WELCOME! Greetings Retreat Registrant,

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1 WELCOME! Greetings Retreat Registrant, As the Resident Host, I would like to welcome each of you to an exciting weekend in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The next two days promises to be challenging and clarifying. By registering for the EDGE conference, you have partnered with 50 other young Pastors, Preachers, and Leaders that are serious about the call and craft of Christian service in the Lords Church. It is our hopes that you will rekindle old relationships, build new ones, and enjoy the exchange that will take place. Please take time to time to review the Retreat Schedule, Bio s of Presenters, and other important details that will be informative to you during your time at the EDGE conference. We will use social media outlets during our Retreat, so please use the hashtag #EDGE14 when updating Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. If there is anything you need while here, please let me or one of the other capable retreat host know, and we will attempt to exceed your request in any way we can. Finally, this retreat is not your typical retreat, our hopes it that you will leave here better than when you arrived Yours in Progress, Pastor Akeem Z. Walker, M.A., M.Div.,

2 SEPTEMBER 12TH AND 13TH, 2014 Sessions hosted at GETHSEMANE BAPTIST CHURCH 5405 Roanoke Avenue Newport News, VA Dr. Dwight Riddick, Host Friday, September 12th, :00AM 11:55AM Check-in/Registration 12:00PM 1:20PM Life After Yes 1:30PM 2:50PM So You Want to be a Pastor: Preparing Your Profile Dr. Martha Simmons 3:00PM 4:30PM Creative Ministry Development 4:30PM Recreational Time 7:00PM WORSHIP SERVICE Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, Guest Preacher Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries 149 Business Park Drive Virginia Beach, VA Pastor Cedric Rouson, Host Pastor Saturday, September 13th, :00AM Breakfast 8:00AM 9:20AM Understanding Church Culture Dr. Dwight Riddick 9:30AM 11:00AM Tradition in Transition Pastor John Faison 11:10AM 12:30PM Women In Ministry Pastor Brianna Parker, Dr. Danielle Brown, Rev. Debra Haggins and Dr. Martha Simmons 12:30PM 1:30PM Lunch 1:45PM 3:00PM Spiritual Health of the Preacher Rev. Debra Haggins

3 Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby Friday Night Preacher The Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, the third child born to the late Mr. Rogers Cosby and Mrs. Bobbie J. Cosby, serves as the Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. A proud native of Chicago, Illinois and a product of Emmanuel Baptist Church where Dr. L.K. Curry served as pastor, Cosby received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and English from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, the Master of Divinity Degree in Homiletics and Christian Education from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Georgia and the Doctor of Ministry Degree in Homiletics from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. Dr. Cosby is married to his high school sweetheart, Mrs. Audrey Marie Cosby, and they have been blessed with three beautiful daughters, Adrienne Marie, Ashley Marie and Aliyah Marie and two sons, Marcus D., II and Matthew D. Cosby. As the successor to the Founding Pastor of Wheeler Avenue, Dr. William A. Lawson, Pastor Cosby has been blessed to continue the ministry of this intentionally intergenerational congregation in the inner city of Houston, Texas since 2004, having served as Associate Pastor since With four Sunday worship services and a membership of nearly 13,000, he has led the congregation to ensure its impact both on and far beyond the church campus with the inception of the Wheeler Avenue Christian Academy, serving children from 6 weeks old through the fifth grade; by opening a transitional housing facility for homeless single mothers in the Third Ward community of Houston; through cultivating a missional outreach in multiple villages in South Africa; and maintaining a passion for creatively impacting the lives of the forsaken and forgotten wherever they may be found. Dr. Cosby serves as a member of the Board of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference, the Home Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the Fisk University Board of Trustees and the General Alumni Association of Fisk University, Inc. He has served on the Board of Directors of the African American Pulpit; the Houston Area Urban League, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, the Texas Commission for Community Service and Volunteerism, and as an Advisory Board Member of The Gardner C. Taylor Preaching Archives and Listening Room in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and a Life Member of the NAACP. Among the gifts and talents with which God has blessed Pastor Cosby, none are more meaningful and fulfilling to him than preaching and teaching. Finally, Dr. Cosby seeks to encourage and empower all humanity through the timeless and transformative truths found in the Word of God.

4 Reverend Dr. Dwight Riddick Presenter Reverend Dr. Dwight Riddick, Sr. is a native of Chesapeake, Virginia. He s the son of Mr. Willie Riddick and the late Mrs. Gertie Riddick. He is married to Vera E. Riddick, also of Chesapeake. They are the proud parents of a son, Rev. Dwight Shawrod Riddick, Jr., a daughter Mrs. Tiffany M. Foreman. The family has been blessed to welcome and expand to include an awesome daughter in law, Rev Jenell Riddick, and a wonderful son in law, Mitchell Foreman. In 1982, Pastor Riddick graduated from Norfolk State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 1991, he received a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. In 2005, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University. He currently serves as President of the Hampton University Ministers Conference and is the former President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia. Dr. Riddick serves as an evangelist and a facilitator of workshops and seminars in church leadership and stewardship. He has also contributed to the development of published materials for the Baptist General Convention of Virginia s Heritage Series. In May 1985, God called him to lead the Gethsemane Baptist Church, where he has served for 28 years. He formerly served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dendron, Virginia. Under his leadership, Gethsemane has grown tremendously. He has successfully led Gethsemane Baptist Church in the starting of, and maintaining of the Bright Beginnings Learning and Child Care Center as well as the establishment of a Christian Academy. Under his leadership, Gethsemane Baptist Church has successfully completed phase 1 of a new sanctuary. Our current location is known as The Transformation Place where we work diligently with God leading us, to transform the lives of all the people that God has blessed us to meet. We are building disciples for the future so they will minister to the masses about the goodness of Jesus Christ. Through the word of God, our Pastor delivers with conviction, power and clarity. We have already began to experience the transformation of the lives, broken pieces are being replaced by wholeness, and the sick are being healed as God shows himself mightily through this visionary Pastor. There is more work for us to do, and we look forward to more souls being gained for the Kingdom of God. Our Pastor has a true heart for his people and is 100% about Kingdom Business. Our current complex will facilitate our ministries and community outreach programs throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. So on Sunday morning if you are a visitor please feel free after any one of our services 8:30 and 10:30, to take a minute and meet this wonderful man of God that will help you fully understand who you are in Christ and exactly just how important knowledge is to your present and future. Through Pastor Riddick, we at GBC Transformation Place have Learned to know the bible for ourselves and we know that God s love was always there. He will never leave me nor forsake me; just turn it over to him and leave it all at the altar. We walk in Victory

5 Pastor John Faison Presenter Pastor John R. Faison, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Watson Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, TN, affectionately known as The Grove, where they endeavor to be A GROWING church for GROWING people whom Christ will use in GROWING His Kingdom. A native of Boykins, Virginia, Pastor Faison earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Virginia State University and a Master of Arts in Practical Theology from Regent University. Upon completion of undergraduate studies, he was commissioned an officer in the US Army. Pastor Faison served in the areas of Field Artillery and Military Intelligence, including tours in South Korea and Iraq. Sensing a new call upon his life, Pastor Faison resigned from a bright career as a Captain in 2008 in order to pursue God's call in full-time ministry. That step of faith took him to Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Petersburg, VA, where he served as Pastor of Youth & Young Adults until his call to the pastorate at The Grove. Pastor Faison is a highly sought-after communicator of the Gospel who has been preaching since the age of 17. Since then, young and seasoned alike have been blessed by his message of allegiance and authenticity, as well as his willingness to deal with relevant issues. Pastor Faison is a frequent guest lecturer/preacher at conferences throughout the country, and his work has been published in The African American Lectionary. Furthermore, he is a passionate advocate for community transformation and leadership development, seen in his work nationally with the NAACP, school systems, community organizations, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. Pastor Faison is married to his lovely partner in life and ministry, Min. Alethia Faison. They are the proud parents of three amazing children: John Ryan, Jr., Ajah Jeanette, and Jaden Reshard. Reverend Debra Haggins Presenter The Reverend Debra L. Haggins was named university chaplain and pastor of the historic Memorial Church at Hampton University in 2008, the first female to hold this position in the history of the university. Haggins previously served as the interim pastor of the historic Queen Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, Va. Prior to that, she served as assistant to the chaplain and faculty advisor to the Student Christian Association at Hampton University. She also had a successful professional career with the Virginia Beach City Public School System and the Norfolk Public School System. Haggins earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood from Paine College in Augusta, Ga., and a Master of Science degree in secondary school administration and the certificate of advanced graduate studies in higher education administration from Old Dominion University. She earned a Master of Divinity in theology from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Currently, Rev. Haggins is pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Management at Hampton University. She is the mother of Brian, Steven and Bradley Haggins and grandmother to Isaiah, Kyle, Kayla, Jaden and Bria Haggins.

6 Reverend Dr. Martha Simmons Presenter In 1999, after having been named as one of the outstanding African American women preachers in America, Martha Simmons became an advisory board member of The African American Pulpit. Less than a year later, she was asked to become one of the coexecutive editors for the journal. Under her tenure the journal enjoyed phenomenal growth, which continued when she became the sole editor. In 2001, she asked Frank Thomas to join her as coexecutive editor. Since winter 2003 she has guided the journal as its president and publisher and helped to make it one of the most respected homiletics journals in the country. In 2007, desiring to create new national conversations concerning the use of Scripture in preaching and worship, Reverend Simmons commissioned worldrenowned scholars to assist in the creation of The African American Online Lectionary. The lectionary went online in December 2007 and in eight months received more than a half million visitors. The African American Lectionary is a resource tool that not only highlights the African American ecclesial traditions and moments that creatively express the joy, freedom, and the challenges of being both African American and Christian (e.g., Watch Night, African Heritage Sunday, Usher's Day, and Women's Day), but also recognizes the liturgical calendar celebrated across a variety of ecclesial traditions (e.g., Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost). It is designed to assist preachers in proclamation of the primary days of liturgical celebration by African Americans and to provide liturgist and worship leaders with assistance in preparing worship designs for the 21st century. Martha received her M.Div. from Emory University (Candler School of Theology) in Atlanta, Georgia and her J.D. from New College of California, School of Law. She is one of two general editors for Preaching with Sacred Fire: African American Sermons 1750 to the Present (W.W. Norton Publishers, summer 2009). This historic 1,300-plus pages offering will be the first NortonAnthology of African American Preaching. She is the co-editor of : African American Leaders Respond to an American Tragedy, the editor of Preaching on the Brink, and the coauthor of A Study Guide to Accompany Celebration and Experience in Preaching.