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DR. JOHN M. PERKINS is the founder and president emeritus of the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation and co-founder of Christian Community Development Association. He has served in advisory roles under five U.S. presidents, is one of the leading evangelical voices to come out of the American civil rights movement, and is an author and international speaker on issues of reconciliation, leadership, and community development. For his tireless work he has received 14 honorary doctorates from universities including: Virginia University of Lynchburg, Wheaton College, Gordon College, Huntington College, Geneva College, Spring Arbor University, North Park College, and Belhaven College. In 2004 he partnered with Seattle Pacific University to launch the campus-based John Perkins Center for Reconciliation, Leadership Training, and Community Development.
Read MoreRAY PRITCHARD serves as the president of Keep Believing Ministries. He is a graduate of Tennessee Temple University (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and Talbot School of Theology (D.Min.). Ministering extensively overseas, speaking at conferences, and appearing on Christian radio and television talk shows, Dr. Pritchard focuses on evangelism and encouragement to spread the hope of Jesus Christ through all the world. For 27 years he pastored churches in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, and most recently served at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois. Dr. Pritchard is the author of 27 books, including An Anchor for the Soul, Stealth Attack, Names of the Holy Spirit, and Credo. Ray and his wife, Marlene, have three sons.
Read MoreBOB RUSSELL At just twenty-two years of age, Bob became the pastor of Southeast Christian Church. That small congregation of 120 members became one of the largest churches in America, with 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend in 2006 when Bob retired. Now through Bob Russell Ministries, Bob continues to preach at churches and conferences throughout the United States, provide guidance for church leadership, mentor other ministers and author Bible study videos for use in small groups. An accomplished author, Bob has written over one-dozen books.Bob and his wife Judy of 50 years have two married sons, Rusty and Phil. In his leisure time he enjoys playing golf and is an avid University of Louisville football and basketball fan.
Read MoreDANN SPADER (Moody Bible Institute, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) has dedicated his life to disciple-making, teaching others how to take someone from seeker to making disciples themselves. More than 750,000 people in 90 plus countries have been trained to make disciples through organizations he has led. He is the Founder of Sonlife ministries and currently serves as President of Global Youth Initiative, an alliance of organizations in 95 countries committed to "equipping young leaders for movements of multiplication." He is also author of Walking As Jesus Walked and co-author of Growing a Healthy Church and The Everyday Commission, among other titles. For free online videos visit disciplemovement.com.
Read MoreKENDRA SMILEY, named Illinois Mother of the Year in 2001, hosts a daily radio program, Live Life Intentionally, and speaks nationally and internationally. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois then went on to earn her Master of Science from University of North Dakota.She has written more than half a dozen books including High Wire Mom and Empowering Choices. She and her husband are co-authors of Do Your Kids a Favor...Love Your Spouse and Journey of a Strong-Willed Child. Kendra has also written numerous magazine articles, contributed to several books, and currently writes a monthly column for Hearts at Home magazine.Kendra and her husband, John, live in East Lynn, Illinois.
Read MoreDAVID BRICKNER is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Jews for Jesus. He previously served as the Executive Director and CEO from 1996 – 2024. Born in Massachusetts to Jewish parents, he comes from five generations of Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua. David considers himself living proof that following Jesus does not require abandoning one’s Jewish identity. David received his theological training at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and earned a BA in Judaica from Northeastern Illinois University. He went on to earn his MA in missiology with an emphasis on Jewish studies from the Fuller School of Intercultural Studies. He is the author of several books, including Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles, Future Hope—A Jewish Christian Look at the End of the World and Does the Jewish Bible Point to Jesus? David has been interviewed on secular and Christian national radio and television shows, including Larry King Live and In the Market with Janet Parshall. David is married to Sabra Brickner and is the proud father of Isaac, Ilana, and Sivan. He is also the proud grandfather of Norah, Levy, and Itai.
Read MoreKEN R. CANFIELD, Ph.D. (B.A., Friends University; M.C.S., University of British Columbia; Ph.D., Kansas State University) is founder of the National Center for Fathering, and served as NCF's president and CEO from 1990 through 2005. In January 2008, he accepted an appointment as Executive Director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University. He is the author of The Heart of a Father and numerous other books including the award-winning 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers. Ken and his wife, Dee, have been married over 30 years and have five children and three grandchildren.
Read MoreBEV HISLOP (D. Min., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) has recently served as Professor of Pastoral Care for Women and the Executive Director of the Women's Center for Ministry at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. She also served on the board of Network of Women in Leadership and was the former host of the weekly radio program Western Connection for Women. Bev has authored Shepherding Women in Pain: Real Women, Real Issues, and What You Need to Know to Truly Help, and Shepherding a Woman's Heart: A New Model for Effective Ministry to Women. She is also a contributing author to Tending the Soul and Women's Ministry Handbook. Bev and her husband, Jim, have two married children and six grandchildren.
Read MoreJOHN MAUCK, an attorney for 30 years, is a founding partner at Mauck & Baker, LLC in Chicago. He is an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom and was a board member of Christian Legal Society. John received his B.A. from Yale and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. He and his wife of 40 years have four adult children and are active church members. John also wrote Paul on Trial: The Book of Acts as a Defense of Christianity, which was a finalist for the Evangelical Book of the Year.
Read MoreTODD WILSON is the founder of Familyman Ministries and is a writer, speaker, dad, and former pastor. Todd is author of Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom, The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, and Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe. His articles have appeared in various magazines, including Christian Parenting Today, Men of Integrity, and Stand Firm. Todd and his wife Debbie, along with their seven children, spend several months of the year traveling the country encouraging moms and dads. When they’re not traveling, they reside in Milford, Indiana.
Read MoreJAMES VINCENT (B.A., UCLA ; M.A., University of Illinois) served as assistant professor of communications at MBI for ten years and is now senior editor at Moody Publishers. He has written or cowritten three books, including the centennial edition of MBI: The Story of Moody Bible Institute. Jim lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, with his wife, Lori, and their three sons.
Read MoreLEE ECLOV is Senior Pastor of the Village Church of Lincolnshire (Evangelical Free) in the northern suburbs of Chicago where he has served since 1998. Previously, he served for 14 years as senior pastor of Chippewa Evangelical Free Church, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and for five years as an Assistant Pastor at North Suburban Evangelical Free Church, Deerfield, Illinois. His columns on preaching and his sermons appear regularly at www.PreachingToday.com and he is a Contributing Editor of Leadership Journal. He has been an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for over ten years, currently teaching pastoral counseling. Lee is a native of South Dakota and the product of a rural church. He and his wife Susan have been married for nearly 40 years and have one son, Anders.
Read MoreCHARLES FEINBERG (1909-1995) was one of the nation's leading authorities on Jewish history, Old Testament languages and customs, and biblical prophecy. He earned six academic degrees including a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, a Th.B., Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, an M.A. from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. He served as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, Los Angeles Bible Theological Seminary, and Talbot Theological Seminary, before becoming the dean of Talbot School of Theology. Dr. Feinberg is author of numerous books including Minor Prophets, The Prophecy of Ezekiel, Daniel: The Kingdom of the Lord, and Millennialism: Two Views. Dr. Feinberg is survived by his three children and numerous grandchildren and great grand children.
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