The Dallas Islamic Center hosted Rev. Dr. Joseph J. Clifford, Senior Pastor at The First Presbyterian Church of Dallas on January 15th, 2010. Dr. Joseph J. Clifford `s talk was titled: “Isaac and Ishmael”. Rev. Clifford gave his talk after dinner, and program continued with the question & answer session Program held in Dallas Islamic Center and around 60 people from different faiths and cultures gathered together at Abraham`s Table.

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The Rev. Dr. Joseph J. Cliffordis an ordained minister since 1997, Joearrived at First Presbyterian Church in December 2006. He graduated from AuburnUniversity with a Bachelor of Science in economics in 1988. After six years inbanking and finance, Joe answered a call to ordained ministry. He graduatedfrom Columbia Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and earned aDoctor of Ministry in preaching from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.His thesis was entitled “From Fear to Freedom: Self-differentiatedPreaching in an Age of Anxiety,” an effort to consider leadership in thepulpit from a Family Systems Theory perspective. In his preaching, Joe seeks tooffer people a glimpse of their respective worlds through the lens of the Bibleto consider what God might be doing in our lives, our community, our nation andour world. The son of two educators, Joe is passionate about teaching,relishing the opportunity to lead a noon Bible study every Wednesday, as wellas other lecture opportunities throughout the year, serving as a guest lecturerat SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. His deep sense of call to urban ministrybrought him to First Presbyterian Church. The congregation’s vibrant ministriesto the least of these in Dallas, and global partnerships in Juarez, Mexico,Guguletu, South Africa, and Kerala, India, offer amazing opportunities to be inrelationship with the Risen Christ each and every day. In addition, Joe has adeep commitment to interfaith dialogue that grows from the conviction God willsreconciliation and peace for the world, certainly not war in God’s name. Joeserves on the board of trustees of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, aswell as the pastoral care advisory board of Children’s Medical Center, and theboard of the Presbyterian Village North Foundation. Joe and his wife, Jennifer,have been married since 1990. They are blessed with two children. Time awayfrom work is filled with family activities. For rest and relaxation, Joe enjoysreading novels and poetry, listening to all types of music—especiallyU2—attempting to play golf, and cheering on his favorite sports teams.