The event will raise scholarship money for local youth in the community

Contact: Brianna Smallwood, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 732-839-2429

SOMERSET, N.J., April 11, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Actor and best-selling author Hill Harper will be the featured guest at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Harper will do a book signing for his latest book, "Letters to an Incarcerated Brother," (paperback version was released earlier this month). He will be the keynote speaker for the event, "Arts in the Afternoon," presented by the FBCLG Scholarship Ministry. Admission is $35 and the program will be held at 771 Somerset St., Somerset, N.J., starting at 1:00 p.m.

"Hill Harper is one of the rare celebrities that leverages his commercial success for the betterment of others," said Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., Senior Pastor of FBCLG. "We are thrilled to have him return to First Baptist to advance the cause of education for our youth."

Harper is an award-winning actor, New York Times best-selling author and philanthropist. He has been awarded with seven NAACP Image awards. Harper is dedicated to serving and giving back to the youth; he created Manifest Your Destiny Foundation to provide greater opportunities through mentoring and academic enhancement programming.

The Scholarship Ministry at FBCLG originated in 1964 with the intention to provide financial support to youth who desire to attend an institution of higher learning after high school. "Arts in the Afternoon," was created to help raise scholarship money in effort to support the mission of the ministry. The annual event consists of music, dancing, art and poetry along with a special keynote speaker.

For further information visit www.fbcsomerset.com.

About First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG)
Founded in 1937, First Baptist of Lincoln Gardens is a vibrant community-focused, multi-cultural and historical African-American church rooted in Baptist doctrine and is located in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, NJ. The church's motto is "Faith in Action." First Baptist bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ for spiritual, educational, economic and community transformation. For more information on the church and its ministries, visit www.fbcsomerset.com.