Essence Magazine Icon Takes To The Pulpit

NEW YORK -- Susan Taylor is synonymous with Essence magazine, the brand she built—as its fashion and beauty editor, editor-in-chief and editorial director.
Under Susan's expert guidance, Essence Magazine experienced phenomenal growth, reaching Black women all over the world and capturing their hearts with her monthly column, "In the Spirit," which addressed themes such as family, faith, self-esteem and health.

She has authored four popular books, and she was the first and only African American Woman to be recognized by the Magazine Publishers of America with the Henry Johnson Fisher Award—the industry's highest honor—and the first to be inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame.

Her passion and focus today is the National CARES Mentoring Movement -- which she founded -- a massive campaign to recruit one million able adults to help secure our children who are in peril and losing ground.

But Susan hasn't always been so successful. In the early 70's, without a college degree, newly divorced and the mother of a toddler, Susan was experiencing hard times.
Discouraged and despondent, she attended a church service at Rev. Ike's Palace Cathedral in NYC, where she was inspired and awakened to a new empowering way of thinking by the church's life-transforming Science Of Mind message. Susan said," I walked out of there as a different person. Since then my life began to change!"

Now, Bishop Xavier Eikerenkoetter, Rev. Ike's son and leader of Rev. Ike Ministries since Rev. Ike's passing in July 2009, proudly welcomes back Susan Taylor as keynote speaker at a special service at 2:45 PM, Sunday, November 28, at Rev. Ike's Christ Community United Church (Palace Cathedral), 4140 Broadway (at 175th Street) in New York City.

Susan joins an impressive line-up of recent dynamic speakers -- including Bishop Xavier, the renowned Bishop Carlton Pearson and Rev. Jack Bomar -- who are contributing to the renaissance of Rev. Ike's historic 3500-seat church in Washington Heights -- which in past years was filled to over-flowing each week as people came from all across the country to hear the dynamic, charismatic and controversial Rev. Ike preach and teach.

The service, which is open to all, will also include musical performances by Broadway performer, Yolanda Wyns, the CCUC Youth West African Drum Ensemble and the CCUC Praise Dancers.