Conference Host & Speaker
Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III
Senior Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Author, Activist
Dr. Haynes is an Author, Community Activist and foremost a Pastor. For 35 years, Dr. Haynes has served as a visionary and innovative Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Under his servant leadership, the ministry and membership has grown from less than 100 members in 1983 to over 12,000.
Dr. Haynes serves in numerous leadership capacities for organizations championing social change. He is the Co-Chair of the Board of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Action Network and Conference of National Black Churches. Dr. Haynes is a Trustee of Paul Quinn College where he has also serves as Adjunct Professor.
Dr. Haynes is a committed community activist who has formed alliances with local community leaders and Dallas city officials to fight domestic violence and poverty by organizing a Faith Summit on Poverty. He has worked with the Center for Responsible Lending in order to fight predatory lending in Texas and across the nation. Dr. Haynes is frequently invited to the White House in order to address issues ranging from the economy to voting and civil rights. He was publicly applauded by President Barack Obama for the THR!VE Intern and Leadership Program that began in the summer of 2014, employing nearly 100 young black males between the ages of 16-19.
Possessing a commitment to education he has a Bachelor’s Degree from Bishop College, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation where he studied at Christ Church, University of Oxford. His dissertation reflects his commitment to faith based social activism, "To Turn The World Upside Down: Church Growth In A Church Committed to Social Justice." Dr. Haynes is married to Debra Peek-Haynes, founder and president of Quorum Commercial, a Dallas commercial real estate firm. They are the parents of one beautiful daughter, Abeni Jewel Haynes.
Senior Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Author, Activist
Dr. Haynes is an Author, Community Activist and foremost a Pastor. For 35 years, Dr. Haynes has served as a visionary and innovative Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Under his servant leadership, the ministry and membership has grown from less than 100 members in 1983 to over 12,000.
Dr. Haynes serves in numerous leadership capacities for organizations championing social change. He is the Co-Chair of the Board of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Action Network and Conference of National Black Churches. Dr. Haynes is a Trustee of Paul Quinn College where he has also serves as Adjunct Professor.
Dr. Haynes is a committed community activist who has formed alliances with local community leaders and Dallas city officials to fight domestic violence and poverty by organizing a Faith Summit on Poverty. He has worked with the Center for Responsible Lending in order to fight predatory lending in Texas and across the nation. Dr. Haynes is frequently invited to the White House in order to address issues ranging from the economy to voting and civil rights. He was publicly applauded by President Barack Obama for the THR!VE Intern and Leadership Program that began in the summer of 2014, employing nearly 100 young black males between the ages of 16-19.
Possessing a commitment to education he has a Bachelor’s Degree from Bishop College, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation where he studied at Christ Church, University of Oxford. His dissertation reflects his commitment to faith based social activism, "To Turn The World Upside Down: Church Growth In A Church Committed to Social Justice." Dr. Haynes is married to Debra Peek-Haynes, founder and president of Quorum Commercial, a Dallas commercial real estate firm. They are the parents of one beautiful daughter, Abeni Jewel Haynes.
Conference Speakers
Jennifer Jones Austin
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Jennifer Jones Austin has more than 20 years of leadership, management and advocacy experience working for the advancement of underserved children, individuals and families.
Prior to joining FPWA, Ms. Jones Austin served as Senior Vice President of United Way of New York City, the City of New York’s first Family Services Coordinator appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Commissioner for the City’s Administration for Children’s Services, Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief for New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and Vice President for LearnNow/Edison Schools Inc.
Throughout her career, Jennifer Jones Austin has chaired and served on several influential boards, commissions and task forces. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed her as Co-Chair of his mayoral transition in 2013, a leader of his UPK Workgroup that designed the full day Universal Pre-Kindergarten Initiative, and a leader of his Jobs for New Yorkers Task Force. She was the Co-Chair of the NYC Department of Education Capacity Framework Advisory, and a member of the PlaNYC Advisory Board. She served as Chair of the City of New York Procurement Policy Board and Co-Chair of the New York State Supermarket Commission. Presently, Ms. Jones Austin serves as Board Member and Spokesperson for The National Marrow Donor Program, and Board Member of the NYC Board of Correction, the New York Blood Center, and the Fund for Public Housing. She also serves on the Human Services Council. Previous Board service includes the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Children for Children, Citizens’ Committee for Children, the Icla da Silva Foundation, and the Bethany Baptist Church Child Development Center.
Ms. Jones Austin earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Management and Policy from New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Jennifer Jones Austin has more than 20 years of leadership, management and advocacy experience working for the advancement of underserved children, individuals and families.
Prior to joining FPWA, Ms. Jones Austin served as Senior Vice President of United Way of New York City, the City of New York’s first Family Services Coordinator appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Commissioner for the City’s Administration for Children’s Services, Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief for New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and Vice President for LearnNow/Edison Schools Inc.
Throughout her career, Jennifer Jones Austin has chaired and served on several influential boards, commissions and task forces. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed her as Co-Chair of his mayoral transition in 2013, a leader of his UPK Workgroup that designed the full day Universal Pre-Kindergarten Initiative, and a leader of his Jobs for New Yorkers Task Force. She was the Co-Chair of the NYC Department of Education Capacity Framework Advisory, and a member of the PlaNYC Advisory Board. She served as Chair of the City of New York Procurement Policy Board and Co-Chair of the New York State Supermarket Commission. Presently, Ms. Jones Austin serves as Board Member and Spokesperson for The National Marrow Donor Program, and Board Member of the NYC Board of Correction, the New York Blood Center, and the Fund for Public Housing. She also serves on the Human Services Council. Previous Board service includes the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Children for Children, Citizens’ Committee for Children, the Icla da Silva Foundation, and the Bethany Baptist Church Child Development Center.
Ms. Jones Austin earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Management and Policy from New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.
Minister Danielle Ayers
Minister of Justice, Friendship-West Baptist Church
Minister Ayers is the co-author of To Serve This Present Age: Social Justice Ministers in the Black Church. Minister Ayers also serves as the Co-convener of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, a delegate of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race and on President Jimmy Carter’s New Baptist Covenant Advisory team. Minister Ayers provides leadership to the Village Co-op which consists of a community garden, a Fair Trade Justice program and a supply chain support for farmers. She holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from The University of Memphis and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School.
Minister of Justice, Friendship-West Baptist Church
Minister Ayers is the co-author of To Serve This Present Age: Social Justice Ministers in the Black Church. Minister Ayers also serves as the Co-convener of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, a delegate of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race and on President Jimmy Carter’s New Baptist Covenant Advisory team. Minister Ayers provides leadership to the Village Co-op which consists of a community garden, a Fair Trade Justice program and a supply chain support for farmers. She holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from The University of Memphis and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School.
Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby
Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church, Louisville, KY
Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby is the Senior Pastor, St. Stephen Church; President, Simmons College of Kentucky; Author, Lecturer and Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Due greatly to his practical and dynamic Bible teachings, the congregation has grown from 500 to approximately 14,000 members, and has been recognized by Outreach magazine as one of the 100 largest churches in America (2010) and Emerge magazine as one of six “super churches” of the South. During his tenure at St. Stephen, the church has transformed from the “little church on the corner” to a multi-faceted institution that includes a 1,700-seat worship center, a cutting-edge $4 million inner-city family life center and a 1,000-seat worship facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In October 2013, Dr. Cosby began a satellite church in Hardin County, Kentucky. During the first Sunday’s service,
seventy people united with the church.
The thread of God’s hand is interwoven into the tapestry of Dr. Cosby’s life and ministry. The providence of God is seen most clearly in Dr. Cosby’s ministry in the resurgence of Simmons College of Kentucky (SCKY). In 1997, the Lord led Dr. Cosby to encourage the church to purchase the original four-acre campus of Simmons University (now Simmons College of KY) and convert the property into a lifestyle enrichment campus.
Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church, Louisville, KY
Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby is the Senior Pastor, St. Stephen Church; President, Simmons College of Kentucky; Author, Lecturer and Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Due greatly to his practical and dynamic Bible teachings, the congregation has grown from 500 to approximately 14,000 members, and has been recognized by Outreach magazine as one of the 100 largest churches in America (2010) and Emerge magazine as one of six “super churches” of the South. During his tenure at St. Stephen, the church has transformed from the “little church on the corner” to a multi-faceted institution that includes a 1,700-seat worship center, a cutting-edge $4 million inner-city family life center and a 1,000-seat worship facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In October 2013, Dr. Cosby began a satellite church in Hardin County, Kentucky. During the first Sunday’s service,
seventy people united with the church.
The thread of God’s hand is interwoven into the tapestry of Dr. Cosby’s life and ministry. The providence of God is seen most clearly in Dr. Cosby’s ministry in the resurgence of Simmons College of Kentucky (SCKY). In 1997, the Lord led Dr. Cosby to encourage the church to purchase the original four-acre campus of Simmons University (now Simmons College of KY) and convert the property into a lifestyle enrichment campus.
Rev. Dr. Keri Day
Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religion
Dr. Day received her PhD in religion from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned an MA in religion and ethics from Yale University Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University in Nashville. Her teaching and research interests are in womanist/feminist theologies, social critical theory, cultural studies, economics, and Afro-Pentecostalism. Her published work includes the book Unfinished Business: Black Women, the Black Church and the Struggle to Thrive in America (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2012).
Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religion
Dr. Day received her PhD in religion from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned an MA in religion and ethics from Yale University Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University in Nashville. Her teaching and research interests are in womanist/feminist theologies, social critical theory, cultural studies, economics, and Afro-Pentecostalism. Her published work includes the book Unfinished Business: Black Women, the Black Church and the Struggle to Thrive in America (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2012).
Rev. Damien Durr
Executive Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church
Rev. Durr is a minister, educator, and teacher that inspires, galvanizes, and promotes hope across the county from churches to barber shops to public schools. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he attended American Baptist College (B.A.), and Vanderbilt University (M.DIV). As a Presidential Scholar at ABC, and Kelly Miller Smith Fellow at Vanderbilt, he helped facilitate various initiatives and discussions involving childhood education, juvenile justice, the prison industrial complex, Black Church Studies, and cultural criticism.
As a preacher, presenter, and lecturer, he has shared in different academic and ecclesial settings, as well as in the Juvenile Justice Center and Riverbend Maximum Security Prison with wide-ranging messages including: The church at a crossword between despair, desire, and deliverance intergenerational ministry in the 21st century Black church; The Life and times of JC:(Jesus Christ) Chronicles of a God chaser, Finding God in an unexpected place, and Confessions of a slumdog Messiah; The messages, images, and influences of hip hop on the Black experience in America; and, Am I a problem: racial profiling, vigilante-ism and social transformation. He serves as the Executive Pastor of Community Development at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
Executive Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church
Rev. Durr is a minister, educator, and teacher that inspires, galvanizes, and promotes hope across the county from churches to barber shops to public schools. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he attended American Baptist College (B.A.), and Vanderbilt University (M.DIV). As a Presidential Scholar at ABC, and Kelly Miller Smith Fellow at Vanderbilt, he helped facilitate various initiatives and discussions involving childhood education, juvenile justice, the prison industrial complex, Black Church Studies, and cultural criticism.
As a preacher, presenter, and lecturer, he has shared in different academic and ecclesial settings, as well as in the Juvenile Justice Center and Riverbend Maximum Security Prison with wide-ranging messages including: The church at a crossword between despair, desire, and deliverance intergenerational ministry in the 21st century Black church; The Life and times of JC:(Jesus Christ) Chronicles of a God chaser, Finding God in an unexpected place, and Confessions of a slumdog Messiah; The messages, images, and influences of hip hop on the Black experience in America; and, Am I a problem: racial profiling, vigilante-ism and social transformation. He serves as the Executive Pastor of Community Development at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
Mercedes Fulbright
Texas State Director, Local Progress
Mercedes is the Texas State Coordinator for Local Progress Texas, a project of the Center for Popular Democracy. She works closely with community organizations throughout the Lone Star State to bring progressive policy solutions to local elected progressives. Mercedes is an experienced and respected voice on political strategy, racial justice advocacy, effective progressive leadership training, grassroots organizing, and public policy. Her life’s work builds at the intersections of electoral politics and social justice developing socially conscious leaders in marginalized communities to combat inequities with a global lens.
She is the former Special Assistant to the President at Paul Quinn College, a historically Black College in Dallas, Texas. Under her management, she assisted in launching the African American Leadership Institute, a Dallas-based think tank housed at Paul Quinn, for the study and advancement of public policy, economic development, civic engagement, and leadership development as it relates to the African American community and Black elected officials throughout the state of Texas. She previously worked for Young People For (YP4), a program of People for the American Way Foundation, in Washington, DC. She developed critically conscious curriculum for strategic youth leadership development training and oversaw their national civic engagement and voter mobilization campaigns with many of her of projects in North Carolina to combat voter suppression.
Mercedes serves as a C4 National board member with BYP100, a member-based organization of Black youth activists creating justice and freedom for all Black people. She is a strategist with the Electoral Justice Project, a national table with the Movement for Black Lives (Black Lives Matter), centering electoral politics and organizing tactics for Black communities. She was the former chairwoman of the National Youth Work Committee of the NAACP, former Youth Board Member on the National Board of Trustees for the NAACP, and has also served as the Dallas NAACP Youth Advisor. Mercedes received her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and her BA in Political Science from the University of North Texas.
Texas State Director, Local Progress
Mercedes is the Texas State Coordinator for Local Progress Texas, a project of the Center for Popular Democracy. She works closely with community organizations throughout the Lone Star State to bring progressive policy solutions to local elected progressives. Mercedes is an experienced and respected voice on political strategy, racial justice advocacy, effective progressive leadership training, grassroots organizing, and public policy. Her life’s work builds at the intersections of electoral politics and social justice developing socially conscious leaders in marginalized communities to combat inequities with a global lens.
She is the former Special Assistant to the President at Paul Quinn College, a historically Black College in Dallas, Texas. Under her management, she assisted in launching the African American Leadership Institute, a Dallas-based think tank housed at Paul Quinn, for the study and advancement of public policy, economic development, civic engagement, and leadership development as it relates to the African American community and Black elected officials throughout the state of Texas. She previously worked for Young People For (YP4), a program of People for the American Way Foundation, in Washington, DC. She developed critically conscious curriculum for strategic youth leadership development training and oversaw their national civic engagement and voter mobilization campaigns with many of her of projects in North Carolina to combat voter suppression.
Mercedes serves as a C4 National board member with BYP100, a member-based organization of Black youth activists creating justice and freedom for all Black people. She is a strategist with the Electoral Justice Project, a national table with the Movement for Black Lives (Black Lives Matter), centering electoral politics and organizing tactics for Black communities. She was the former chairwoman of the National Youth Work Committee of the NAACP, former Youth Board Member on the National Board of Trustees for the NAACP, and has also served as the Dallas NAACP Youth Advisor. Mercedes received her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and her BA in Political Science from the University of North Texas.
Dr. Melanie Harris
Associate Professor of Religion, Texas Christian University
Rev. Dr. Melanie L. Harris is founding director of African American and Africana studies and full Professor of Religion and Ethics at TCU (Texas Christian University). She is the first African American Woman to earn the rank of full professor in the history of TCU. A graduate of the Harvard Leadership Program, her research focuses on ethical leadership and access and equity in higher education. Her scholarship critically examines intersections between race, religion, gender and environmental ethics. She is the author of several books and scholarly articles including Gifts of Virtue: Alice Walker and Womanist Ethics (Palgrave 2011), Ecowomanism: African American Women and Earth Honoring Faiths (Orbis 2017) and co-editor of Faith, Feminism and Scholarship: The Next Generation (Palgrave 2011). Dr. Harris is a former broadcast journalist who worked as a news producer for ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates. She is also ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. A community leader whose passion for education is linked to a commitment for social justice, she has also served as an education consultant for the Ford Foundation, The Forum for Theological Exploration and the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Lilly Endowment Inc. She is on the executive board of the Society of the Study of Black Religion and has served on the Board of Directors of KERA-TV/Radio, The American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. Harris has been awarded several prestigious awards and academic fellowships including the American Council of Education Fellowship, the Add Ran College of Liberal Arts Administration Fellowship and the GreenFaith Fellowship. Dr. Harris earned her PhD and M.A. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, an M.Div. from Iliff School of Theology and a B.A. from Spelman College in English and Sacred Music.
Associate Professor of Religion, Texas Christian University
Rev. Dr. Melanie L. Harris is founding director of African American and Africana studies and full Professor of Religion and Ethics at TCU (Texas Christian University). She is the first African American Woman to earn the rank of full professor in the history of TCU. A graduate of the Harvard Leadership Program, her research focuses on ethical leadership and access and equity in higher education. Her scholarship critically examines intersections between race, religion, gender and environmental ethics. She is the author of several books and scholarly articles including Gifts of Virtue: Alice Walker and Womanist Ethics (Palgrave 2011), Ecowomanism: African American Women and Earth Honoring Faiths (Orbis 2017) and co-editor of Faith, Feminism and Scholarship: The Next Generation (Palgrave 2011). Dr. Harris is a former broadcast journalist who worked as a news producer for ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates. She is also ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. A community leader whose passion for education is linked to a commitment for social justice, she has also served as an education consultant for the Ford Foundation, The Forum for Theological Exploration and the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Lilly Endowment Inc. She is on the executive board of the Society of the Study of Black Religion and has served on the Board of Directors of KERA-TV/Radio, The American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. Harris has been awarded several prestigious awards and academic fellowships including the American Council of Education Fellowship, the Add Ran College of Liberal Arts Administration Fellowship and the GreenFaith Fellowship. Dr. Harris earned her PhD and M.A. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, an M.Div. from Iliff School of Theology and a B.A. from Spelman College in English and Sacred Music.
Abeni Jewel Haynes
Public Relations Specialist/Administrator/Actress,
Friendship-West Baptist Church
Public Relations Specialist/Administrator/Actress,
Friendship-West Baptist Church
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr.
Senior Pastor of Cathedral International, Author, Painter, Professor, Producer
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. serves as the senior pastor of Cathedral International—The Historic Second Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. Dr. Hilliard’s willingness to “Say Yes!” to the Lord has fostered his ability to provide leadership in the exponential growth of the church over the last 35 years. Now, “One Church in Four Locations,” Cathedral International has expanded its ministry to serve the specific needs of four different locations in New Jersey: Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, Cathedral International in Asbury Park, Cathedral International in Plainfield, and Iglesia Catedral in Perth Amboy. Cited by the American Baptist Churches (USA) as a model for church growth, Cathedral International is a multifaceted, relevant church that has grown exponentially throughout the years.
From an array of community groups, non-profit agencies and governmental associations, Dr. Hilliard has received numerous awards and citations for his efforts inside the church and beyond, including his role in the ongoing renewal of downtown Perth Amboy. A few of those honors include; the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ (1995) and The American Baptist Church, USA Evangelism Award (1996).
Bishop Hilliard was also inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA. (1995), and received the Perth Amboy Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year Award (1994), the Drew University Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award (1994) and the Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Eastern University (2006). In 2008, The New York Council of Churches presented Dr. Hilliard with the prestigious, Clergy of the Year Award. He is a past board member of The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. He has also received the “Humanitarian Award” from the National Conference for Community and Justice; and has also served as a commissioner for the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Authority.
Bishop Hilliard is a servant of God who continues to say “Yes” to the Lord’s call on his life and by doing so has positively affected the lives of thousands with his gift to turn a glimmer of hope into opportunity.
Bishop Hilliard is now retired as the Presiding Bishop of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies (CEFCA) and now serves as Bishop Emeritus, having turned the reigns of CEFCA (now CFA) under the hand of Bishop Hollister Curtis Douglas in June 2018. As Bishop Emeritus of the Reformation, Bishop still serves as Retired Presiding Bishop at Large.
Senior Pastor of Cathedral International, Author, Painter, Professor, Producer
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. serves as the senior pastor of Cathedral International—The Historic Second Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. Dr. Hilliard’s willingness to “Say Yes!” to the Lord has fostered his ability to provide leadership in the exponential growth of the church over the last 35 years. Now, “One Church in Four Locations,” Cathedral International has expanded its ministry to serve the specific needs of four different locations in New Jersey: Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, Cathedral International in Asbury Park, Cathedral International in Plainfield, and Iglesia Catedral in Perth Amboy. Cited by the American Baptist Churches (USA) as a model for church growth, Cathedral International is a multifaceted, relevant church that has grown exponentially throughout the years.
From an array of community groups, non-profit agencies and governmental associations, Dr. Hilliard has received numerous awards and citations for his efforts inside the church and beyond, including his role in the ongoing renewal of downtown Perth Amboy. A few of those honors include; the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ (1995) and The American Baptist Church, USA Evangelism Award (1996).
Bishop Hilliard was also inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA. (1995), and received the Perth Amboy Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year Award (1994), the Drew University Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award (1994) and the Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Eastern University (2006). In 2008, The New York Council of Churches presented Dr. Hilliard with the prestigious, Clergy of the Year Award. He is a past board member of The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. He has also received the “Humanitarian Award” from the National Conference for Community and Justice; and has also served as a commissioner for the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Authority.
Bishop Hilliard is a servant of God who continues to say “Yes” to the Lord’s call on his life and by doing so has positively affected the lives of thousands with his gift to turn a glimmer of hope into opportunity.
Bishop Hilliard is now retired as the Presiding Bishop of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies (CEFCA) and now serves as Bishop Emeritus, having turned the reigns of CEFCA (now CFA) under the hand of Bishop Hollister Curtis Douglas in June 2018. As Bishop Emeritus of the Reformation, Bishop still serves as Retired Presiding Bishop at Large.
Pastor Jeffery A. Johnson
Senior Pastor of Eastern Star Church, Indianapolis, IN
Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson, Sr. accepted his call to ministry at the age of 17 and has served as the Senior Pastor of Eastern Star Church in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1988. Under his leadership, the “One Church in Three Locations” has grown to more than 17,000 members and has planted three churches in Indianapolis as well. Pastor Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion with Honors from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas and matriculated at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He has also received numerous honorary doctorate degrees, highly-esteemed community awards and was voted the 2012 “Best Pulpiteer” by Black Christian News Network One, an international online media resource.
Senior Pastor of Eastern Star Church, Indianapolis, IN
Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson, Sr. accepted his call to ministry at the age of 17 and has served as the Senior Pastor of Eastern Star Church in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1988. Under his leadership, the “One Church in Three Locations” has grown to more than 17,000 members and has planted three churches in Indianapolis as well. Pastor Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion with Honors from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas and matriculated at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He has also received numerous honorary doctorate degrees, highly-esteemed community awards and was voted the 2012 “Best Pulpiteer” by Black Christian News Network One, an international online media resource.
Rev. David McGruder
Youth Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church
David Malcolm McGruder is a minister, educator, and organizer hailing from Kansas City, Kansas. His ministry, professional, and community service experience includes work with the Brisbane Institute of Political Science & Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, the Project for Peace & Progress Inc., the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the Black Church Center for Justice & Equality, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland, the Office of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, and the Office of U.S. Senator Pat Roberts. Most recently, David served as Associate Director for Youth Development and Outreach at the Princeton Family YMCA in Princeton, NJ, where he focused on creating and sustaining educational enrichment programming designed to engage minority students and their families, and close the achievement gap in Mercer County.
David is a graduate of Morehouse College (B.A., Political Science and Philosophy) in Atlanta, GA where he was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship & Prize, and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div, Theology, Politics, & Ethics) where he was awarded the Aaron E. Gast Prize in Urban Ministry. He is currently pursuing a post-graduate qualification in History, Religion, and International Relations from Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. His publications include "The Finished Work" in A Beautiful Thing: Sermons from Young Preachers (Chalice Press, 2010), “Locked Up: Theological Reflections on Prisons, Repression, and Resistance,” in The African American Lectionary (October, 2011), et al. His broader research interests include postmodern theology, political philosophy, and Africana studies.
Today, David has the honor and privilege of serving as Pastor of Youth and Collegiate Ministries at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, a ministry with global impact, led by Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III. David is the son of Marvin and Anne McGruder and the elder brother of Marlayna & Phillip.
Youth Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church
David Malcolm McGruder is a minister, educator, and organizer hailing from Kansas City, Kansas. His ministry, professional, and community service experience includes work with the Brisbane Institute of Political Science & Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, the Project for Peace & Progress Inc., the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the Black Church Center for Justice & Equality, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland, the Office of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, and the Office of U.S. Senator Pat Roberts. Most recently, David served as Associate Director for Youth Development and Outreach at the Princeton Family YMCA in Princeton, NJ, where he focused on creating and sustaining educational enrichment programming designed to engage minority students and their families, and close the achievement gap in Mercer County.
David is a graduate of Morehouse College (B.A., Political Science and Philosophy) in Atlanta, GA where he was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship & Prize, and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div, Theology, Politics, & Ethics) where he was awarded the Aaron E. Gast Prize in Urban Ministry. He is currently pursuing a post-graduate qualification in History, Religion, and International Relations from Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. His publications include "The Finished Work" in A Beautiful Thing: Sermons from Young Preachers (Chalice Press, 2010), “Locked Up: Theological Reflections on Prisons, Repression, and Resistance,” in The African American Lectionary (October, 2011), et al. His broader research interests include postmodern theology, political philosophy, and Africana studies.
Today, David has the honor and privilege of serving as Pastor of Youth and Collegiate Ministries at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, a ministry with global impact, led by Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III. David is the son of Marvin and Anne McGruder and the elder brother of Marlayna & Phillip.