On November 10 and 11 (Monday and Tuesday), 2025, Andrew Root—author and Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary—will visit the Roanoke Valley as guest speaker for the 2025 Edmunds Lecture Series of Second Presbyterian Church, Roanoke. His two-part lecture, “The Church in a Secular Age,” will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary with refreshments to follow each evening. All are invited to attend, and you’re encouraged to bring friends and neighbors to share in this unique opportunity to hear a renowned author and theologian.
About the Speaker: Andrew Root (Ph.D.)
Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary), is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is most recently the author of Evangelism in an Age of Despair and the six volume Ministry in a Secular Age series (including Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Congregation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Church After Innovation, The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticism and Faith Formation in a Secular Age). He is also the author of The End of Youth Ministry? and more than a dozen other books.
Andy also serves as theologian in residence at Youthfront. He has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.
About the Artist: Mary Evelyn Russell
Our appreciation is extended to Mary Evelyn Russell for her interpretation of the 2025 lecture series. Original art has been produced for every lecture series since 1999, when Dr. Bud Robertson was the speaker. Each piece depicts the theme of the lecture the year in which it was commissioned. All the works can be found somewhere in the church facilities, with several them hanging in the hallway between the Associate Pastors’ offices. The hope is that the art collection of the church will inspire both memories and theological reflection.
Mary Evelyn Russell grew up in Roanoke and in Second Presbyterian Church. She earned a B.A. in Studio Art from Furman University and a M.A.T. from Hollins University. While her original passion was for art, she found working with children to be an amazing and deeply rewarding experience. She is currently in her tenth year teaching kindergarten in Roanoke City.
A word from the artist . . . “When I heard the theme for this year’s lecture, I had two thoughts about the relationship of churches and congregations. The first was the idea of the church as a solid foundation: powerful, rooted, and eternal. A congregation leaning on this church for support. The second idea was of the struggling church with an uncertain and unstable future. This church leaning on its congregation for support. I wanted to show people drawn together by the cross, with the cross at its strongest where the people held it. The idea for painting the hands came from Second Presbyterian’s own Youth Group. Their theme for 2021, ‘We are One,’ was depicted as a circle of hands linked together in support and unity.” – Mary Evelyn Russell.
Ties That Bind
Original artwork by Mary Evelyn Russell
Schedule of Events
2025 Edmunds Lecture Series: The Church in a Secular Age
Monday, November 10, 2025:
- 7:00 p.m. Lecture, Sanctuary
- “Why are They Leaving? Mis-Diagnosing Our Challenges in a Secular Age”
- Light refreshments and fellowship to follow in Kirk Hall.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025:
- 7:00 p.m. Lecture, Sanctuary
- “Ministry Inside the Immanent Frame: The Task of Speaking of God in a Secular Age”
- Light refreshments and fellowship to follow in Kirk Hall.
Admission is free. These lectures are funded by an endowment in memory of Dr. Spencer Edmunds, a faithful minister of Second Presbyterian from 1923 to 1941. We have not yet reached a level that will fully sustain the biennial series, so if you would like to make a contribution, your gift will be greatly appreciated.