Dr. Thomas Long, distinguished professor of preaching at Atlanta's Emory University, is being welcomed back by Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church as a guest preacher in the church's Bill Jones Series on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Long is the latest guest speaker in the noteworthy series established by the estate of a late member of the church. The endowment provides support for special events, enabling Brownson to draw prominent lecturers and preachers each year.

Long has preached twice before in Southern Pines, first under the combined auspices of Brownson and the First Baptist Church in 2004 and again in 2008, when he led the Brownson congregation in a two-day session examining the parables of Jesus. The subject of his sermon on Sept. 18, given at both the 8:45 and 11:10 a.m. services, is "Everyday Saints," and he will also give a presentation in the fellowship hall between the services at 10 a.m. on the topic "Something Old, Something New: Faithful and Vital Presbyterian Worship."

The Bandy Professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Long earlier this year was awarded the Emory Williams Award for teaching excellence by the university. He previously taught preaching at Princeton, Columbia and Erskine seminaries and is the author of numerous books and articles on preaching and worship.

Long's latest books are "What Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering and Crisis of Faith," "Preaching from Memory to Hope" and "Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral." He has served as senior homiletics editor of the editorial council for The New Interpreter's Bible, as well as being an editor-at-large for Christian Century and an associate editor for Journal for Preachers

Pastor Grady Perryman of Brownson says, "No one who heard Tom Long on his previous visits needs any special encouragement to come and hear him once again. Tom is one of the outstanding preachers of the gospel in our country, who never fails to engage the listener with his narrative, story-telling style. We are delighted to share him with our entire community."

For more information, call (910) 692-6252. The church is located at 330 South May St. in Southern Pines.