How exciting a moment in history this is as we enter the second decade of the second century of the Hampton University Minsters Conference. I am pleased to welcome you to Hampton University and to share my excitement for our 111th annual gathering of the conference and the 91st annual gathering of the Choir Directors & Organists Guild Workshop. We are pleased to present a program of annointed preachers and proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This year’s full conference agenda of sermons, lectures, workshops, and seminars will take place Sunday through Thursday, June 1-5, 2025. The Communion Service will take place on Monday night before the Conference President’s message with the conference ending on Thursday night after the Choir Guild’s annual concert.
It gives me great pleasure as Executive Director & Treasurer to invite you to register for this year’s gathering as we worship under the theme An Ageless Christ for An Age that Still Needs Christ. We extend warm greetings to Conference President Rev. Dr. Harold A. Carter, Jr.
Finally, on behalf of President Darrell K. Williams, the administration, faculty, and staff of Hampton University, we appreciate your support over the years and look forward to the beautiful years ahead. The time you invest with us will be well spent as we continue to inform your theology, enrich your ministry, and bless your life!
Sincerely and with Gratitude,
Debra L. Haggins | PhD | DMin
University Chaplain
HUMC Executive Director & Treasurer
Founding Dean, Hampton University School of Religion
Conference Preacher
Morning Preacher
Lecturer
Mid-Day Preacher
Lecturer
Senior Statesman
Women in Ministry
Blessings to all! It is my pleasure to take this time to pour upon you my heartfelt gratitude for your support of the 2024 Hampton University Ministers Conference-Choir Directors & Organists Guild Workshop! This was the year of disruptive sermons, lectures, workshops, seminars, and panel discussions. Hampton University wishes to thank each presenter for their powerful contributions to the overwhelming success of this year’s 110th and 90th gathering, respectively.
At this time, I would like to thank God for what I all “invisible leadership”. Each year, there are more than 500 volunteers and additional staff, who join with the Hampton University family to produce our conference. For their continued support and dedication to the success of the conference, a hearty thank you is certainly deserved. They are the ones behind the scenes making it all happen from start to finish. From sound, lights, and rigging to registration, security, and on-campus housing, thank you for your special brand of leadership, service, and hospitality. Thank you for making sure we are prepared for everyone’s arrival as it is our pleasure to welcome our very special and valued guests in service to the Kingdom of God.
Ms. Sheila Taylor Office of Special Projects & Registration
Mr. Kevin Ricks Media Productions Chief David Glover University Police & Conference Security
Mrs. Jewel Baker/ Mrs. Cythia Hardamon Convocation Center, Vendors & Exhibitors
Ms. Shene LeSeur Auxiliary Enterprises & Telecommunications
Mrs. Denise Nichols/Mr. Anthony Curley Business Office
Ms. Debra Harden University Travel
Mr. Vincent Bullock Web Services
Mr. Darryl Brown Central Warehouse/Shipping & Receiving
Mr. William Carrington Transportation Services
Ms. Richelle Payne/Mr. James Parker University Relations
Mr. Kerwin Cromartie Thompson Hospitality & Food Services
Mrs. Frances Moore Nursing & First Aid
Mr. Randall Hardy/Mr. Charles Corbin Buildings & Grounds-Housekeeping
We look forward to another stellar year, HUMC 2025, June 1-5, 2025!
Sincerely,
The Reverend Dr. Debra L. Haggins
Doctor of Ministry | Doctor of Philosophy University Chaplain
HUMC-GUILD Executive Director/Treasurer
Mid-Day Preacher
Morning Preacher
Lecturer
Women in Ministry Hour
Conference Preacher
Senior Stateswoman
Lecturer
Regular Registration and Seminary Student Registration Only
On-Site Registration Directions
1. On-site registration begins at 4:00 p.m. on SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2023 at Holland Hall.
2. For registration information, please call the Office of Special Projects at (757) 727-5681 or 757-727-5367 or email sheila.taylor@hamptonu.edu
3. You may also email us at: ministersconf@hamptonu.edu
What a joy it is for me to welcome each of you to back to your Home-by-the-Sea and to share our excitement for the 109th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and the 89th Choir Directors’ & Organists’ Guild Workshop. This year’s full conference agenda of sermons, lectures, workshops, and seminars will take place Sunday through Thursday, June 4-8, 2023. The Communion Service will take place on Monday night before the Conference President’s message with the conference ending on Thursday night after the Choir Guild’s annual concert. We’ve missed you, the wonderful spirit you bring to the campus, and the visible fellowship you have with one another. Truly, your presence personifies Romans 15:7 and we welcome you as Christ has welcomed us for the glory of God and God alone.
It gives me great pleasure as Executive Director & Treasurer to invite you to register for this year’s gathering as we worship un- der the theme Tools for Transforming Churches, Congregations, and Cultures. We extend warm greetings to our newly elected Conference Presidents Dr. Cynthia L. Hale and Dr. Winston R. Gray. I look forward to working with them closely during their terms in office.
Finally, on behalf of President Darrell K. Williams, the administration, faculty, and staff of Hampton University, we appreciate your support over the years and look forward to the beautiful years ahead. The time you invest with us will be well spent as we continue to inform your theology, enrich your ministry, and bless your life!
Sincerely and with Gratitude,
The Reverend Dr. Debra L. Haggins
Doctor of Ministry | Doctor of Philosophy University Chaplain
HUMC-GUILD Executive Director/Treasurer
What a joy it is for me to welcome each of you to back to your Home-by-the-Sea and to share our excitement for the 109th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and the 89th Choir Directors’ & Organists’ Guild Workshop. This year’s full conference agenda of sermons, lectures, workshops, and seminars will take place Sunday through Thursday, June 4-8, 2023. The Communion Service will take place on Monday night before the Conference President’s message with the conference ending on Thursday night after the Choir Guild’s annual concert. We’ve missed you, the wonderful spirit you bring to the campus, and the visible fellowship you have with one another. Truly, your presence personifies Romans 15:7 and we welcome you as Christ has welcomed us for the glory of God and God alone.
It gives me great pleasure as Executive Director & Treasurer to invite you to register for this year’s gathering as we worship un- der the theme Tools for Transforming Churches, Congregations, and Cultures. We extend warm greetings to our newly elected Conference Presidents Dr. Cynthia L. Hale and Dr. Winston R. Gray. I look forward to working with them closely during their terms in office.
Finally, on behalf of President Darrell K. Williams, the administration, faculty, and staff of Hampton University, we appreciate your support over the years and look forward to the beautiful years ahead. The time you invest with us will be well spent as we continue to inform your theology, enrich your ministry, and bless your life!
Sincerely and with Gratitude,
Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart
Rev. Sheleta Fomby
Rev. Dr. Luke Powery
Bishop Adam Richardson, Jr.
Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman
Rev. Dr. John Faison
Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell
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 and a native of Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Cosby received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and English from Fisk University
Reverend Reginald W. Sharpe Jr. serves as Associate Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois, led by Pastor Charles Jenkins. Reverend Sharpe is a proud native of Lithonia, Georgia, a product of The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church – The House of Hope Atlanta. He continues to be impacted by the church’s two
Lecturer II The Reverend Dr. Harold Dean Trulear is an ordained American Baptist minister and serves as Associate Professor of Applied Theology at Howard University. He is Director of the Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project of the Philadelphia Leadership Foundation. Designed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Healing Communities Prison Ministries,
Noonday Preacher Reverend Dr. Freddy J. Clark, a native of St. Louis, accepted a call to preach the gospel at a young age and has been the pastor of several churches since that time. Twenty-six years ago, he founded the Shalom Church (City of Peace) where preaching, teaching, and praying are the foundational pillars of
Senior Stateswoman Hour Long recognized as a powerful preacher, teacher and role model with a gift for reaching worshippers of all ages, the Reverend Dr. Margaret Elaine M. Flake impacts countless lives she touches at The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in New York City, where she serves as co-pastor with the Reverend Floyd H. Flake.
he Preaching to Change the World initiative is made possible by a grant from The Murdock Charitable Trust to the Hampton University Office of Religious Affairs. The Murdock organization believes that, “It is only when the voices of all people are heard and everyone is represented that we can truly work toward the common good.” This project fits neatly into Murdock’s push to promote civility and democracy. To that end Hampton University has gathered a series of prominent African American pastors and had them record sermons specifically for this project. The aim is to bring these substantial voices to a wider audience. Topics such as Freedom to Dissent, Hospitality to the Stranger and A Humble Yet Honest Pursuit of the Truth will be included in this repository. One sermon will be added each month in 2021 and then will remain here in perpetuity.
Dr. F. Bruce Williams is Senior Pastor at Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. His primary area of interest is in the rhetoric of eloquence in narrative preaching. For his dissertation, he is focusing on the rhetoric of Dr. Frederick G. Sampson, one of most effective communicators of the gospel of our time. Dr. Sampson’s rhetoric in both pulpit preaching and in the public square as it relates to the struggle for civil rights are of particular interest.
He chose the CTS program because he has a deep interest in studying African American preaching at a PhD level and is intrigued by the element of sacred rhetoric. Additionally, he wanted to be among the first to be a part of such a significant, one-of-a-kind PhD program.
Some of his recent accomplishments include:
Carmi Washington Flood, B.S., M.A., is presently the Chief of the Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships (OFBCP) for the Prevention and Health Promotion Administration under the Maryland State Department of Health. This Office collaborates with leaders and members of all faiths across Maryland.
Carmi serves on several community boards and coalitions including the Get SMART Project at Morgan State University, the Why Women Cry Coalition, the Statewide Child Evangelism Fellowship Board, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections Female Offender Workgroup, the Johns Hopkins Medical Religious Partners, the West Baltimore Drug Free Communities Coalition, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health Community Advisory Board.
Carmi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Michigan State University and a Masters of Arts degree in Ministry and Leadership Administration from Lancaster Bible College. She is a licensed and ordained minister and is a member of the National Baptist Convention, the Baptist Ministers Conference of Baltimore and Vicinity, and the United Baptist Missionary Convention.
The Reverend Matthew Lawrence Watley is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Kingdom Fellowship AME Church, headquartered in Calverton, MD. Kingdom has an active membership of over 5000 people. In addition to the thousands that attend worship in-person, thousands stream through the Church’s online platform nationally and internationally.
Under Pastor Watley’s leadership, the Church has completed several business transactions, including acquiring and developing a 125,000-square-foot office tower where it leases space to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other businesses producing an alternative revenue stream to support the work of the ministry. The Church also owns a 12-acre office park in Calverton, MD, where he developed the state-of-the-art Kingdom Worship Center. Currently under construction is the Kingdom Cares Center. The top-to-bottom 100,000 square foot renovation was fully underwritten from funds Reverend Watley solicited from the Federal Government and the State of Maryland. Pastor Watley also serves as the Chair of the Kingdom Global Development Corporation, which oversees these community outreach efforts.
Additionally, Rev. Watley is Chair of The Black Idea Coalition, whose mission is to fulfill the promise of diversity and inclusion by empowering organizations and institutions to achieve Black parity in employment, investment, and contracting. The Black Idea has developed strategic partnerships with several national organizations and businesses with a specific depth of practice in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It hosts a leadership summit where thought leaders speak about the trends and opportunities for advancing the prospects of the black business community.
A third-generation preacher, author, businessman, lecturer, and professor, Pastor Watley is nationally and globally recognized for his extensive work in ministry and his experience in leadership development. He served on a Special Commission sponsored by the Ford Foundation to evaluate Non-Governmental Organizations in the Republic of South Africa. Pastor Watley served on the General Board of the AME Church and the Board of Trustees of Howard University as a graduate student. Rev. Watley has spoken for Ch2Mhill, Prudential, Industrial Bank, The American Institute of CPAs, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, and the National Society of Black Engineers to name a few. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He has lectured at other institutions of higher learning, including Howard University, Alabama State University, Wilberforce University, Cornell University, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Wiley College.
It was on Easter Sunday in 1987, when Bishop Hickman accepted Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized and fellowshipped into the Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
Bishop Hickman, being obedient to the call of God on his life to preach the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ, preached his initial sermon on May 2, 1990. Bishop Hickman was ordained in August 1994 at the Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland under the leadership of Dr. Theodore C. Jackson, Jr.
Pastor Donté Hickman is a remarkable example of what faith in God can do. Having been raised in a single parent home in Edmondson Village under tremendous peer pressure, it seemed as if Bishop Hickman would become another statistic. He was expelled from three High Schools, living a life that was destined for failure. Nevertheless with the help of God, the church, his faithful mother, and an inner determination, he turned his life around, starting by passing the G.E.D. examination without any preparation or success beyond the tenth grade.
On May 2, 1994, Bishop Hickman earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. On June 6, 1997, he earned the Master of Divinity Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. And on May 8, 2006, Bishop Hickman earned the Doctor of Ministry Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Recognizing the need for a new standard and mindset for ministry leadership in today’s culture, Bishop Hickman enrolled in the Executive Master of Business Administration program at the Sellinger School of Business of Loyola College in Maryland.
Bishop Hickman has studied abroad in South and Southern Africa during the Centennial Celebration of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He has achieved certification in Clinical Pastoral Education at the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of the Olympics.
Bishop Hickman has served as the Assistant to the Pastor of Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church of Baltimore, Maryland for three years and served as Senior Pastor in Philadelphia, PA for two years. Being led by the Spirit of the Lord, Bishop Hickman returned to Baltimore to become the fourth Pastor of the Southern Baptist Church.
On Sunday, October 6, 2002, Bishop Hickman was called and presented to the congregation as the new pastor of Southern Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Since assuming the Pastorate of Southern, the church has experienced phenomenal growth. With a focus on church health beyond church growth, Bishop Hickman began his ministry at Southern by teaching the leadership and membership the purpose-driven church model for ministry. He led the congregation in developing a vision and mission statement for the church that balanced the church’s efforts around evangelism, worship, discipleship, fellowship, and ministry leadership. Rev. Hickman led the church in a $1/2 million dollar renovation, initiated a strong marketing program, a television and radio broadcast ministry, developed a ministerial and executive staff, and organized the auxiliaries of the church toward maximizing ministry and outreach.
Dr. Donte’ Hickman has an evangelistic burden for community development and outreach. In 2004, he commissioned task forces from a cross section of the membership to determine the demographic needs of our East Baltimore community to develop a multi-generational strategy of revitalization. Under the mantra of Restoring People and Rebuilding Properties, Pastor Hickman led the church in a major campaign of property acquisition to build another sixty unit Senior Housing facility, a Transformation Center to administer health, workforce development, behavioral counseling, and community services, an Early Headstart Youth Enrichment Center, Affordable Homes, Mixed-use Commercial Development, and Church Expansion to meet the ministry needs of a rapidly growing congregation. The vision is becoming reality.
Continuing to be intentional about evangelism and discipleship, Pastor Hickman led the church in the multi-site ministry concept. In September 2010, he established Southern Baptist Church in Harford County in the Regal Cinema in Belair, Md. And in five short months, Southern Harford outgrew the four hundred seat facility and moved to the Aberdeen High School to double the capacity. In September 2011, he established Southern Baptist Church in Anne Arundel County at the Arundel High School in Gambrills, Md. With the development of these sites, the Baltimore location continued to grow, necessitating a third morning service and a new Saturday Night Live service in Anne Arundel County at the Ridgeway Elementary School in Severn, Md. Today, Southern Baptist Church is one church in multiple locations with five services every weekend and over 3000 members.
Bishop Hickman is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., where he has served as the Chaplain for the distinguished Pi Omega Chapter. As a community leader and entrepreneur, Bishop Hickman was appointed by the honorable Mayor Martin O’Malley to serve as one of the Housing Commissioners for the Housing Authority Board of Baltimore City. And in 2012, Governor O’Malley appointed Pastor Hickman to the Maryland Port Authority Commission. Dr. Hickman has received numerous citations and awards and is most proud to be the recipient of the Baltimore Tuskegee Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
Bishop Donté L. Hickman, Sr. is happily married to the former Miss Danielle Curtis and they are the proud parents of two kingdom-purposed children, Donté’ Lamont Hickman, Jr. and Dawson Luke Hickman.
Gwendolyn E. Boyd joined AGB Search in 2017 as an executive search consultant. Dr. Boyd is an engineer and a prominent advocate of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. She is described as a dynamic and relevant leader, a prolific motivational speaker, and a powerful preacher. Since joining the firm she has assisted in senior leadership searches for:
Dr. Boyd’s professional career of more than three decades at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics laboratory was highlighted by exemplary leadership and dedicated services as part of engineering teams. Boyd was a direct report to the President of Johns Hopkins University serving as chair of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council from 2001-2014.
Dr. Boyd returned to her alma mater, Alabama State University, in 2014 to serve for three years as the 14th and first female president of ASU. Highlights of her presidency included establishing the university’s first engineering degree program with approval for a BS in biomedical engineering. She and her team had the university removed from SACSCOC warning status from previous financial instability. The largest freshman class was documented during her tenure.
Dr. Boyd is a nationally recognized champion of education, especially in the STEM disciplines. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a trustee to the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2009. She later served on the President’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans in 2014.
Rev. Dr. Boyd is an ordained itinerant elder in the African American Methodist Episcopal Church. She serves on the ministerial staff of Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, MD.
Dr. Boyd was elected to serve from 2000-2004 as the 22nd National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Known as the “Technology President”, Boyd helped to establish technology in all facets of the sorority’s activities and administration. Her four-year tenure included transformative accomplishments, such as the launching of Project SEE (Science in Every Experience), an initiative funded by a $1.6 million National Science Foundation grant with a goal of promoting math and science for middle school African-American girls. She led the sorority’s humanitarian and education advocacy efforts in various African nations. In 2013, Boyd served as chair of the sorority’s Centennial Celebration, culminating in its Washington, DC-based convention that drew more than 40,000 participants from around the world.
Dr. Boyd has been awarded four honorary doctorates; Congressional recognitions; 32 “Keys to the City”; a Key to the “State of Florida”; declaration of Gwendolyn E. Boyd Day in eight cities; leadership awards, and professional awards, and professional awards for her achievements in the fields of engineering and higher education. She is a member of the Capital City Chapter of the Links, Inc., the Washington, DC Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Leadership Greater Washington.
Dr. Boyd earned her B.S. from Alabama State University with a major in mathematics and a double minor in physics and music. She received a fellowship and was the first African-American female to earn an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University. She has earned both the M. Div. and D. Min. Degrees from Howard University.
Reverend, W. Franklyn Richardson was born on June 14, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Westside. His father William Franklyn Richardson Sr. worked in the meat packing district, and his mother Amanda Richardson owned a beauty parlor. Richardson is the eldest of four and grew up anchored in the church. He attended West Philadelphia High School and obtained his B.A. degree from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. In 1975, he earned his master of sacred theology from Yale University, and his doctorate as a Wyatt Tee Walker Fellow from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
At the age of eighteen Richardson delivered his first sermon at Community Baptist Church in Philadelphia, where he was issued a license to preach. By the age of nineteen, Richardson was subsequently, full-time pastor of Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia and St. James Baptist Church in Varina, Virginia. In 1975, Richardson delivered his trial sermon at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Veron, New York, a year later he was selected to serve at Grace as senior pastor. In 1976, Grace Baptist Church hosted the New Year’s Eve Watch Night service aired on national radio opposite the New Year’s Eve service hosted by the pope. The following year, Grace’s Christmas service aired on CBS (coordinated by actor Ossie Davis). In 1982, Richardson became the host of WVOX, 1460 radio broadcasted nationally every Sunday morning. He is the founder of, “Windows of Grace”, Grace in Port St. Lucie Florida, and the Freedom School. Richardson has been selected by Al Sharpton to serve as chairman of the National Action Network. As chairman, his responsibilities included leading the organization on raising the consciousness of African-Americans.
Richardson has been inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr., Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also been elected as General Secretary for the National Baptist Convention United States of America, Inc. Richardson has served on the World Council of Churches Central Committee, the Ujamaa community development corporation and the Harvard University Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute. He has been presented with the Red Cross Award and in 2010, delivered a sermon at Saint Matthew Anglican Church in Soweto, South Africa. Richardson currently resides in Scarsdale, New York. He is married to Inez Nunnally Richardson; they are the parents of two adult children and the grandparents of four.
A scholar, preacher, consultant and speaker Allison is the perfect combination of skill, wit, personality, passionate energy and insight. A native of Peachtree City, GA, Allison is a proud graduate at Atlanta’s historic Spelman College where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature in 2008. In May of 2019, Allison received her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In this capacity, she served as Arthur Vinings Davis Fellow for her work at Lee Arrendale State Women’s Prison, the largest Women’s Prison in the State of Georgia, working primarily with 150 women who have been given life sentences. She was apart of the inaugural class of Westside Fellows for Candler and worked as the research assistant for The Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin in the Laney Legacy Program for Moral Leadership. She also was the President of the Baptist Students Association and Co-Chair of the Senior Class gift committee. In May 2024, Allison earned her Doctor of Ministry in Womanist Preaching at Memphis Theological Seminary. Professionally for 9 years, Allison mastered the art of hospitality serving successfully in the disciplines of Operations Management, Systems Implementation and Revenue Management Systems. For 7 of those years, she has served in leadership positions within 3 of the world’s iconic and largest hotel brands having been recognized globally for her contributions. Currently, Allison is the Assistant Dean of Students at Candler School of Theology.
Baptized on June 2, 1992 at the Olivet Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA by the late Rev. Howard W. Creecy Sr. and licensed to preach this liberating gospel of Jesus Christ on February 21, 2016, Allison seeks to be a bold witness and example of love throughout the world. On May 19, 2019 she was ordained in the Baptist Tradition by Pastor Tamarkus Cook and the Saint Smyrna Baptist Church. Her first ministry position was serving as a Youth Pastor at Fellowship of Love Church in Fayetteville, Ga under the pastoral leadership of Rev. BaSean A. Jackson. Allison absolutely loves observing young people come to their own understanding of who God is but most importantly creating environments for them to answer definitively who God is to them. Allison has also served as Pastor of Congregational Development, Youth & Young Adults at New Life Presbyterian Church under the leadership of Rev. Hodari S. Williams for 3 and half years. She has also proudly served as an Associate Minister at the historic Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Damon P. Williams, PhD. In November 2022, Rev. Henderson-Brooks was called as the first woman Senior Pastor of the Historic Hill First Baptist Church in Athens, GA. All in all, serving, teaching, lecturing, preaching, learning, growing, inspiring and being authentically herself at all times is one of her life’s greatest joys. The ability to operate in the knowledge that her purposed passion comes from serving people and seeing them striving diligently to make their dreams become realities is the motivation behind all that Allison does. She truly is concerned with people being their best in all aspects of life. Allison’s goals, dreams and aspirations in life are embodied in this quote by Benjamin Elijah Mays that simply states, “In all that you do strive to do it so well that no man living, no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it better.”
Allison is also a sought-after itinerant preacher who is passionately committed to social justice, scholastic achievement, and community service. A nationally recognized orator, Mrs. Henderson-Brooks has addressed numerous schools, churches, civic organizations, and other bodies across the United States and abroad. One of the most notable was her recognition of being the youngest female to render the annual Martin Luther King Jr. observance speech for the United States Department of Energy in 2001. In January of 2006, Allison garnered another groundbreaking achievement by serving as keynote speaker for the Penn State University System’s Martin Luther King Jr. convocation. This convocation was the first school-wide observance of this National holiday in the history of the institution. In May of 2016, she was blessed and humbled to be the first woman to ever preach a revival at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Oliver, GA. This church has an almost 200-year history and still sits on the land purchased by slaves. Her entire life has been filled with historic firsts and she gives God all the glory. She is humbled and vocally grateful for every opportunity given to stir up the gift in any forum that inspires others through innovative methods, messages, and interactions.
Allison is happily married to an amazing and supporting husband and they are the amazingly blessed parents to an inquisitive and adventurous 13-year-old son. In her leisure, she enjoys traveling, learning languages, and connecting with family and friends.
