Faith and community leaders share a table at State Fair's Pastors' Luncheon

Pastors, community advocates and nonprofit leaders of different faiths, races and viewpoints sat down together at the State Fair of Texas this month. They came for the fair's annual Pastors' Luncheon, held Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Texas Metro News described the gathering as interracial and interfaith, with guests trading ideas over a buffet of barbecue wings, cheeseburgers, fries and pizza, plus candy apples and cotton candy. A uniformed band from Dallas College's North Texas Campus, led by Dr. Luis Palacios, played music, and costumed State Fair characters walked the room greeting guests.

At one table, Alice Robinson, a community advocate and member of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas' Joppa community, talked about why these meetings matter. Robinson told the paper that "a pastor needs to relate to the community" and needs to reach people who don't have a church home. She founded the nonprofit Vision for Families, which serves youth, adults and older residents, and she wrote a book on helping families prepare for the death of a loved one.

Sitting with her was Dr. Preston "Pastor P" Malone, pastor of Exciting Ekklesia Missionary Baptist Church, south of Downtown Dallas. "There's a great need to partner-up," Malone said.

The State Fair of Texas, a nonprofit, says the luncheon is meant to strengthen ties between faith leaders and community partners so congregations can find resources and work with local organizations. According to the fair, more than 300 faith leaders and community partners attended last year's luncheon. The 2026 fair runs through Oct. 18 at Fair Park.

This story is based on original reporting by Texas Metro News, with additional information from the State Fair of Texas.