���Դdzٳ�����Dialogue on Race and Diversity chapel with the theme Remain on Route inspired by presented by .

The Rev. Dr. Gregory M. Howard is a native of Lancaster, Virginia and currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is married to the former Margaret Edmond and is the proud father of two daughters, Destiny and Holli. Dr. Howard is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church East End in Newport News, Virginia where he promotes kingdom-like living by unconditionally loving God and all of God’s people. Prior to leading the FBCEE congregation, Pastor Howard served as Pastor of Union Branch Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Virginia and Jerusalem Baptist Church in Sparta, Virginia.

Pastor Howard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Development from Bluefield College and a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Rev. Howard earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in Homiletics from the Aquinas Institute of Theology at St. Louis University. He was honored as a 2009 Joe R. Engle Fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Public Policy. He is the author of Black Sacred Rhetoric: The Theology and Testimony of Religious Folk Talk and Voices Crying Out in The Wilderness: Contemporary Theologies of Preaching, both published by BorderStone Press. Dr. Howard is also an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University and its Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. Civically, he is the Vice-President of Baptist General Convention of Virginia.

Above all, Pastor Howard loves God and the challenge of helping others see God’s grace in their own lives by proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Rev. Howard believes that we have been blessed with life and created in the image of God to be with and for one another; therefore, he strives to tear down the many obstacles that keep us from coming together in Godly communion.

speaks in Chapel Gathering at Eastern Mennonite Seminary as part of a “Dialogue on Race and Diversity” in collaboration with EMU Multicultural Services and Campus Ministries.

Reverend Doctor Howard, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church East End in Newport News, Virginia speaks from on, “Let the tree talk.”

Rev. Dr. Rodney D. Waller speaks on The Resocialization of Humanity inspired by for the
Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity University Chapel.

Reverend Dr. Rodney D. Waller is Senior Pastor of the third oldest African American Church in the United States, First African Baptist Church of Richmond, VA. Dr. Waller earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy and Religious studies from Virginia Union University, a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Virginia Union University of Lynchburg. Dr. Waller is the author of Leadership Empowerment: A Paradigm in Administration and Leadership in the Urban Church in General and the Rural Church in Particular for the Twenty-First Century.

Prior to becoming Senior Pastor of the First African Baptist Church, Dr. Waller was the Senior Pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Weems, VA. During his tenure at Sharon Baptist Church, served as a volunteer chaplain at the Rappahannock General Hospital, became a member of the Lancaster County Special Education Department, served on the Lancaster County Planning Commission, and served on the Lancaster Board of Directors. He is the past President of the Northern Neck Ministers Conference and the Jesse DuPont Foundation Church Resource Service and presently serves as the Treasurer of the Richmond’s Minister Conference and Vicinity. In 2006, he was one of the featured Preachers at the Baptist General Convention of Virginia which took place in Norfolk, VA. Dr. Waller also is a member of the Hampton Minister’s Conference Executive Board.

Dr. Waller was recognized by the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Richmond Chapter during Clergy Appreciation Month in October, 2012. In August of 2011, Dr. Waller was a guest preacher for the UK African American Preaching Festival in London, England. While in London, Dr. Waller also studied at Oxford University during his first week of August. Dr. Waller was also nominated as Co-Pastor of the Year by the Richmond Usher’s Union for the year of 2011.

How can I respond to privilege? Engage this question through a sermon from Rev. Walt Ghant, pastor of Union Baptist Church in Waynesboro and Associate Director of Community Service Learning at JMU. This chapel is part of the series.