The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Alcorn State University will host the 2025 Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, May 4, at 10 a.m. in the Oakland Memorial Chapel.
The Rev. Courtney Meadows, senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Pittsburgh’s Historic Hill District, will deliver the keynote address.
“Baccalaureate is a worship service where graduating Braves and their families and friends can gather to praise God for the blessings of life and learning at Alcorn,” said The Reverend Dr. Charles “CJ” Rhodes, director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Hiram Revels Institute for Ethical Leadership at Alcorn State. “This year, we will be blessed by the dynamic preaching ministry of Courtney Meadows, which is sure to encourage, inspire, and excite all who attend.”
Meadows began preaching at age 6 at Peoples Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was licensed and ordained in 2012 at Maggie Street Baptist Church under the Rev. Ezekiel Pettway.
His ministry has extended throughout the United States and Africa.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Meadows serves as president and CEO of Central New Development Corporation, focusing on economic empowerment and community revitalization in Pittsburgh.
Meadows earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Talladega College and is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. In December 2024, he received an honorary doctorate in humanitarianism from the Board of International Association Volunteers of Community Service and Global International Alliance.
A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Meadows previously served as a career coach with Hope Inspired Ministries in Montgomery and as a faith coach to the football program at Alabama State University.
