Rev. Carlos L. Malavé of Indianapolis, executive director of Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), will speak in Memphis March 15 at a worship service at 7 p.m. at Greenwood Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 3311 Kimball.

Malavé was associate for ecumenical relations for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 11 years before being appointed head of CCT in June 2012.

“I’m ready to do whatever is needed to continue to break down any walls that divide the churches in our country,” he said at the time of his election.  He noted that one of the most important challenges for CCT is to seek deeper relationships with churches of the African American and Evangelical traditions.

Created in 2001, CCT is a forum of more than 35 denominations and Christian organizations that encompass the broad diversity of Christianity in the U.S. The members are organized into five “families”—Catholic, Evangelical/Pentecostal, Historic Black, Historic Protestant, and Orthodox.

The Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church is not one of the member denominations of the organization, but Rev. Malavé is reaching out to non-member denominations.  The CME Church, with approximately 800,000 reported members in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa, was organized in Jackson, Tenn., in 1870.

Rev. Malavé served in the Presbyterian Church (USA) as both denominational administrator and local church pastor.  He served in the pastoral ministry in California and Puerto Rico.  He has a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts from Loma Linda University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Antilles.