Senior Pastor
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
Philadelphia, PA

Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller is the Senior Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has served with vision and dedication since 1994. Under his leadership, Enon has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational congregation of more than 15,000 members.

Central to Rev. Dr. Waller’s ministry is a deep commitment to confronting poverty and inequality. He has led Enon in launching and sustaining initiatives that provide food security, clothing, housing support, educational enrichment, health and wellness services, and job training to individuals and families across Philadelphia. By building partnerships with civic organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and local leaders, he has positioned Enon as a hub for empowerment and advocacy, ensuring that the church remains a force for both spiritual growth and social change.

Rev. Dr. Waller has served as the President of the Lott Carey Global Christian Missional Community, and he developed the Enon International Pastors Fellowship where Pastors from the United States and South Africa partner to present missional and evangelistic opportunities throughout the African continent. Over the years, Enon (in both the United States and South Africa) have engaged in numerous missionary and ministry opportunities.

As a preacher and teacher, Rev. Dr. Waller is widely respected for his ability to connect timeless biblical truths with the realities of contemporary life. He has preached and lectured nationally and internationally, encouraging believers to embrace a faith that transforms the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—and equips the church to serve “the least of these.” In addition to his pastoral leadership, Rev. Dr. Waller is the author of several books which provide practical wisdom for living out faith, building strong families, and navigating life with purpose, including "Enjoy Your Journey: Our Quest for a Deeper Relationship with Christ" and "Hope for the Journey: Believing God is Enough When the Road Gets Rough.”

He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Music Business from Ohio University, a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. These experiences have equipped him to blend strong theological grounding with innovative approaches to ministry that uplift the vulnerable and ensure the church stands as a beacon of hope and transformation in the world.

Founder & Lead Consultant
HopeBuilds, LLC

Reverend Traci Blackmon is a distinguished American minister, public theologian, and social justice advocate known for bridging faith, activism, and community care. Her life work focuses on communal resistance to systemic injustice.

Recently named as one of St. Louis' 100 most influential voices, Rev. Blackmon is the Acting Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries of The United Church of Christ and Senior Pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri.

Initially ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Blackmon served in various ministry capacities for nine years prior to becoming ordained in the United Church of Christ and installed as the first woman and 18th pastor in the 159-year history of Christ The King United Church of Christ. A registered nurse with more than 25 years of healthcare experience, Rev. Blackmon's clinical focus was cardiac care. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Birmingham - Southern College. She also holds a Master of Divinity and an Honorary Doctor of Ministry from Eden Theological Seminary.

Rev. Blackmon is a graduate of Leadership St. Louis and currently serves on the boards of The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Chicago Theological Seminary, and WomanPreach!

She is also the CEO & Founder of HopeBuilds, LLC, a consultancy for communities, corporations, and congregations eager to build the just and equitable world they imagine. Rev. Blackmon’s messages of hope and healing have been received by national and international audiences, including the White House, the Carter Center, and the Pontifical Council of the Vatican.

A lead revivalist, along with Bishop William Barber, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, and Simone Campbell for the national tour with The Poor People’s Campaign: A Call for Moral Revival, Rev. Blackmon is a featured voice at national and international conferences, as well as in print and news media publications. She is a featured voice in Bill Gates’ PBS Special: The Black Church and The National Geographic’s Special with Katie Couric: America Inside Out: Rewriting American History.

Rev. Blackmon was appointed to the Ferguson Commission by Governor Jay Nixon and to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Barack Obama.

Founder & Executive Director
Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice

Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, author, pastor, and anti-poverty organizer. She is Founder and Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. Rev. Dr. Theoharis is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Co-Pastor of the Freedom Church of the Poor, and teaches at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Rev. Dr. Theoharis has authored numerous books, including “Always with Us?: What Jesus Really Said about the Poor.” She has also been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Politico, The Hill, The Guardian, The Nation, Boston Review, CNN, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Religion Dispatches, the Grio, La Jornada, Salon, and Slate, to name a few.

The recipient of numerous recognitions and awards including the 30th Annual Freedom Award by the National Civil Rights Museum, Selma “Bridge” Award, the Hunger Leadership Award from the Congressional Hunger Center, Women of Faith Award by the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Villanova Peace Award, Rev. Dr. Theoharis has been named one of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress, one of 11 Women Shaping the Church by Sojourners, and one of the Politico 50 “thinkers, doers and visionaries whose ideas are driving politics.”

Rev. Dr. Theoharis has been organizing among poor and low-income communities for thirty years with organizations such as the National Union of the Homeless, the National Welfare Rights Union, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Domestic Workers United and many more. Alongside Rev. Dr. William Barber II, she is co-founder and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Rev. Dr. Theoharis received her BA in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania; her Master's of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, where she was the first William Sloane Coffin Scholar; and, her Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New Testament and Christian Origins.

Senior Pastor
Fountain Baptist Church
Summit, NJ

Reverend Dr. Willie D. Francois, III is an American pastor, theologian, public intellectual, and social justice leader whose work centers on racial equity, economic justice, criminal justice reform, and faith-rooted activism.

Rev. Dr. Francois III is the Senior Pastor of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey, and President of the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality. He serves as Associate Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary, where he directs the Master of Professional Studies Program at Sing Sing and Bedford Hills Correctional Facilities and co-directs the Doctor of Ministry program. He has also served as the Associate Dean of New York Theological Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Francois III is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Religion, and was named the ranking scholar in both departments. While at Morehouse, he was also named the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar. He received a Master of Divinity from Harvard University's Divinity School, where he received the Hopkins Shareholders Award—the school's highest academic recognition—and served as the class of 2012 commencement speaker. He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Emory University, where his research met at the intersection of antiracism, theology, and anti-incarceration policy advocacy. In 2017, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.

From 2015-2023, Rev. Dr. Francois III served as the Senior Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Pleasantville, NJ—one of the fastest growing churches in the county. He is the founding President of Be Whole Community Development Corporation, which offers completely free community programming in the areas of mental health, the arts, financial literacy, and youth civic engagement. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the Associate Pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, New York, where Pastor Michael A. Walrond, Jr. is the pastor. Previously, he served as the Minister of Christian Education and Discipleship at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, under Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby. He was licensed and ordained at the First Union Baptist Church of Galveston, Texas.

Rev. Dr. Francois III has authored numerous books, including “Silencing White Noise: Six Practices to Overcome our Inaction on Race.” He has also been featured in numerous publications, including The Huffington Post, Religion Dispatches, Civil Eats, The Hill and The Christian Century.

Rev. Dr. Francois’ pastoral activism is organized around racial equity, economic justice and radical criminal justice and education reforms. Nationally, as an antiracism curricula developer and educator, he has worked with Latinx, Black, Asian, and White Christian congregations looking to combat racism and frame their public faith with progressive advocacy. He serves as the co-chair for the national Social Action Commission of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. (PNBC), the denominational home of Martin Luther King Jr. Through the Bill Lucy Fellowship, he represented the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference in a global conversation on mass incarceration at the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race at the University of London-Birkbeck in London, England. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Proctor Conference. From 2014-2015, he was named a Beatitudes Society Fellow, focusing on congregational responses to mass incarceration and empowering returning citizens. In 2018, Community Change named him an Economic Justice Fellow, and in 2019, Governor Phillip Murphy appointed him to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of the New Jersey State Department.

Rev. Dr. Francois III is also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

Senior Pastor
Walker Memorial Baptist Church
Washington, DC

Ademuyiwa T. Bamiduro is an ordained Baptist minister and the Senior Pastor of the historic Walker Memorial Baptist Church in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Prior to accepting the call as pastor, Rev. Bamiduro served as the Youth Minister at Walker Memorial; as an Associate Minister at the First Baptist Church of Highland Park in Landover, Maryland, where he was called to the ministry and ordained; and as Associate Minister at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, in Hamden, CT

Rev. Bamiduro was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area and graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School with top honors. Rev. Bamiduro attended the University of Detroit Mercy, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He then graduated from Yale Divinity School, where he received a Masters of Divinity degree, and was awarded the Charles S. Mersick Prize for effective public address, especially in preaching. Rev. Bamiduro is married to Portia R. Bamiduro.