While many will be sitting at home watching the Democratic National Convention this week from the comfort of their homes, Pastor Wilbur T. Purvis III will be taking part in the democratic process firsthand.

The Douglasville resident was to travel to the convention site in Charlotte, N.C., this week where, as a delegate from the 13th Congressional District of Georgia, Purvis would cast his ballot to nominate President Barack Obama as the party’s candidate for the nation’s highest office.

Purvis, who has never had any serious political aspirations before, said he had a dream of meeting Obama.

“I want to see the process and would love to meet President Obama,” said the delegate. “He is a great inspiration to all of us and overcame barriers and challenges to get where he is today.”

The senior pastor of Destiny World Church in Austell shared this dream with District 39 State Rep. Alisha Morgan, D-Austell, whose family are members of his congregation.

Morgan told him she knew how to make that dream happen, and encouraged Purvis to run for a spot on the Georgia delegation. As it turns out, both Purvis and Morgan are both serving as delegates to the convention this week.

Purvis said that while he is excited to experience the process “up front and center,” the most exciting moment was when he called to tell his 73-year old father in his hometown of Mansfield, La., and got some surprising news.

His father told him that when he was younger and Purvis was a little boy, the father, too, had made a run to be a convention delegate but lost his bid.

Purvis told his father, “It took a long time, but when I won, you also won.”

He said of winning a delegate slot, “A family legacy is attached to this as well.”

Purvis believes this year’s theme is twofold.

“It is how to keep the American dream alive for the average American,” he said, “and make sure everyone has access to education to impact their lives.”

The second critical issue, Purvis said, “is for every American having access to jobs which allow them to take care of their families, send their children to college, pay their mortgages and have a good life.”