JUST A SISTER AWAY:
CULTIVATING AND CELEBRATING SISTER CIRCLES
Celebrating
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024
10:00 AM Morning Worship
Rev. Dr. Leslie Callahan Pastor, St. Paul Baptist Church Philadelphia, PA
Location: Union Chapel, Oak Bluffs
55 Narragansett Avenue • Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
5:00 PM Community Dinner
Nomans
15 Island Inn Road • Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
*Registrants only.
Rev Dr Cynthia L Hale
Rev Dr Renita J Weems
Monday, July 22, 2024
10:00AM Welcome & Opening the Circle
Location: Union Chapel, Oak Bluffs
Moderator, Dr. Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas Vanderbilt University Divinity School
Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems
Seminary of the Southwest BRSG Scholar- In- Residence
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale Ray of Hope Christian Church, Atlanta, GA
11:00AM A Womanist Ethic of Sistering
Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell Rev Leah D Jackson, Esq
Rev Dr Kelly U Farrow
12:00PM Roundtable Conversations: Whistlestops and Widening the Circles
“The Cottagers” MVY Black Women Property Owners”
Rev. Dr. Aliya Browne and Sabrina Williams
“Sisters of the Cloth” Ministerial Circles
Rev. Dr. Kelly Farrow and Rev. Leah D. Jackson, Esq.
“Clubwomen” Professional Circles
Rev. Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes
“Sorors” Sorority Circles
Rev. Dr. Leslie Callahan and Rev. Traci Blackmon
“Blood Ties: Sisters and Mothers” Family Circles
Rev Dr Annette Jones and Dr Stacey Floyd-Thomas
“Feminist/Multiracial” Allied Circles
Rev. Cathlin Baker
“Mannish” Allies
Dr. Juan Floyd-Thomas
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
10:00AM Lecture on Sisterhood
Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin Columbia University CreatingSacredSisterSanctuaries
11:00AM Drawing the Circle Wide: Opportunities, Obstacles, and Options
Moderator,Rev.CathlinBaker FirstCongregationalChurchofWestTisbury RevDrKanyereEaton FellowshipCovenantChurch Rev.DionneBoissiere TheChurchCenterfortheUnitedNations Rev.Dr.LorenaParish
WesleyTheologicalSeminary RevDrVioletDease-Lee LawrencevilleSchool
UpAgainstCrookedGospelsandPublicSpectacles: LeadingfromtheMargins
RevDrMelanieJones-Quarles UnionPresbyterianSeminary Rev.Dr.YolandaPierce VanderbiltUniversityDivinitySchool Rev.Dr.ValerieBridgeman MethodistTheologicalSchoolinOhio RevTraciBlackmon
PublicTheologianandFounder,CEOofHopeBuilds,LLC
ICanSeeYouintheFuture:BlackWomenPublicInterest TechnologistsBuildingBlackAIFutures
Dr.NaomiJordanCook ZoeMinistries DrErikaGault
NationalMuseumofAfricanAmericanHistory&Culture Dr.FallonWilson #BlackTechFuturesResearchInstitute 3:00-5:00PM
CircuitAvenueArtGalleryCrawl &WomanistBookSigning
0 PM
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Womanists at the Inkwell
Just a Sister Away Womanist Sermonic Notes and Bible Study ing in the Water with the Polar Bears
Moderator, Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams Virginia Theological Seminary
MORNING MEDITATION:
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale Ray of Hope Christian Church, Decatur, GA
A BIBLE STUDY:
Rev Dr Renita J Weems, Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, TX
BRSG Scholar-in-Residence M Luncheon
Closing the Circle Luncheon
Grace Episcopal Church 36 Woodlawn Avenue • Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
ABSTRACT A Womanist Ethic of Sistering
Womanist Ethics centers on the community; a large part of that community is embodying Sisterhood. Join our panelists, Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell, Rev. Leah D. Jackson, Esq., and Dr. Kelly U. Farrow, as they share their sistering practices and journey toward a Womanist Ethic of Sisterhood and Friendship. They will walk us through in an authentic yet vulnerable way what it means to steward Sisterhood with Love, Care, Collaboration, and Community while centering a Womanist ethic and embodiment.
ABSTRACT Sister and Friend: Black Women and the Art of Friendship
Drawn from larger project on a cultural history of black women’s friendship, this talk shares insight about the central role of friendship in the lives of black women artists and activists.
ABSTRACT Creating Sacred Sister Sanctuaries
“Sister Circle” is based on a womanist theological perspective in which Black women’s experiences are at the center of inquiry and analysis. The panel we will share how traversing life in the context of seminaries, denominations and communities that were often toxic to our mental, physical and emotional health and well-being, we found the ministry of accompaniment to help mitigate feelings of hopelessness and sometimes deep isolation: strategic partnerships, problem-solving during seasons of professional and personal crisis; vocational discernment and has become a repository for critical resources, best practices, and support as we sought to be faithful to our call to pastor, preach, teach and lead despite the tripartite oppression of racism, sexism and classism.
ABSTRACT
Up Against Crooked Gospels and Public Spectacles: Leading from the Margins
In the face of damaging theologies and confining systems that often stifle Black women’s freedom and flourishing, this panel engages womanist ways of leading from the margins to the center.
ABSTRACT Black Women Public Interest Technologists Building Black AI Futures
This panel will discuss how Black women build digital and AI futures for Black communities. The panel will explore the intersection of racism and sexism in the digital space shedding light on the disparities and challenges Black women experience. The panel would focus on the need to develop holistic support programs and a Black Womanist Public Interest
Technology approach to supporting Black women in this space and building liberating Black-woman-centered AI spaces.
CALLAHANRev. Dr. Leslie
Since 2009, the Reverend Leslie D. Callahan, Ph.D., has served as senior pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church. She is the fifth pastor and first woman to serve in that role in the church’s 133-year history. She was ordained in 1997 at Judson Memorial Church and served congregations in Princeton, NJ, and the Philadelphia suburbs. Dr. Callahan has served on the faculty of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) as Assistant Professor of Modern Church History and African American Studies. Prior to her time at NYTS, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of religious studies.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
FLOYD-THOMAS
Rev. Dr. Stacey
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences and Executive Director of the nationallyacclaimed Black Religious Scholars Group (BRSG), past Executive Director of the Society of Christian Ethics (SCE), cofounder of the Society for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Religion (SRER), youngest recipient of the American Academy of Religion Excellence in Teaching Award, and author/editor of ten books engaging womanist approaches to religion.
THE WOMANIST GATHERING, FOUNDER
WEEMS Rev. Dr. Renita
Dr. Renita J. Weems is a biblical scholar, a minister, and an author whose scholarly insights into modern faith, biblical texts, and the role of spirituality in everyday lives have made her a highly sought-after writer and speaker for more than four decades. Join us in celebrating Dr. Weems’ contribution to Womanist
Thought as both a Bible Scholar and Preacher.
WOMANIST BIBLE, HONOREE
HALE Rev. Dr. Cynthia
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale is the founder and Senior Pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. As a woman of vision, Dr. Hale is revered worldwide for her leadership, integrity, and compassion. Her vision and leadership led her to establish two ministries; Elah Pastoral Ministries, Inc. and the Women in Ministry Conference, Inc. Elah is a mentoring program to assist in the spiritual and practical development of pastors and para-church leaders and the Women in Ministry Conference is a premiere national conference with a focused mission to develop, coach, and mentor Christian women in ministry for the 21st Century.
WOMANIST PRAXIS, HONOREE
Rev. Jennifer WatleyMAXELL
Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell affectionately known as “Rev. Jenn” is a woman of all seasons who exemplifies “Black Girl Magic”. An Itinerate Elder ordained in the AME Church, she and her husband Rev. Charles A. Maxell, Jr. founded The Breakthrough Fellowship, a vibrant church initiative located in Cobb County, Georgia. There she also founded “The Ellipsis Experience” a ministry for women and teen girls that provides a safe space for transformation, healing, and wholeness.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Leah D. JACKSON, ESQ.
The Reverend Leah D. Jackson, Esq. has been called to minister the Word of God as a preacher, pastor, educator, writer, and dancer. She was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, where she served as the Minister of Christian Education for almost 8 years and is now an Associate Minister. She is also a licensed member of the State Bar of Georgia and specializes in Technology and Intellectual Property law.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. Kelly U. FARROW
In her community, Rev. Dr. Kelly U. Farrow is known as a Preacher, Educator, Lecturer, Mentor, Social Justice Advocate, Political Voice, and Businesswoman. Dr. Farrow's interdisciplinary womanist ethic is engaged with Business and Theology. As a womanist theologian, she eloquently bridges theological conversation with best practices in business ethics, organizational leadership, and ministry development.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
BROWNE Rev. Dr. Aliya
Aliya F. Browne, MDiv D.O. FACC Dr. Aliya Browne is a board-certified clinical cardiologist who specializes in integrative cardiology at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Oak Bluffs, MA. In addition to her medical education and degrees, she brings a wide range of experience in caring for the whole being. She is passionate about caring for the total person, integrating Eastern, Western, and Spiritual practices into one practical prescription for whole body health.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
WILLIAMS Sabrina
Sabrina Williams is a Senior Human Resources Executive, a center-of-excellence leader, and a trusted board advisor with a solid history of designing and implementing successfocused strategies that ensure people, systems and organizational models enable new business capabilities and revenue opportunities. Sabrina has introduced an Innovation, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council Model and was the thought leader behind change management efforts to develop and implement a virtual workplace transformation roadmap. Sabrina is currently the Chief People and Culture Officer at New England Sports Network (NESN).
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. CherylTOWNSEND GILKES
Dr. Gilkes is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor Emerita of AfricanAmerican Studies and Sociology at Colby College in Waterville, ME. An ordained Baptist minister, she is an assistant pastor for special projects at the Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA. She has served as visiting faculty at several seminaries and schools of divinity. Dr. Gilkes holds degrees in sociology from Northeastern University (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.), has pursued graduate theological studies at Boston University's School of Theology, and has received an honorary Doctor of Divinity (D. D.) from Ursinus College. In 2001, she published If It Wasn't for the Women: Black Women's Experience and Womanist Culture in Church and Community.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. AnnetteJONES
Rev. Dr. Annette Jones, MBA, CPA, is a woman of unwavering faith, integrity, and excellence. As a caring pastor, compassionate teacher, and confident leader, she is deeply committed to touching lives, teaching people, and leading organizations Dr Jones is the fifth senior and first woman pastor of South Suburban M.B. Church in Harvey, Illinois. As a bivocational leader, her career as a Certified Public Accountant spans over four decades, with an impressive 42 years of service in government and taxation Her 30 years as a manager and over two decades of senior and executive leadership have honed her skills and expertise Confident that the gospel cultivates love and hope, Dr. Jones is a sought-after preacher and teacher committed to counseling couples and singles in family, marriage, and relationships.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. CathlinBAKER
Since 2008, Rev. Cathlin Baker has ministered to the Martha’s Vineyard community as the Pastor of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury (UCC). She is the 50th minister of this historic church and its first female minister. Prior to her ministry in West Tisbury, Cathlin served as the Special Assistant to the President of Union Theological Seminary and on the staff of Judson Memorial Church and The Riverside Church, all in NYC. Rev. Baker has two degrees from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, both in Christian Ethics.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Dr. Juan FLOYD-THOMAS
A religious historian, in his research, Dr. FloydThomas emphasizes: race, ethnicity, and religious pluralism within the modern United States; the history of new/alternative religious movements; the varieties of African American religious experience; critical discourses on religion and popular culture; and African American churches and sociopolitical reform; religion and economics; religion and international relations; and interdisciplinary theories and methodological approaches within religious studies He holds a B A from Rutgers University, a M.A. from Temple University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
JASMINE GRIFFIN Dr. Farah
Farah Jasmine Griffin is the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African American Studies at Columbia University, where she also served as the inaugural Chair of the African American and African Diaspora Studies. Professor Griffin received her B.A. in History & Literature from Harvard and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale. She is the author or editor of eight books including Who Set You Flowin?: The African American Migration Narrative (Oxford, 1995), If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday (Free Press, 2001), and Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II (Basic Books, 2013).
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. KanyereEATON
Rev. Dr. Kanyere Eaton is Shepherd of the beloved flock of God at Fellowship Covenant Church in the Bronx, New York. She is the first woman to serve in this capacity in the 124-year history of this congregation. Pastor Eaton has been in active ministry for thirty-five years and has professional backgrounds in social work, philanthropy, substance abuse recovery and hunger prevention. Through teaching, preaching, training and nurture, Pastor Eaton endeavors to educate and inspire Christ’s church to grow into the measure of the full stature of Christ.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
BLACKMON Rev. Traci
The Rev. Traci Blackmon is the former 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, MO. 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. As pastor, Rev. Blackmon lead Christ The King in an expanded understanding of church as a sacred launching pad of community engagement and change.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dionne P. BOISSIÈRE
Rev. Dionne P. Boissière is the Chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations (CCUN). She is the first woman of African Descent to hold this significant position in the history of this New York ecumenical and inter-faith landmark. As Chaplain, Rev. Boissière is chief steward of the CCUN; a role in which she provides Non-Governmental Organizations housed at the Church Center, the U.N. staff/community as well as the over 800,000 members of the United Methodist Women with direct pastoral counseling, program development, global community awareness and organizing, worship planning and liturgical resourcing for the Ecumenical and Multi-faith community.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. Lorena PARISH
The Reverend Lorena M. Parish, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Urban Ministries and Director of the Community Engagement Institute and Center for Public Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. An ordained American Baptist minister and scholaractivist, Dr. Parrish is a womanist theologian, urban ministry scholar, and staunch advocate for the just treatment of God’s most disenfranchised communities and providing transformative, innovative modes of community engagement.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. VioletDEASE-LEE
The Reverend Violet L. D. Lee, Ph.D., is the School Chaplain and faculty member of the Religion & Philosophy Department of New Jersey’s prestigious Lawrenceville School. Formerly the Executive Program Minister of Christ Church, United Methodist, of New York City, she has served as the Academic Advisor to the MDiv/MS(S)W students enrolled in Columbia University and Hunter College’s Social Work Programs and as a regular Adjunct Professor/Visiting Lecturer for Union Theological Seminary. Having served in both the public and private sector, Dr. Lee served on the Ordination Council for the American Baptist Churches – Metropolitan New York and is a former member of the Board of Directors, until her recent appointment to Lawrenceville.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
JONES QUARLES Rev. Dr. Melanie
The Reverend Melanie Jones Quarles, Ph.D., is a womanist ethicist, millennial preacher, and intellectual activist. Melanie is a thinking woman of faith embodying radical love and revolutionary justice in the academy, Church, and global community. Melanie is the youngest ordained woman minister at South Suburban Missionary Baptist Church, under the pastoral leadership of her beloved mother, Rev. Dr. Annette Jones.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
PIERCE Rev. Dr. Yolanda
Yolanda Pierce, PhD, is a scholar, writer, womanist theologian, and accomplished administrator in higher education. She was appointed the Founding Director of the Center for African American Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and currently serves as Professor and Dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. ValerieBRIDGEMAN
Dr. Valerie Bridgeman is Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, as well as Associate Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible at Methodist Theological School of Ohio. She also is founding president and CEO of WomanPreach! Inc. the premiere non-profit organization that brings preachers to full prophetic voice. Dr. Bridgeman has lectured or taught in some of the nation’s premier seminaries and divinity schools. She has been in licensed or ordained ministry since 1977.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Dr. NaomiJORDAN COOK
Naomi Jordan Cook is an eCommerce and lead generating marketing specialist. She cofounded The Virtual Global Consultant (VGC) Group in 2016, which designs and develops eCommerce systems that help generate revenue online for companies; and customizes digital platforms and software that make shipping and collecting payment easier for businesses in emerging markets. Naomi is a licensed minister under Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan and is part of the Zoe Ministries Church in New York. She is also a fellow for Black Churches 4 Digital Equity,
Dr. ErikaGAULT
Erika D. Gault is the Director of the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life and the Lilly Endowment Curator of African American Religious History at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In this capacity, she provides a broad range of administrative, collections, and programmatic leadership to the Center.Apart from her work at the Museum, Dr. Gault is considered one of the foremost scholars of Digital Black Religion.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Dr. Fallon S. WILSON
Through her work with nonprofits, academia, and government partnerships, Dr. Fallon S. Wilson strives to make visible the work of historic and modern-day Black crisis solvers. She invests her time into strengthening the tech ecosystem nationwide, especially as it relates both to Black women technologists and also underrepresented persons of color who may not have access to the everchanging arena of technology. As a Public Interest Technologist, she discusses race, gender, faith, and civic tech issues through her writing and presentations.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
Rev. Dr. Judy FENTRESS-WILLIAMS
Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams is Professor of Old Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary. She is a widely published author, primarily exploring a literary approach that celebrates the multiple voices and intertextuality of scripture. She recently published a commentary on the book of Ruth for the Abingdon Old Testament Commentary Series, and she is the Old Testament Editor for the CEB Women’s Bible.
CONFERENCE PRESENTER
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Womanists at the Inkwell