Courageous Conversations
Mission:
- To bridge the gap between African American men and women trained at mainline and conservative evangelical seminaries and divinity schools.
Goals:
- To get beyond the caricatures that divide us.
- To sharpen one another.
- To build genuine relationships with those who think differently.
- To provide a safe space for dialogue.
- To demonstrate how to effectively discuss controversial issues with people who think differently.
- To show the world the diversity of thought within the black church.
How:
- These conversations will be held via Google hangouts. During the series, we will pair an African American voice trained at a conservative evangelical seminary or divinity school with an African American voice trained at a mainline seminary or divinity school.
Dr. Eric Mason aka “Pastor E” is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife, Yvette, have three sons, Immanuel, Nehemiah, and Ephraim, as well as one living daughter, Amalyah. After more than two decades of gospel ministry, Dr. Mason has become known for his unquenchable passion to see the glory of Jesus Christ robustly and relevantly engaged in broken cities with the comprehensive gospel. Urban ministry is the heartbeat of his ministry and calling.
He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context, and is the author of three books: Manhood Restored, Beat God to the Punch, and Unleashed.
Dr. Mason has been graced by God to preach and teach at churches and conferences in the United States and overseas. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a BS in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctoral degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Mason has served as an adjunct professor at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, TX, and Biblical Theological Seminary outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Mason serves through the local church in helping coach and train families to plant churches in cities locally, nationally, and internationally. Specifically, over the last 45 years through Epiphany Fellowship, they have and are planting in Camden, NJ, Germantown Philly, Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA, SW Philly, Wilmington, DE, and Baltimore, MD. Also through Epiphany Fellowship, they are helping to plant 11 churches in Africa.
Dr. Mason considers himself a foodie and coffee snob, and he also enjoys reading, writing, art, and biking.
Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, a biblical scholar and arguably one of the greatest orators of our generation, is the gifted, anointed, and dynamic pastor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, Virginia. A courageous, exciting, and visionary leader, Dr. Wesley is a much sought after preacher, teacher, and featured national keynote speaker for various churches, leadership and development programs. He is only the eighth pastor to be installed in the 213-year history of the historic and world-renowned Alfred Street Baptist Church.
Alfred Street Baptist Church is the oldest, largest and most prominent African American church in Northern Virginia. Under Dr. Wesley’s leadership, the church has grown to over 7,000 members with nearly 80 active ministries. As a result, Alfred Street Baptist Church is the first and only faith-based organization to date, to donate $1 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Alfred Street as it is affectionately known in the community; currently holds four services, three on Sunday and one on Saturday evenings (the only African American Baptist church in the Washington, DC area to do so). He is most passionate about today’s youth, and is often recognized for his sermons, which promote spiritual, social and intellectual growth amongst young adults.
A plethora of innovative worship services and ideas have been conceptualized and implemented under his direction, such as the Come As You Are (CAYA) worship service. CAYA is designed specifically for young adults, ages 20–30 something which is held on the first Wednesday of every month. A host of innovative spiritual programs, services and study groups have been implemented under Dr. Wesley’s direction such as: the AWANA program; which raises children and youth to know, love and serve Christ, Senior’s Bible study, Men’s Bible study, and Praying with the Pastor, just to name a few.
As a compassionate pastor; he has led ASBC to purchase property adjacent to the church, which kept affordable housing in historical Old Town Alexandria. Under Dr. Wesley’s direction, more emphasis has been placed on domestic violence awareness, community awareness, mentoring programs for youth, human trafficking and after incarceration assistance. Not afraid to take on social and political issues, Dr. Wesley led community protest marches against the New York grand jury’s decision not to indict in the death of Eric Gardner. His sermon, “When the Verdict Hurts,” was acknowledged in Time magazine’s July 29, 2013 cover story, “After Trayvon” as one of the best sermons preached in the United States following the “not guilty” verdict in State of Florida v. George Zimmerman. Three of Dr. Wesley’s sermons, “When the Verdict Hurts,” ”A Rizpah Response,” (along with the black hoodie he donned while preaching this sermon), and “Tell Your Own Story,” will all be archived in the NMAAHC’s faith-based collection.
Reverend Dr. Howard-John Wesley represents the fourth generation of Baptist preachers in his family. He is the son of the late Rev. Dr. Alvin J. Wesley and Dr. Helene J. Wesley. A 1994 magna cum laude graduate of Duke University; he doubled majored in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering. After his first year in medical school, he yielded to God’s call once again and walked away from a medical career to attend seminary in preparation for serving God’s people. He attended the Boston University School of Theology where he was a Martin L. King, Jr. Scholar and a 1997 summa cum laude graduate concentrating on Biblical Studies and African-American religious history. His passion for preaching and learning led him to the Associated Chicago Theological School’s Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Program where he graduated from the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary with his Doctor of Ministry degree in 2003.
For his labor, Dr. Wesley has received numerous awards and accolades including the recent 2016 NAACP Chairman’s Image Award, which celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Dr. Wesley was inducted into the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015. He was one of seven to receive the 2014 James Floyd Jenkins Pillar of Faith Award presented by Howard University School of Divinity, in collaboration with the United Church of Christ. Additionally, he was one of the 2013 recipients of The Root 100: A Who’s Who of Black America Award. Dr. Wesley is associated with several organizations including but not limited to: Alexandria NAACP, the Northern Virginia Urban League, the Community Coalition for Haiti, a member of the Board of Directors for the Hopkins House and the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, a member of the Board for the Lott Carey Convention, and a member of the board of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. He has also served as honorary chairperson for the African American Adoptions, Inc. just to name a few. Dr. Wesley has also hosted the weekly Sunday, Life App Moment with Pastor Wesley which aired on DCW50/CW Network. The weekly Life App Moment provides practical life applications, leaving one empowered and able to cope with the stresses of everyday living while creating and encouraging a relationship with God. He is often a guest on various MSNBC talk shows discussing relevant social justice issues plaguing society.
A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Wesley is an avid golfer who also enjoys movies, reading, and working out. He is the proud father of two beautiful sons, Howard-John, II and Cooper Reece
Ekemini Uwan received her Master of Divinity degree in 2016 from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in Philadelphia, PA. She is also the 2015 Greene Prize in Apologetics Award recipient. As one who is passionate about sound theology, Ekemini has a fierce commitment to biblical orthodoxy and its implications for issues pertaining to racial injustice, police brutality, and white supremacy.
Ekemini believes that theology can and does speak to the culture, social, and political issues of our present day. As a result, she often speaks, opines, and writes about the aforementioned for various online publications.
Her writings have been published in the Huffington Post Black Voices, Christianity Today, and The Reformed African American Network to name a few. Her insights have been quoted by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Mashable, and The Huffington Post Religion.
In her spare time, she enjoys discipling women, spending quality time with loved ones and working out. As a self-proclaimed part-time fashionista, she has a penchant for thrift shopping. Follow her on Twitter @sista_theology.
Reverend Andrew Wilkes is the Principal of Wilkes Advocacy Group and an Associate Pastor at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York (GAC). Reverend Wilkes is a bi-vocational minister and has built his career on a dual commitment to community development and economic justice. In 2015 he began his post as Executive Director of The Drum Major Institute (DMI), an organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which carries forward the social change legacy of King by promoting economic justice, dismantling structural racism, and advancing civil rights. Under his tenure, DMI executed public affairs events in Dallas, Texas and Washington D.C. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. To execute the companion events, Rev. Wilkes’ team mobilized DMI principals Ambassador Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, and Rev. Dr. James Forbes, along with the executive leadership of Values Partnership; Southern Christian Leadership Conference; NAACP; and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. During his Drum Major Institute tenure, he also established the Beloved Community Initiative, a national resource on spirituality and social justice for faith communities; and relaunched the nationally renowned Marketplace of Ideas Forum – a forum for bringing progressive policy ideas to an audience of activists, policy professionals, and nonprofit leaders. Following his tenure at DMI, Reverend Wilkes now serves on the Board of Directors for the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition and is an appointee of Mayor DeBlasio’s Clergy Advisory Council.
A native of Atlanta, GA, Wilkes is a proud graduate of Hampton University and Princeton Theological Seminary; it was there that he honed his policy interests. His decision to work in the first administration of Newark, New Jersey Mayor, Cory Booker for his field placement separated him from his colleagues. While others were serving in churches, Wilkes followed his calling by merging his faith with policy issues.
Reverend Wilkes was later hired as a consultant for “Fathers Now", a division of Cory Booker's "Newark Now." Wilkes then pursued the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs in New York City where he worked with various NYC companies such as the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Edelman PR’s Public Affairs division, and more.
As a Senior Grants Manager at The American Red Cross, Reverend Wilkes oversaw a $45 million budget for Superstorm Sandy recovery in New York state & Connecticut. Before that, Reverend Wilkes engaged 140 faith communities as the Faith & Community Relations Associate at Habitat for Humanity New York City.
Reverend Wilkes currently serves an Associate Pastor of Social Justice and Young Adults at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. In that capacity, he launched a social justice initiative called Micah 6:8, which calls for faith communities to initiate civic renewal by pursuing justice, compassion, and peacemaking within our society. A PhD candidate in political science at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, Reverend Wilkes also serves as a Graduate Teaching Fellow at City College of New York, where he teaches courses in public policy.
Reverend Wilkes is the 2016, Guy R. Brewer Distinguished Leadership Award Recipient, The 2015 recipient of The New York Theological Seminary’s Micah Institute Courage Award, the 2013 recipient of Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Push Advocacy Award, and the 2013 Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute Next Leader of the Future Award. A public speaker and writer for outlets such as The Guardian, The Huffington Post and Sojourners Magazine; Reverend Wilkes is the convener of Stand with Black Women and Girls, a national public education campaign to promote the well-being of black women and girls through liturgy, policy options, public action, and digital engagement (#StandWithBWG). Reverend Wilkes is committed to “doing justice, loving mercy, & walking humbly with God.”
Reverend Wilkes resides in Harlem, New York with his wife, Min. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJWilkes.
With civil rights advocacy in his DNA, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III built his ministry on community advancement and social justice activism. As Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL, Dr. Moss spent the last two decades practicing and preaching a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic inequality. Dr. Moss is part of a new generation of ministers committed to preaching a prophetic message of love and justice, which he believes are inseparable companions that form the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As part of his community engagement through Trinity United Church of Christ, Dr. Moss led the team that came up with the “My Life Matters” curriculum, which includes the viral video, “Get Home Safely: 10 Rules of Survival” created in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s death at the hands of Ferguson, Missouri police.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Moss is an honors graduate of Morehouse College who earned a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary. He returned to Yale in 2014 to present the famed Lyman Beecher lectures. The three-day event included an in-depth discourse on the subject of “The Blue Note Gospel: Preaching the Prophetic Blues in a Post-Soul World.” The lectures, which demonstrated a homiletic blueprint for prophetic preaching in the 21st century, were the foundation of his latest book, Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World: Finding Hope in an Age of Despair, published in 2015.
Dr. Moss was named to the inaugural Root 100, a list that “recognizes emerging and established African-American leaders who are making extraordinary contributions,” according to the publication’s Website. Honorees range between ages 25 to 45 and their accomplishments and successes transcend media headlines or statistics.
With a unique gift to communicate across generations, Dr. Moss’ creative Bible-based messages have inspired young and old alike. His intergenerational preaching gift has made Dr. Moss a popular speaker on college campuses and at conferences and churches across the globe. He is highly influenced by the works of Zora Neale Hurston, August Wilson, Howard Thurman, Jazz, and Hip-Hop music. The work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pastoral ministry of his father, Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. of Cleveland, Ohio, have been primary mentors for his spiritual formation.
Dr. Moss is the former pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, his first pastorate, where the church grew from 125 members to over 2,100 disciples during his tenure.
His earlier publications include: Redemption in a Red Light District, and The Gospel According to the Wiz: And Other Sermons from Cinema. He co-authored The Gospel Re-Mix; How to Reach the Hip-Hop Generation with three other contributors, and Preach! The Power and Purpose Behind Our Praise, with his father, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
His sermons, articles, and poetry have appeared in publications such as Sojourners Magazine and The African American Pulpit Journal. Those works include: Power in the Pulpit II: America’s Most Effective Preachers, Joy To The World: Sermons From America’s Pulpit, Sound The Trumpet: Messages of Hope for Black Men, and The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama. His work has also been featured on Huffington Post, Urban Cusp, and The Root.
Dr. Moss is an ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ. He is on the board of The Christian Century Magazine and chaplain of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor Child Advocacy Conference.
He is married to his college sweetheart, the former Monica Brown of Orlando, Florida, a Spelman College and Columbia University graduate. They are the proud parents of two creative and humorous children, Elijah Wynton and Makayla Elon.
Dr. Hall has served as Vice President for Academic Services since 2013. Prior to that he was Chief of Staff in the Office of the President and a member of the Seminary’s Executive Cabinet since 2009. His administrative duties include directing the Seminary’s enrollment, library, and assessment initiatives. His academic and research interests focus on the intersection of theology and culture in American religion and he regularly teaches courses in church history, American history, and American government at the graduate and undergraduate level. He is co-editor of Essential Evangelicalism: The Enduring Legacy of Carl F.H. Henry (Crossway, 2015).
Dr. Hall is active in denominational life, having served on the SBC Committee on Resolutions (2014, 2015) and as a Research Fellow for the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the American Society of Church History, the American Historical Association, and the Conference of Faith and History.
An ordained minister, he serves as an elder at Clifton Baptist Church.
Dr. Marvin McMickle was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1948. He is a 1970 graduate of Aurora University in Aurora Illinois with a B.A. in Philosophy. His alma mater also awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1990 as well as the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2000. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1973. That school also awarded him the Unitas Award in 2007. He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ in 1983. Princeton later named him a Distinguished Alumnus in the school’s bi-centennial year of 2012. He was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1998. In 2010 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio.
He was ordained to the Christian ministry in 1973 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York City where he served on the pastoral staff from 1972-1976. He was pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church of Montclair, New Jersey from 1976-1986. While in New Jersey he served as president of the New Jersey Council of Churches from 1982-1986, as a member of the Montclair Board of Education from1982-1986, as well as two terms as president of the Montclair Chapter of the NAACP. He also taught preaching at New York, New Brunswick and Princeton Theological Seminaries.
From 1987-2011 he was Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church of Cleveland, Ohio. During that time he led the church in establishing a ministry for people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. It was the first church-based program of its kind in the entire country! He also initiated the practice of having the church tithe one-tenth of its annual income to community-based programs every year. While in Cleveland, Dr. McMickle served on the Board of Trustees of Cleveland State University, as president of the Shaker Heights Board of education, and as president of both the local NAACP and Urban League chapters. He was the Professor of Homiletics at Ashland Theological Seminary from 1996-2011. Upon leaving Ashland he was voted by his faculty colleagues to be Professor Emeritus. He is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In the winter semester of 2009 he served as a Visiting Professor of Preaching at Yale University Divinity School.
He was elected to be the 12th President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in 2011.
He has been married to Peggy Noble McMickle since 1975. They have one son, Aaron James who lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Pilar Ramos and their daughters Aaliyah and Lola.
Dr. Vincent Bacote is an Associate Professor of Theology and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of the The Spirit in Public Theology: Appropriating the Legacy of Abraham Kuyper (2005), and has contributed to books including On Kuyper (2013), Aliens in the Promised Land (2013), Keep Your Head Up (2012) and Prophetic Evangelicals (2012). He is a regular columnist for Comment (wrf.ca/comment) and has also had articles appear in magazines such as Books and Culture, Christianity Today, Think Christian and re:generation quarterly and journals such as Christian Scholars Review, Urban Mission and the Journal for Christian Theological Research. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Christian Ethics. He resides in the Chicago area with his family.
Cam Triggs loves Jesus. God saved Cam from wrath, sin, death, and Satan in 2005. He began studies at University of Central Florida as a Religious Studies major & continued his education at Reformed Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies. During his time at RTS, Cam was privileged to study under the apologist John Frame. In the future, he looks forward to further study in the areas of philosophy, theology, and African American studies. He now enjoys loving God & loving students at Shiloh Church. More importantly, he is married to his beautiful best friend Tymara Triggs and the proud father of Cameron Triggs II. Stay connected with him at camtriggs.com.
Willie Dwayne Francois III is a 2009 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Religion. Due to his academic performance and record, Francois is a member of various honor societies and holds two fellowships from the Fund for Theological Education. While at Morehouse, he served as the president of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants Program and was named the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. Francois received a Master of Divinity from Harvard University’s Divinity School, where he was awarded the Hopkins Shareholders Award—the school’s highest academic commendation. Called and committed to empower God’s people through transformative preaching and teaching, Francois was licensed and ordained at the First Union Baptist Church of Galveston, Texas. He currently serves as Pastor of Congregational Care at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, where Pastor Michael A. Walrond, Jr is the pastor. Prior to joining the FCBC team, he served as the Minister of Christian Education and Discipleship at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church of Houston, Texas, under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby. To learn more about Willie visit http://www.fcbcnyc.org/staff/rev-willie-dwayne-francois-iii.