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DR. PAUL E. SHEPPARDPaul Earl Sheppard has been preaching since his teens and has been in pastoral ministry since 1982. He served as associate pastor of West Oak Lane Church of God in Philadelphia, PA for seven years and as senior pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, CA for twenty years. Presently, Pastor Paul serves as Senior Pastor of Destiny Christian Fellowshipin Fremont, CA.
Pastor Paul is a native of Philadelphia, PA. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania, the Center for Urban Theological Studies, and the Southern CA School of Ministry, from which he earned a Master in Ministry degree and was later honored with a Doctorate of Divinity. An effective communicator of God’s Word, Pastor Paul is widely known for his practical and dynamic teaching style which helps people apply the timeless truths of Scripture to their everyday lives. He serves as speaker for the radio and online broadcast Destined for Victory. He’s also an author whose books include Rebuilding What the Enemy Almost Destroyed, Why God Created Dads, and Build a Bridge and Get Over It. He and his wife, Meredith, have been married since 1982. They are the proud parents of two adult children who work alongside them in ministry, Alicia Greer and Aaron Sheppard. |
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DR. RALPH D. WESTDr. Ralph Douglas West serves as founder and senior pastor of The Church Without Walls (Brookhollow Baptist Church, Houston, Texas). He first preached as a sixteen year old in his native Houston. The church began with 32 members and now embraces 24,000+ families meeting in three locations and conducting six services each Sunday. Dr. West is affectionately known as PAS.
Dr. West completed degrees at Bishop College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School, where he received the Doctor of Ministry Degree. He serves as Adjunct Professor of Preaching at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. He has an abiding commitment to the church and the academy, relating with equal ease to both venues and using his influence to mentor ministers in both locations. He speaks perennially at colleges, universities and seminaries across America as well as at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University. Dr. West’s preaching style includes careful explanation of Scripture combined with his signature ability to tell detailed, credible and indelible stories from contemporary life that enrich the sermon and relates to the congregation. He also makes penetrating and specific application of the text to his people. He does all of this while maintaining the vibrant preaching tradition of church and culture in an atmosphere of celebration. Pas is a leader beyond his own church and serves on boards, agencies, trusteeships and committees at local, state and national levels. He is constantly in demand by fellow ministers for counsel and wisdom. On top of this, he pastors a very large church as if it were a much smaller church, standing with people in exceptional times of crisis. As one astute observer remarked, “He is unselfish with his time and utterly without self-regard Through publications, television and the internet his messages are available across the world and are witnessed by thousands beyond his church each week. A perpetually demanded conference speaker, he has spoken multiple times at conferences such as the Hampton Institute, the largest gathering to hear preaching each year. From the pulpit to the lectern he is sought for his preaching gift. Although Pas can boast of a number of degrees, honors and associations, those who sit under his preaching would most aptly describe his attitude using Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:1. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” —1 Corinthians 2:1-5 |
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BISHOP HORACE E. SMITH M.DBishop Horace E. Smith, M.D. is a man gifted with a passion for God's Word coupled with a love for God's people. He has a contagious spirit of generosity that overflows in every facet of his life. As pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church and an attending physician specializing in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital), Dr. Horace E. Smith has treated bodies and souls for over three decades. Bishop Smith’s vision is uncompromisingly clear with one central principle—to build and develop the kingdom of God by empowering God’s people. In August of 2004, Bishop Smith was elevated to the office of Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. The P.A.W. has over 1.5 million members worldwide, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He served in this position until his two terms expired in 2010.
Bishop Smith’s belief in God and the power of salvation and healing extends to his medical profession as a concerned and committed pediatrician for critically ill children. He served as Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell/Thalassemia Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital) for over 20 years, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, and is recognized world-wide as an outstanding pediatrician in his field. Some people believe that God and science don’t mix; that faith and medicine are worlds apart.Through prayers and faith in God as a healer, Dr. Smith has seen God’s healing power reverse the course of illness in the lives of his patients. It is this culmination of faith and medicine that has brought about the 2010 release of his first book, Blood Works: the insights of a Pastor and Hematologist into the wonder and spiritual power of blood. Bishop Smith has been honored by numerous organizations including the Children’s Miracle Network, and featured in the local and national newspaper, magazine and television media. He currently serves on the boards of the historic Wabash YMCA, the Family Institute at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center-Community Health Advisory Board. Bishop Smith has been happily married to Susan Davenport Smith since 1976. They met at the University of Illinois where Susan graduated with a B.S. in Pharmacy. They have three beautiful daughters: Lauren Elrod, Rachel Horton, and Emily Green along with their sons-in-law Brian Elrod, Courtney Horton, Patrick Green, and six Grandchildren. |
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DR. DANIELLE BROWNSaved and filled with the Holy Ghost at an early age, The Reverend Dr. Danielle L. Brown finds great joy and satisfaction in learning, living, and preaching the Gospel. Rev. Dr. Brown was Licensed to preach on July 17, 2003 by Cathedral International (The Historic Second Baptist Church) in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and ordained by the American Baptist Churches and the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies on June 3, 2012. An increasingly sought-after preacher and workshop leader with the ability to communicate across multiple generations, Dr. Brown has had the opportunity to share the Gospel in various states and South Africa.
Educated in the Perth Amboy Public Schools, Rev. Brown went on to attend Virginia State University where she was a Provost Scholar and three-sport athlete. After teaching in the Richmond Public Schools, Rev. Brown responded to God’s call to return to the church of her rearing under the leadership of Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. (Senior Pastor) and The Reverend Dr. Bernadette Glover (former Executive Pastor). Currently, she serves as the Pastor of Church Life at Cathedral International. For the last fifteen years, Rev. Dr. Brown has served in various leadership capacities working to develop and implement ministry programs and strategies. During this time she has developed a passion for mentoring and assisting in the development of church leaders. As such, she serves as a supervisor in the Princeton Theological Seminary Field Education Program, has taught on the adjunct faculty of New York Theological Seminary, and as a co-convener for the Edge Retreat for Young Pastors, Preachers and Lay Leaders. She also serves as the National Liaison of Episcopal Affairs for the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies and is active with the Raritan Association of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey. Dr. Brown is currently serving a term on the Board of Trustees of New Brunswick Theological Seminary. A natural leader, Rev. Dr. Brown has served in various capacities where she has worked to develop and implement ministry programs and strategies. She also has a passion for mentoring and assisting in the development of faith and community leaders. As such, she has served as a supervisor in the Princeton Theological Seminary, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and Pillar College Field Education Programs. She has also taught on the adjunct faculty of New York Theological Seminary and is currently serving a second term on the Board of Trustees of New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Dr. Brown is active with the Raritan Association of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey where she has served on the Ordination Committee and as past Moderator of the Association. In addition to her ecclesiastical work, Dr. Brown is active in her local community, she is a member of the Perth Amboy Area NAACP and has served on the Mayor’s Strategic Planning Team in the City of Perth Amboy. Most recently Dr. Brown became a member of the Perth Amboy Board of Education. Through the years, Dr. Brown has been the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions for her work in the church and community. Both servant and scholar, Rev. Dr. Brown holds Master of Education and Bachelor of Science Degrees from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia; and Master of Divinity and Master of Arts Degrees from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She also holds an earned Doctor of Ministry Degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in Easton, Pennsylvania, where she studied Leadership and Church Renewal. Rev. Dr. Brown loves God, God’s Church, and God’s people and counts it an honor and a privilege to serve. |