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Henry Greenidge Honored for Service to Portland
PORTLAND, OR (January 25, 2002) - Henry Greenidge, senior pastor at Irvington Covenant Church, received the Drum Major for Justice Award on Monday during ceremonies to honor the late Martin Luther King Jr.
The Skanner News Group honored Greenidge and businessman Gerald Bitz during the 17th annual breakfast to honor King. The phrase "drum major for justice" was used by the late preacher and civil rights leader to describe his mission. It is an apt term for Greenidge, an accomplished musician and advocate for those in his neighborhood.
Greenidge has been pastor at Irvington Covenant since January 1988 and has helped revitalize his community through a variety of means, the most recent being an $11.5 million building project, Irvington Village, that will provide low-income housing in northeast Portland.
This past Sunday, the Irvington church celebrated the grand opening of Irvington Village, which is the result of a unique partnership with Covenant Retirement Communities of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Seventy percent of the 104 units at Irvington Village are reserved for Medicaid recipients. Glenn R. Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, spoke at the grand opening event and preached during the Sunday morning service. Palmberg, who served as North Pacific Conference superintendent for much of Greenidge's time at Irvington Covenant, commented on the impact Greenidge has had on his community during the past 14 years.
"When God called Henry into the Covenant ministry, he called him for more than local ministry," Palmberg said. "Henry has made an impact on the entire Portland community. He has emerged as a real leader. The Covenant church is proud to have someone so beloved and respected in Portland."
Greenidge earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Nyack Missionary College in Nyack, New York. He studied youth ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and became an ordained minister in 1975, receiving a ministerial license from the Covenant in 1988. He currently chairs the Covenant African-American Ministers Association.
During the past three decades, Greenidge has put his music, youth ministry and pastoral gifts to good use in various ministries. He began as a music director in New York, then served as Young
Life area director in Seattle and as associate pastor for Maranatha Church in Portland before heading to Irvington Covenant.
Greenidge, who directed a gospel choir at a local college for a time, has recently provided his community with a local music ministry called Renaissance Academy. The academy teaches children the tools of worship, incorporating keyboard, vocal and guitar instruction. Greenidge also leads a multicultural congregation with strong preaching and, as a noted worship leader in the denomination, has integrated gospel, jazz and folk music as seamlessly as he has Anglo, African-American and parishioners of other ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
For more information about Greenidge and Irvington Covenant, call the church office at 503-287-5226.
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