All four Episcopal Churches in Warren County are preparing for the visitor of a lifetime.

The Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be in town next Sunday, June 12. He is scheduled to preach an 11 a.m. worship and Eucharist service at the Vicksburg Convention Center, 1600 Mulberry St. The service will commemorate the lives of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and the martyrs of Philadelphia.

“It’s all going to be designed for the celebration of those who gave their lives during the Civil Rights era in Mississippi,” the Rev. Margaret Ayers of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church said. “It’ll be a celebration in Mississippi by our first African-American presiding bishop.”

She said the readings will be from Daniel 3:8-28, Galatians 3:23-29 and Matthew 10:7-16. Theodicy Jazz Collective will provide the music.

After the service there will be a reception at The Bluff, 1509 Washington St. A bus will transport people between the convention center and The Bluff. People can park in one of the downtown parking garages or in the convention center parking lot.

St. Mary’s Episcopal will host the bishop, but the four local Episcopal churches have been working together for months with volunteers from each congregation to set up, tear down, organize and participate in the service and reception.

“Many people are wearing more than one hat,” Ayers said. “We’re sharing a lot of stuff across the board.”

None of the churches are having services in their sanctuaries that Sunday. Each of the four reverends will participate in the service with the bishop.

“The Episcopal churches of Warren County are all pitching in to help out and make this work,” the Rev. Sam Godfrey of Christ Episcopal said.

The Rev. Billie Abraham of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is currently on a 10 week sabbatical, but she will return to Vicksburg for the bishop’s visit because it is important to her that the bishop is in Mississippi. She has been telling people they should not miss this opportunity to hear him preach.

“Some people are gifted at preaching, and he’s got the gift,” Abraham said.

The fact that he believes and lives the Gospel is part of what makes him so compelling, she said.

“He is a dynamic preacher,” Abraham said. “Where it comes from is what makes it so powerful. When he’s preaching the Gospel, he’s preaching the Gospel.”

Beth Palmer of The Church of the Holy Trinity said Curry is a high energy, evangelistic speaker and promotes people going out into the world and spreading the gospel.

“He’s a fabulous preacher, and he is just on fire for God,” Palmer said.

Ayers called him an engaging speaker and said time goes slower when she listens to him speak.

“He preaches very much about evangelism,” Ayers said. “He talks about the Jesus movement. ”

She said the Jesus movement is about moving outside the church and working to create a loving, caring community by reaching out to the world. Instead of trying to convert people, Ayers said the movement is about ministering to people by being friends with them and showing them the light and love of Christ.

Abraham and Godfrey both said Curry’s election to presiding bishop last summer was a blowout.

“He was elected by a majority on the first ballot,” Godfrey said. “There was an overwhelming amount of support for him.”

Abraham said the voters are made up of all the bishops, retired and active, and the delegates sent from each dioceses to the general convention.

“There didn’t need to be a second ballot,” Abraham said. “It was a landslide. He was supported by a vast majority of the people.”

As presiding bishop, Ayers said, Curry leads the Episcopal Church in the United States, countries in Central and South America and some churches at military bases in Europe.