Keynote speakers

The Rev. Dr. Jerry L. Cannon

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Lytle Cannon is the senior pastor of the C.N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., in 1984 and a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center, Johnson C. Smith Seminary in Atlanta, Ga., in 1988 where he specialized in the Bible. He received his Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, in 1998. The Reverend Cannon has served as the Associate Pastor of Northeastern Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C., and currently serves as the President of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus of the PC(USA). He has served on the Board of Trustees of Barber Scotia College and Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. The Rev. Cannon is also a former faculty member of:

• the Love of Learning Program
• Davidson College and the Burning Bush Program
• Union-PSCE Theological Seminary

He is married to Veronica E. Cannon and they have four children, Rudolph Clayton, Raymond Charles, Rosalynn Christine, and Richard Chandler.

David M. Bailey

The son of Presbyterian missionaries, David spent his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon, learned his first chords in seventh grade, went on to study classical guitar then started writing his own songs. The Lebanese civil war forced him to complete his secondary education at a boarding school in Germany where he spent weekends as a street musician and also formed a small ensemble that toured throughout Central Europe. In college, he played extensively in an original acoustic duo, but then put his guitar away and entered corporate America. Ten years later, doctors told David he had a malignant brain tumor and would be dead in a few months. David left his corporate job and returned to his first love of songwriting and performing. Since then, he has shared hope and music with thousands of listeners. Ten years, 14 albums and 43 states later, David and his music are alive and well, challenging all of us to live passionately and treasure the beauty of each new day.

The Rev. Dr. Virstan Choy

Virstan Choy has served as interim director of the Center for Asian American Ministries and Visiting Professor of Ministry at McCormick Theological Seminary since Fall 2005.

Since the beginnings of his faith journey through the ministries of St. Mary’s Chinese Catholic Mission, Donaldina Cameron House and the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown, San Francisco, he has been a part of the ministry of evangelism and witness of First Chinese Presbyterian Church in New York City, the Chinese Community Church of Sacramento, the Presbytery of San Jose, the Pacific School of Religion, San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Presbytery of San Francisco. In each of these ministries, he has found excitement and fulfillment in enabling the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be experienced and expressed as genuinely good news by racial ethnic and urban persons seeking what Cornel West characterizes as dignity and decency in everyday life.

Martha Sadongei

Martha Sadongei (Kiowa/Tohono O’odham) is currently full-time stated supply pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, Ariz., the only organized urban Indian congregation in the PC(USA). A graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and ordained in 1997, she taught 13 years in the public schools as an elementary teacher prior to entering the ministry. She is active in Native American ministries in Grand Canyon Presbytery and has provided worship leadership at various events and gatherings. She was a member of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church and currently serves on the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA).

Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis is a bestselling author, public theologian, preacher, speaker, activist and international commentator on ethics and public life. His latest book, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It (HarperCollins, 2005), was on The New York Times bestseller list for four months. He is president and executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, where he is editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine — whose print and electronic publication reaches more than 250,000 people — and also convenes a national network of churches, faith-based organizations, and individuals working to overcome poverty in America. Jim Wallis speaks at more than 200 events each year, and his columns have appeared in major newspapers such The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe, among others. He appears regularly on radio and television programs, including Meet the Press, Hardball, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The O’Reilly Factor and National Public Radio. In addition, Jim Wallis teaches a course at Harvard University on “Faith, Politics, and Society” and is the author of eight books, including Faith Works; The Soul of Politics: A Practical and Prophetic Vision for Change; Who Speaks for God? A New Politics of Compassion, Community, and Civility; and Call to Conversion. Jim lives in inner-city Washington, D.C., with his wife, Joy Carroll, one of the first women ordained in the Church of England and author of Beneath the Cassock: The Real-life Vicar of Dibley, and their sons Luke (8) and Jack (3). He is a Little League baseball coach.

Chris and Kim Joiner

Chris is pastor and Kim is the Director of Children’s Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee. They have each worked with the children and youth programs at local, presbyterial and denominational levels throughout their ministry. Chris and Kim received undergraduate degrees from Bethel College and Chris received his Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. They have two children Caleb (15) and Chandler (10). Their family loves to play at the beach in the summer, hike the trails of Montreat, and play soccer and golf together.