St. Stephen Church Voter Empowerment: Worthy of Flagship Distinction

Rev. David Martin received a certificate from the Commonwealth of Kentucky restoring his civil rights at a Christian Addiction Ministry Program Restoration Dinner. He was one of five people to have civil rights restored through St. Stephen Chruch.

From Left to Right: St. Stephen Church senior pastor Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, restoration of civil rights recipient Rev. David Martin, voter empowerment coordinator Angela Lee Price, and Christian Addiction Ministry Program (CAMP) director Virgil Todd.

By: Angela Lee Price

St. Stephen Church is considered a flagship church among African American Baptist churches in the state of Kentucky. By God's grace, the church has accomplished many "firsts" for which she has been commended. The St. Stephen Voter Empowerment Campaign was one of them. Through the campaign, a total of 527 people were empowered with the ballot in the 2004 general election, more than any African American church in the state of Kentucky, and five former felons received certificates from the Commonwealth of Kentucky restoring their rights to vote and hold public office.

St. Stephen Church senior pastor Kevin Cosby’s vision was to ensure that all members of St. Stephen Church were registered to vote and exercised their rights in the 2004 general election. Campaign objectives included educating all St. Stephen ministries about the political process and engaging them in the campaign, providing transportation to the polls, establishing a permanent registration process, and assisting former felons in successfully regaining the right to vote.

This is an interview I conducted on August 28, 2004 on 1570 WLBJ Radio with Virgil Todd, Director of the Christian Addiction Ministry Program (CAMP) at St. Stephen Baptist Church concerning the church's campaign to help former felons regain their civil rights, including the right to vote.

This is part 2 of a two-part interview with Dr. Kevin Cosby, Senior Pastor, St. Stephen Church, Louisville, Kentucky conducted on September 4, 2004 on 1570 WLBJ Radio concerning the church's voter empowerment campaign. In all, a total of 527 people were empowered with the ballot through St. Stephen Church for the 2004 general election during the 13-week campaign.

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