After Surgery, Pastor Returns to Pulpit On New Year’s Eve

The Rev. Rudolph McKissick Jr. of Bethel Baptist Institutional church in Jacksonville, Fla., will return to the pulpit tonight, hopefully with his booming preaching style, as he has been recovering from vocal-cord surgery.

The 43-year-old McKissick was known for thundering sermons but may have to scale things back a tad in his return. He said his message will be shorter and perhaps a bit lower on the decibels, yet they will still be inspired.

The pastor’s surgery came not as a response to his preaching but to correct an error in his upper spine. Because of an invasive procedure in August, the pastor had to have his vocal cords removed and then reattached. Complications from the surgery made it possible that he would never speak normally again, but after much rest, he has recuperated better than many predicted. The voice of a man who has a college degree in opera performance is back.

McKissick has not delivered a sermon to his 9,000-member congregation in downtown Jacksonville since the summer.

Source:

Jacksonville.com:  Pastor hopes to find his voice on New Year’s Eve