Go, So the Next Generation Will Know
Workshop & Panelist Speakers
Chi Adeliyi
The Power of Intimacy With God
Chi and Dami, her husband of 28 years, met while serving as missionaries in north Nigeria, their home country. They are blessed with three children, two young men and a delectable teenage daughter. After obtaining her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, the Adeliyis moved to Dayton, Ohio, where Chi serves the homeless and the poor as the community development director of the East Dayton Fellowship.
Mark and Grace Sumrall
Worshipful and Transformed Discipleship
Mark and Grace serve with Rachel Christophel as co-campus directors at the University of South Florida. Before moving to Florida, they served nine years at The University of Georgia in AFAM ministry, three of those years as campus directors. They have two boys.
Kyle Bowman
Clean Hands, Pure Heart
Kyle Bowman, MA, was raised in a Christian home, but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. She spent 11 years trying to find life in same-sex relationships. Through the love, care, and prayers of family and friends, she sensed the Lord calling her into a personal relationship with Him. Part of her journey to wholeness was finding Regeneration Ministries and attending one of their programs. She serves as the D.C. Metro director for regeneration in their northern Virginia office. Kyle has a certificate in biblical studies and a master’s degree in Christian counseling and discipleship from Capital Seminary & Graduate School.
Lucretia Bowman
Unraveling Generational Trauma: A Transformational Journey
Lucretia is the executive vice president of community engagement at City Gospel Mission. A child of foster care and a career criminal with five convictions, God sought her out during her last prison stay for a bigger purpose. Once released, she took steps to address her trauma and pain. She founded a ministry called Having the Courage to Change to help those like her navigate from mess to message.
Cotorey Seals
Jesus and Therapy: Healing for Effective Ministry
Cotorey lives at the intersection of faith, mental health, social justice, and storytelling. As a therapist, mentor, and spoken word poet, Cotorey aims to motivate and encourage others to live from a place of authenticity, using their God-given stories to offer their unique expression to the world. Cotorey has been in Chicago for eight years, working with Navigators I:58, encouraging and discipling individuals to walk with God deeply despite the past experiences they have faced. Now, Cotorey is focusing on discipling through the arts in Chicago as he co-leads The Garden Open Mic with James Crumb.
Wanda G. Anderson
Living Out Your Ethnic Identity While Embracing Your Identity in Christ
Wanda is a native New Yorker who settled in Colorado Springs 25 years ago. Ms. Anderson came to The Navigators in 2016, and now serves as the vice president of Corporate Affairs and Risk Management. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia and her Bachelor of Arts in mass media from Hampton University.
Ms. Anderson brings 30 years of multi-jurisdictional nonprofit governance, risk management, and compliance experience.
For the last 15 years, Ms. Anderson has served as co-pastor with her husband, Rev. Benjamin Anderson, senior pastor of Solid Rock Christian Center. Together they have four daughters and ten grandchildren. Ms. Anderson describes herself as a ‘justice midwife’ who enjoys writing poetry, motivational speaking, and providing women with educational and spiritual resources across generational lines leading to personal and professional development.
Dr. Brian Taylor
Leading in Majority Culture or Multi-cultural Spaces
Panelist
Dr. Brian Taylor began working in full-time ministry in 2002, serving as a campus director for Every Nation Campus Ministries on several campuses in Nashville, TN including: Vanderbilt, Tennessee State University, and Fisk University. He served on the pastoral staff in churches in Nashville, TN and Orlando, FL before moving to Cincinnati to launch Every Nation Cincinnati Church as lead pastor.
In addition to his work in leading Every Nation Cincinnati’s multiethnic congregation, Brian also serves as chaplain for the University of Cincinnati football team. He holds a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary, and works with Every Nation Seminary as a professor of Hermeneutics and Biblical Preaching. His book Ready to Lead: Essential Questions for Empowering Black Leadership in the Multiethnic Church is now available at BrianLTaylor.com.
Brian resides in Cincinnati, OH with his wife Chavonne, who works alongside him to pastor Every Nation Cincinnati Church. They have three beautiful children, Elijah, Saniya, and Joshua.
Brandon Woodard
Being a Life-Giving Presence in Our Community
Brandon serves as the coordinator for church planting and multiplication at Harbor Network and is the assistant director of Tara’s Tiny Tots Childcare LLC. He is a native Cincinnatian, is married to Christen Woodard, and they have four children: Brooklynn, Brandon II, Braxton, and Braelyn. His life’s work can be summed up simply as helping others grow in Christ.
Connally Gilliam
Healing and Wholeness in a Racially Jagged Culture
Panelist
Connally, MT, MA, has mentored and led with The Navigators for 24 years in Virginia. She focuses on speaking, writing, and one-on-one mentoring (most recently completing her ICF coaching training). She has worked deeply in spiritual direction since coming on staff. She and Sherry became friends over 30 years ago while working together at the Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia.
Dr. Sherry A Jones
Healing and Wholeness in a Racially Jagged Culture
Panelist
Dr. Sherry is an urban missionary with CityNet Ministries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She focuses on the following areas of ministry: Praying in places of pain, mentoring next generation leaders, building multi-ethnic communities, and collaborating in city-wide ministry. Prior to her work with CityNet, she served as the Dean of Stu.
Thomas Baker
Intentionally Making Disciples Where you Live, Work, and Play
Thomas lives in San Diego, California, and serves on staff with Navigators 20s in the city. He is married to Gabriela, and they have one son, Iverson. Thomas enjoys spending time with his family, meeting new people, and coaching the kids at the local rec center in his neighborhood.
Loyce Nelson
Pioneering New Campus Ministries
Loyce graduated with a secondary education-social sciences degree from the University of Missouri (Mizzou), and taught high school social studies before joining staff with The Navigators. Loyce desires and prays for students of all cultures to be transformed by the Good News of Jesus, and equipped as disciplemakers to help transform individuals, families, and communities across the world with the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom. Loyce is enjoying herself the most when she is getting to meet and know people, laughing, kicking it with the homies, and learning. She is in her seventh year on staff with The Navigators and serves in Tallahassee, Florida at Florida A&M University (FAMU), where she pioneered a Navigators ministry in 2020.
Daron Moore
Whole-Life Disciplemaking in Community
Daron pastors a ministry called PTownfresh. He is also a Christian rapper and cybersecurity instructor. He was a physics, robotics, and cybersecurity teacher at an urban high school for over twenty years. He lives in Portsmouth, Virginia with his wife, Precious, and their three children.
Mark Smith
How Non-Black Christians Can Effectively Reach and Disciple Across Ethnic Lines
Mark has ministered with The Navigators Collegiate for nearly 20 years in various contexts. He currently serves in Cincinnati as an associate regional director and associate City director. Mark and his wife, Megan, have three children, ages 12, 9, and 7.
Susie Walther
What Makes Women’s Discipleship Difficult in Today’s Culture
Susie has been married for 32 years, is the mother of two adult daughters, and the founder of The Well Training Ministry, which incorporated in 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The Well is an interdenominational, multigenerational ministry committed to training, resourcing, and equipping women to effectively live out their calling as disciples of Jesus Christ, while strengthening their ministry within their own spheres of influence.
Osaze Murray
Men Making an Impact in the Black Community
Osaze is a husband, a father, a child of God, and a person that is passionate about grace. He is the director of training for The Navigators Train – Develop – Care department. He studied at Howard University (undergraduate), Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University (MDiv.), and overseas at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He is a featured gospel recording artist and has released several albums. His most recent project, Midnight, has music and videos heard and seen in other countries and continents (see linktr.ee/osazemurray).
Juan Price
Discipleship in the Local Church
Juan is the senior pastor of Power House Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He serves as associate staff with Navigators Church Ministries. He has a passion to see God’s people grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Jesse and Elaine Hipps
We Are Stronger Together Than Apart
Jesse and Elaine Hipps have been married for almost 20 years and share seven children. They live in Loveland, Ohio. Jesse is a senior chemist and recruitment manager for Michelman and Elaine is the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for SORTA Metro. They are members of Mosaic Church in Milford.
Pastor Chris Beard
Panelist
Chris and Jan have led Peoples Church Cincinnati since 2001, serving on staff since 1992. They share a burden for church as heaven on earth. Captivated by Matthew 24:14 and Ephesians 2:15, the church has united to become a “Racially reconciling, generational rich, life-giving church, flourishing in the heart of Cincinnati.” Peoples Church and Network yearns to see this Gospel of the Kingdom heal historical fractures between Black and White believers and to intentionally include the nations, so the world will experience Jesus: Redeemer, Reconciler and Restorer. Peoples enjoys over 4 nations serving the King together as a one new humanity body.
Public expressions of racially reconciling church:
2012 – First Christian Assembly of God becomes Peoples Church Cincinnati. Still affiliated AoG, the church and Chris also serve in leadership with the Ohio Ministry Network of the AoG, Chris as a Regional Executive Presbyter.
Los Angeles Times front page story, May 2012
2014 – Peoples Church Cincinnati, among churches serving toward a multi-racial future for the American Church.
Brian Choi
Panelist
Brian is a dedicated church planter affiliated with the Global Methodist Church and serves as an associate staff with Navigators Church Ministries. Residing in the Greater Cincinnati area, Brian is actively engaged with the local Korean-American community, where he serves as an interpreter, intercessor, and cultural advocate. Brian is a devoted husband to Julie and a loving father of three exuberant children, together forming a core ministry team passionately involved in church planting with the mission of making disciples. Brian’s commitment to fostering a vibrant and faithful community reflects his deep-rooted values and dedication to the spiritual growth of those around him.
