-Jewish theology was perpetuated by the Church, and tragically, paved the way for many of the atrocities that took place under Hitler."

Dr. Colglazier earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Throughout his career he has served on a variety of nonprofit Boards, including Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., and Planned Parenthood, and Christian Theological Seminary to name a few.  He has become a national pulpit voice with a positive message, and has been featured on, among others, The Today Show and CBS's The Early Show.  Author of numerous books, his latest, A Dictionary of Faith: For Open-Hearted, Open-Minded People is set for wide release in February of this year. His is also the founder of a popular spirituality blog titled Take a Breath, and can be heard from the pulpit of FCCLA most every Sunday.

For more information, contact Curtis Rhodes, Director of Communications of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 213-355-5235 or [email protected].

SOURCE First Congregational Church of Los Angeles