Landon and Khadija Adams
CCO staff members

Main Session Speakers

"Racial Reconciliation"

BIO
Landon and Khadija Adams are domestic missionaries through the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). They work with students at Ohio Dominican University, New Salem Missionary Baptist Church and The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. 

Avery Danage
CCO Campus Minister at Kent State University

Main Session Speaker

"Colorblindness"

BIO
Avery Danage serves as a campus minister with the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He co-leads a multiracial/ multiethnic fellowship called Tuesday Night Thunder and serves as the Spiritual Coach for the Kent State University Football Team. Avery is committed to racial reconciliation and passionate about empowering young people and college students to fully and practically embrace their Christian Faith.

In addition to serving as the Youth Minister at the Euclid Avenue Church of Christ, Avery is an associate professor at Tri-State Bible College. A graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary (M.Div.) Avery is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Ministry in Transformational Leadership.

Avery and his wife, Semone, reside in Kent and have four adult children: Avery Jr., Ambyr, Jessica and Arielle.

Dr. Robert Frazier
Professor of Philosophy at Geneva College

Community Development Track

BIO
Dr. Robert Frazier is a Professor of Philosophy at Geneva College. He is a native of Beaver Falls and served as a pastor for many years before earning his doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been teaching full time at Geneva since 2003 and received Geneva’s 2009 Excellence in Scholarship Award, which is determined by the school’s faculty.

WORKSHOP:

"Revolution and Quiescence: Historical Highlights of Race Relations in the Beaver Falls Area."

Beaver Falls and its immediate surrounding areas have a significant history of favorable and unfavorable relations between the races. Before its name change in 1868, Beaver Falls was a crucial route on the Underground Railroad. In fact, the New Brighton, Beaver Falls and Darlington area was central to the anti-slavery movement with its strong Quaker, Presbyterian and Covenanter presence. Frederick Douglas spoke in New Brighton during his anti-slavery advocacy activity. Yet, on the other hand, there were as many as 18 slaves in the immediate area in the early years of the nineteenth century. The history of the surrounding area is laced with these kinds of revolutionary activities and quiescence consent and bears the mark of both. We will explore the contours of this history in our time together culminating in the discussion of the separation of the Beaver Falls School District in the early 1970s.

Kathy Y. Kinzer-Downs
Director of Multicultural Student Services at Geneva College

Main Session Speaker

"My Identity: Embracing Who I Am, Living Out Who I’m Called to Be"

BIO
Kathy Kinzer- Downs, was born in San Diego, but is a native to Calvert County, MD. Kathy came to faith at the age of 16. She has earned degrees from Edinboro University of PA and Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. It was during Kathy’s time at Edinboro where she became a part of a CCO ministry and began to really learn how her faith is a part of every aspect of her life. With a heart for young people, especially young women, Kathy has strong convictions in ministry toward reconciliation, justice and young people understanding their calling, their value and their identity in Christ. She knows her purpose is to be a change agent for this cause unto God’s glory. Currently she has the privilege to share in ministry alongside her husband, Lamont Downs. Together, they work for the CCO in partnership with Geneva College as they seek to bring diversity and unity to Geneva, as well as be a beacon of light to its students. Kathy and Lamont currently reside in Beaver Falls, PA.

Dr. Cathy Sigmund
Professor of Psychology, Counseling & Human Services

Community Development Track

BIO
Dr. Cathy Sigmund is a Professor of Psychology, Counseling and Human Services and Director of the Human Services Program at Geneva College. She is also founder of Church CARE, a collaborative committed to assisting churches to develop and implement human services and care programs within at-risk communities locally in the Greater Pittsburgh area and internationally in distressed countries. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Sigmund specializes in developing and evaluating culturally congruent behavioral health services to minorities and other underserved groups, including children and families victimized by violence and other crises. She is also published, and has developed curricula, consulted and provided training in a variety of settings including public health and human service systems and victim advocacy/service organizations.

WORKSHOP:

“International Cultural Competence & Care in Christ”

Objectives include:

• Reviewing concepts of cultural competence within human services and ministry
• Raising awareness of behavioral health needs related to grief, loss, and trauma in Ethiopia and Uganda
• Exploring behavioral health models for individual and community level intervention
• Introducing Centers for Help, Hope & Healing (CH3) Initiative and Concept
  

Rev. E. Eugene Williams
President and CEO of T.R.A.I.L.S. Minis­tries

Pastoral Track

BIO
Rev. E. Eugene Williams currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Lifeway Christian Fellowship, a distinctly diverse church Body in Beaver Falls, for the past 18 years. He also serves as the President and CEO of T.R.A.I.L.S. Ministries Inc. for 24 years, a ministry that serves incarcerated individuals and their families as they work towards restoration and reunification personally and communally.

Coach Williams, as he is affectionately called, is also an adjunct professor for the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate Social Work Program and Geneva College’s Bible Department and Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP).

Coach Williams once served as the Regional Director for the nationally-recognized Prison Fellowship Ministries, laboring alongside the late Charles Colson. One of Coach Williams’ responsibilities was to work with the Angel Tree Christmas Program and churches across the Northeastern part of the United States, introducing and helping them understand Urban/Suburban partnering. “Suburban churches and ministries desire to help those in need and often have many resources with which to provide assistance. Urban churches and ministries are often connected to neighborhood leaders who understand the culture and the people of their communities. By joining forces, the power of the Gospel can be demonstrated and communities can be transformed.”

Coach Williams has been married 28 years to his college sweetheart, Valarie, and have two sons; Eddie, 26, and Evan, 23.

WORKSHOP:

“Diversity from the Inside Out”

In this workshop we will discuss the role that the Holy Spirit plays in helping us reach diverse populations. We will compare the valley of dry bones, of Ezekiel 37, with the lifeless, fruitless, parched places of the human heart, being overrun by worldly thorns of hostility and resistance. We will look at what it means for the Holy Spirit to breathe life into these “dry bones”. Our other primary text of conversation will be Ephesians 2, which states that Christ has broken every dividing wall of hostility in Himself. His mind, His heart, and His life must become ours inwardly, so that it can be made manifest outwardly.

“Our identity in Christ has been defined, explained, paid for, it is what informs our heart and informs our behavior. Nonetheless the Christian church continues to struggle with labels and divisions of this world associated with race, ethnicity, gender, class, position nationality, denomination, sect, etc. It’s as if we have forgotten who Christ is, and in forgetting him, we have forgotten our identity in him, and our purpose in this world,” Sigmund, C. D. (2009) Cultural Competence in Christ: Linus Publications Inc. Deer Park, NY introduction vii.

Rev. Dr. Rodger Woodworth,
Director of Cross-Cultural Ministries for the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)

Pastoral Track

BIO
Rev. Dr. Woodworth has been married to Wende, his college sweetheart for 44 years. He is a father of two, a grandfather of seven, was the founding pastor to hundreds at an interracial church called New Hope, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the North Side of Pittsburgh and founded New Hope’s community development corporation. Rodger is presently the Director of Cross Cultural Ministries for the Coalition for Christian Outreach and the Lead Pastor for New City Church, a church plant in downtown Pittsburgh. He writes a blog called cross-cultural convergence, is an adjunct seminary professor at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) with a Doctorate of Ministry in Complex Urban Settings and serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry. Rodger’s greatest passion however is for the gospel of grace that saves broken people like him and broken people different than him and makes us all equal at the foot of the cross.

WORKSHOP:

“The Biblical Foundations of Developing a Multicultural Church”

As the world continues to find its way to the United States, God is challenging the church to be His expression of love and justice to our multi cultural society. Easier said than done. Prejudices and preferences prevail. The multicultural church cannot be a methodological or marketing strategy for church growth or political correctness. It must be built on biblical convictions with God’s shalom as the guide and goal. We will discuss these biblical foundations and the struggles to live them out in the church.

Dr. John M. Wallace Jr.,
Assoc. Professor of Social Work at Pitt University and Pastor of The Bible Center (C.O.G.I.C.)

Faculty/Administration/Educator Track

BIO
Dr. John M. Wallace Jr. is the Philip Hallen Chair in Community Health and Social Justice at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, and the senior pastor of Bible Center Church of God in Christ in Pittsburgh. He is currently the principal investigator on the University of Pittsburgh, Center on Race and Social Problems’ Comm-Univer-City of Pittsburgh project. The project integrates research, teaching and service to investigate and eliminate social problems that disproportionately impact poor children, families and communities. His work has been has been published in numerous professional journals, books and monographs.

Dr. Wallace was born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Since returning to Pittsburgh in 2004, he has dedicated himself to improving the quality of life for the children, youth and families who live, learn, work and worship in Homewood.

In addition to being a pastor and professor, Dr. Wallace is also a husband and a father. He has been happily married to his wife Cynthia for more than 25 years and together they have four children.

Dr. Wallace earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago and Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan, all in sociology. Prior to coming to Pitt, he was a tenured faculty member at the University of Michigan.

WORKSHOP:

“Race, Class, the Classroom and the Kingdom”

As our nation becomes more diverse, and students of color become an increasingly large proportion of the college-age population, the leaders of our nation’s colleges and universities should consider the implications and opportunities of these demographic realities.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the issues of race/ethnicity and social class in our college classrooms and how to recruit, retain, equip and graduate students of color who will advance the Kingdom on campus, in the community and to the uttermost parts of the world.

Muriel Fox Alim
Education Director for Pittsburgh Urban Christian School

Faculty/Administration/Educator Track

BIO
Muriel Fox Alim, Education Director for Pittsburgh Urban Christian School (PUCS), has been an educator for over 15 years. She has taught in both pubic and private schools, most recently as a middle school English teacher at Shady Side Academy. Prior to that, she was Program Director for the Fund for Advancement of Minorities through Education (FAME).

For five years, she taught and coordinated diversity initiatives at Winchester Thurston School. Muriel is a graduate of The Ellis School, she did her undergraduate work in English at Spelman College, and she has her Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary English Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Muriel has successfully developed and facilitated diversity programs and is a mentor to students who have gone on to advanced education.

Muriel has traveled extensively with her husband, Tracy; daughters Jada, Kaya and Alyssa; and son, Javier. She has taught in a number of different public and independent schools before returning to Pittsburgh. Muriel is the current Board President of Freedom Unlimited, Inc., a local non profit organization, and sits on the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Commission on Racism.

WORKSHOP:
“From Idea to Action: Engaging students, faculty, staff and board”

This seminar will address how to bring your organization’s diversity mission alive. Learn strategies and techniques used to engage every stakeholder.

College Student Panel
A panel of former and current college students

Exclusive Breakout Session

WORKSHOP:
“Living In Color on a Predominately White Campus”

A panel of former and current college students will share their experiences of living and attending classes on primarily white campuses. What are the challenges? How does this environment affect learning? What types of ignorance do these students encounter? What can be learned from these experiences? And finally, how can this knowledge be used to make improvements in the future?