Thomas Haggai, a renowned motivational speaker, former Southern Baptist pastor and a business executive, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Friends of The Courier banquet, to be held Sept. 15 at the Poinsett Club in Greenville.
The event will include dinner, music, a brief report about The Courier and an address by Haggai. Dinner begins at 6 p.m.
Haggai, 85, continues to travel worldwide in his new role of chairman emeritus of the International Grocers Association, the largest voluntary supermarket network in the world, with aggregate global sales exceeding $29 billion. He formerly served as chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of IGA. Current chairman and CEO Mark Batenic said, “Dr. Haggai knows how to motivate people.”
Noted for his charitable work and accomplishments across a broad range of interests, Haggai remains a devoted servant of Christ. He visits China each year as a goodwill ambassador for IGA and says, “I have had so many opportunities to share my faith with the Chinese people.”
During his career, he has received numerous awards and professional honors as well as honorary degrees from several institutions of higher education, including North Greenville and Charleston Southern universities.
He has been a teacher, lecturer, author and radio commentator. As a motivational speaker, he once gave 250 speeches a year when the average for his peers was 75.
After retiring from the pastorate in 1963, he founded the Thomas Haggai and Associates Foundation with 250 national business and professional leaders. The Foundation grants scholarships to adult and non-traditional students returning to school to become certified elementary school teachers.
“Every morning since I was a teenager,” said Haggai, “I start the day by simply saying, ‘Lord, don’t let me die until I am dead!’ ”
Courier readers are invited to attend this special event, but seating is limited. Deadline for making reservations is Sept. 8. Email your reservation request to denise@baptistcourier.com or call 864-232-8736.