David Finkbeiner

DAVID B. FINKBEINER is Professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, where he has taught since 1998. He served as Chair of the Theology Department for several years and he ministers in Chicago-area churches through preaching, teaching, and serving as an elder. David earned his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters, Katie, Emily, and Rebecca.

Casey B. Hough

CASEY B. HOUGH (PhD, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) currently serves as Director of Partnerships and Curriculum at World Hope Ministries International and Assistant Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Luther Rice College & Seminary. Before moving to World Hope, Casey served in pastoral ministry for 16 years. He and his wife, Hannah, have five children and live in Houston, TX.

David M King

DAVID KING has been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years, serving as senior pastor at Concord Baptist in Chattanooga, TN since 2001. He has degrees from Carson-Newman College, Beeson Divinity School, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Natalie, have three children, Casey, Ethan, and Amelia. He enjoys reading, running, and spending time with his family.

Vermon Pierre

VERMON PIERRE (BA, Princeton University; MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the lead pastor at Roosevelt Community Church, a diverse multiethnic congregation in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of Gospel Shaped Living and a contributor to The New City Catechism Devotional, 15 Things Seminary Couldn't Teach Me, and Revisiting 'Faithful Presence': To Change the World Five Years Later. He and his wife, Dennae, live in downtown Phoenix and have five children.

John Phillips

JOHN L. PHILLIPS is currently a Bible conference speaker through the Moody Bible Institute Extension Department. He was born in Great Britain, where he received much of his Bible teaching under the instruction of Stephen Olford. He spent two years in Israel during the last years of the Moody Bible Institute Correspondence School. He later served as director of the Emmaus Correspondence School. He is author of many books including 100 Sermon Outlines and Exploring Genesis.

Virelle Kidder

VIRELLE KIDDER is a full-time writer and conference speaker who has proclaimed the love of God for more than 25 years, and once hosted her own daily radio talk show in New York's capital district. She is the author of six books, including The Best Life Ain't Easy and Meet Me at the Well. Virelle and her husband, Steve, have four grown children and eight grandchildren and live in Sebastian, Florida. For more information, visit www.virellekidder.com.

Marcus Warner

MARCUS WARNER (MDiv, ThM, and Min Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the president of Deeper Walk International. A former pastor and professor, he has written on topics ranging from how to study the Bible to spiritual warfare, emotional healing, and leadership. Marcus travels the world equipping people on the front lines of ministry with practical tools for dealing with root issues that keep people stuck and unable to go deeper into what God has for them.

William A. Cutts

William Cutts Hazi talk! That's what the Moni people of Irian Jaya, Indonesia, call the Chrsitian message. It is the gospel that Bill and Gracie Cutts spent a lifetime proclaiming as missionaries of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Suffering from congenital deformities, Bill had every excuse inoti to become a missionary in the rugged interior of Irian Jaya. But instead he and Gracie carried on a ministry that was truly apostolic--accompainied by miracles and divine providence.

Ray Woolridge

REV. RAY WOOLRIDGE (M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Master of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College) is the Executive Director of Life Model Works. He is thrilled to serve in a role that combines his pastoral and leadership experience with his calling, giftings, and walk with God. Ray is a skilled public communicator and a leadership coach who enjoys helping leaders discover their uniqueness and unleash their potential. He is a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General with forty-three years of military and civilian service with the Department of Defense.Ray has been blessed by thirty-five years of marriage to the love of his life, Deborah. They enjoy life in Colorado and their five children and four grandchildren. A disabled veteran, he is a malignant melanoma cancer survivor, avid skier, coffee aficionado, and mentor to young leaders.

Karl Vaters

Ray Rhodes Jr.

RAY RHODES, JR. serves as founding pastor of Grace Community Church of Dawsonville, GA and as president of Nourished in the Word Ministries. He has served four congregations over three decades of pastoral ministry and for fifteen years, he has led Nourished in the Word. Ray has published several books and holds theological degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.). He is married to Lori and they are blessed with six daughters and four grandchildren. Ray has long been a Spurgeon enthusiast, and his doctoral thesis focused on the marriage and spirituality of Charles and Susannah Spurgeon.

Arthur E. Smith

ARTHUR E. SMITH, father of five, was born in London, England. Smith received the diploma of Fellow College of Violinists (F.C.V.) of London and after he moved to Canada, became a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, serving as violinist with the organization for ten years. Most of his time has been spent in Bible teaching in Canada and U.S. His 40 years of evangelism include work among the men of lumber camps and gold and silver mines of northern Ontario.

Mark Shoemaker

MARK SHOEMAKER is the dad of three kids, is a Moody Bible Institute and Seminary graduate, a gifted communicator, and has been a youth and family pastor for more than 12 years. He’s passionate about helping students discover—and stay—on God’s path for them. He currently serves as the Next Gen Pastor at a multi-location church of over 3,000 regular attenders. Mark has been happily married for more than ten years.

Brenda Cannon

BRENDA CANNON was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1890. After teaching school for seven years in that city, she attended the Women’s Missionary Union Training School in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1919 she went to North Carolina to serve as secretary of a small mission school, which developed into a home for homeless children and continued to serve the young mountaineers of the area as a school. Except for two years spent as a field worker and young people’s leader in Oklahoma, Cannon remained in North Carolina, teaching school and doing community work. So when she wrote of mountaineers, she wrote understandingly of friends and neighbors. She died in North Carolina in 1965.

Douglas M. Cecil

DOUGLAS CECIL (B.A., University of Cincinnati; Th.M., and D.Min., Dallas Theological Seminary) currently serves as a life stages pastor at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas. A certified chaplain with more than 25 years of experience, Cecil is also an ordained minister and a former officer in the U.S. Air Force. He served as an associate professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary for 18 years and is a regular tour leader in Israel. Cecil’s interests include evangelism and pastoral care. The author of Seven Principles of an Evangelistic Life, Cecil resides in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife, Patty.

Edythe Draper