Rev. Jeremiah Booker’s journey and vision for Cox Chapel

Starting at a young age, Rev. Jeremiah Booker had a love and passion for the church. As an adult with a wife and daughter, he felt called into ministry. Soon after, Rev. Booker and his wife sold their home, left their jobs, and moved their family into a dormitory at SMU, so he could attend Perkins School of Theology.

“When you talk about going on faith, we went up there strictly on faith,” Rev. Booker said with a smile.

After serving at several churches in the Houston area, he came back to Dallas to be closer to family. Now, after four years at HPUMC, he’s the minister of Cox Chapel—the first African American to lead a worship service at our Mockingbird campus.

“My vision for my preaching in Cox Chapel is to be more accessible to the congregation,” Rev. Booker said. With the intimate setting and ability to really preach among the people, he wants to grow his preaching and really speak from the heart.

But he knows that any aspect of the service can have a lasting impact on people, whether it’s the songs, preaching, or fellowship. All that matters is that people are reached in some way.

“When a person enters into the worship that you’re leading,” said Rev. Booker, “it’s your prayer that they won’t leave the same.”

It’s his hope that no matter what life experiences attendees of Cox Chapel are going through, they leave on Sundays with some sense of peace, hope, or love.