Speaker bios

Reverend Francine Vinson serves as spiritual advisor of the Faith

United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the

Pulpit staff at Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church of Christ in

Washington, DC. She also serves as an on-call chaplain at the

Washington Hospital Center. She had provided pastoral care to youth

and families living in the Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments and the

surrounding Shaw community. During her federal career she was a

nationally recognized authority on School Improvement Programs, Parent

and Community Involvement under Title I, Chapter 1 of the Elementary

and Secondary Education Act. She retired as a Senior Education

Program Specialist in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Programs from the US Department of Education. She also served as

administrator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

Program. Her community service included membership in the Southwest

(Washington, DC) Neighborhood Assembly (SWNA) from 1976-1999. She

was the recipient of the Citizen Award for Outstanding Community

Service from the First District Metropolitan Police Department in 1990

and subsequent appreciation awards from SWNA in 1992 and 1993.

Reverend Vinson’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Science

degree in Business Management and Education Administration for the

University of the District of Columbia and a Masters of Divinity degree

from Howard University School of Divinity, 1997. Her professional

memberships include: American Business Women’s Association (ABWA),

National Council of Negro Women, Central Atlantic Conference Partners

in Education and the Retired Air Force Sergeants Association. She is

mother of four, a grandmother, a great grandmother, a sister and a

friend to many.

Pastor James Clements, Jr. is the pastor the Columbia Community

SDA Church in Columbia, Maryland and a Chaplain with Adventist Home

Health Services. From 1993 to 2003, he served as pastor in the Lake

Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at the All Nations

Fellowship, Burr Ridge, IL; Gary West Church, Gary, IN: New Life SDA

Church, Chicago, IL; Morgan Park SDA Church, Chicago, IL; and Beacon

of Joy SDA Church, Chicago, IL. He served as the Director of the Church

Ministries Department of the Columbia Union Conference from 1988 to

1993. During his tenure as pastor in the Allegheny East Conference of

Seventh-day Adventists he served at the First SDA Church, Teaneck, NJ;

First SDA Church, Englewood, NJ: Emmanuel Temple SDA Church,

Alexandria, VA; Pisgah SDA Church, Bryans Road, MD; First SDA Church,

Montclair, NJ; and Siloam SDA Company, Elizabeth, NJ. His educational

achievements include Chaplaincy Certificate (2004) Washington Hospital

Center; Master of Divinity (1972) Andrews University, Berrien Springs,

MI; Master of Sacred Theology (1976) New York Theological Seminary,

NY, NY; Bachelor of Arts in Theology (1969) Columbia Union College,

Takoma Park, MD. He served in the United States Air Force from 1957 to

1961. Pastor Clements also worked for the federal government with the

Veterans Administration and Central Intelligence Agency from 1962 to

1996. He is married to the former Shirley Outlaw and they are the proud

parents of two adult children, Carolyn Williams and William Outlaw, Jr.

and grandparents of granddaughters, Niecole and Tandria.

Dr. James M. Shopshire is a native of Atlanta, Georgia where he

received his undergraduate education at Clark College (1963), now Clark

Atlanta University, and the Bachelor of Divinity degree at Gammon

Theological Seminary of Interdenominational Theological Center (1966).

Following five years of pastoral service in Des Moines, Iowa, he earned

the Doctor of Philosophy degree at Northwestern University in Evanston,

Illinois (1975). In addition to pastoral service with Burns United

Methodist Church in the Iowa Conference, where he assisted in the

formation and development of the Inner City Cooperative Parish of Des

Moines, and founded The Center for the Study and Application of Black

Theology, Dr. Shopshire has served pastoral appointments in Atlanta,

Georgia and Chicago, Illinois. He served as a member and vice-

chairperson of the 1985-1988 General Commission for the Study of

Ministry of the United Methodist Church. He was a member of the

Research Advisory Committee, General Council on Ministries of the

United Methodist Church. Dr. Shopshire served on the faculty of the

Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta as Assistant Professor

of Sociology of Religion from 1975-1980, including two years as

Chairperson in the field of Church and Society. During the years 1980-

1985 he served as Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Sociology

of Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Presently he is Professor of Sociology of Religion and Urban Ministry at

Wesley Theological Seminary. He served as consultant and writer of the

plan for “Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century” which was

adopted for implementation by the General Conference of 1996. ). He

is currently a board member of the African American Methodist Heritage

Center. Dr. Shopshire is married to the Rev. Dr. Ramonia Lee. He is the

father of three adult children and ten grandchildren.

Reverend Dr. Frank D. Tucker was born in Blackstone, Virginia. He

attended the Virginia public schools graduating from Foster High School

in 1957. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Philosophy

in June 1961 from Howard University. He received the Bachelor of

Divinity degree in 1964 from the Howard University School of Divinity.

Reverend Tucker served as College Minister and Assistant Professor of

Theology at the Florida Memorial College from 1965 to 1966. He was

then called to the pastorate of the Jones Memorial Baptist Church in

Philadelphia, PA, serving from 1966 to 1976. He became pastor of the

First Baptist Church located at New Hampshire Avenue and Randolph

Street, NW Washington, DC on February 1, 1976. He joined the faculty

of the Howard University School of Divinity as adjunct professor in 1986.

Reverend Tucker is affiliated with many community and religious groups.

He is a member of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Washington, DC;

Executive Committee of the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist

Convention, USA, Inc.; and is the Facilitator for the Wednesday Clergy

Fellowship. He is the recipient of many awards and recognitions. Dr.

Tucker received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the

Richmond Virginia Seminary on October 15, 2007. He is married to the

former Barbara Barbour and the father of one daughter, Lisa Elizabeth.

Reverend Dr. Deborah Hoy Jones is an Assistant Pastor of the

Beloved Community Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. She serves as

the Director of Christian Education. Her other ministry involvement

includes the Stakeholders of Prince George’s County HIV/AIDS Ministry,

teaching in churches and seminary, and foreign missions. She graduated

from Morgan State University and the Rutgers Medical School (now

Robert Wood Johnson). She received the Master of Divinity degree from

the Howard University School of Divinity in May 2007 with a 4.0 GPA.

Currently, she is an assistant professor of Pediatrics, Division of

Neonatology at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

She has been blessed to lead weekly Bible Study at Georgetown and to

participate in the weekly worship services for patients, families, and

staff. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Pastoral Care and

Missions at the Georgetown University Hospital. One of her favorite

scriptures is: Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I

have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Pastor Charles Richards Jr. is from the beautiful island of Jamaica. A

product of Christian education, he graduated from Garden State

Academy in 2000. He received the Bachelor of Arts in Theology degree

with an emphasis in Pastoral Ministry from the Columbia Union College in

Takoma Park, Maryland. While at CUC, Pastor Richards served as

Assistant Chaplain, counselor, mentor and friend to many on the

campus. He was ordained as an elder at the Bladensburg SDA Church on

November 22, 2003. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Community

and Campus Service Award by the Religion Department of CUC in 2005.

He has served as Associate Pastor of the First SDA Church in Newark,

New Jersey and currently serves as Youth Pastor at the First SDA Church

of Washington, DC under the leadership of Senior Pastor, Dr. Mark A.

McCleary. He is presently pursing a Masters of Arts in Religion at the

School of Graduate and Professional Studies, Columbia Union College.

Additionally, he is employed as a Drug and Alcohol counselor in

Coatesville, Pennsylvania. His future plans include a doctorate degree in

marriage and family counseling and full time pastorate of an Adventist

church. He and his wife Rashina are the proud parents of one son.

Pastor Richards says that he’s a flawed man trying to deliver a perfect

message to a flawed people.

Pastor David W. Trusty, Sr. received the call to preach the Word of

God in 1971. After recognizing and answering the call, he completed a

BA degree in Theology at Oakwood College and a Master’s degree in

Religion with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling at Andrews

University. Pastor Trusty has served as Pastor in Ohio and Maryland and

as Chaplain for Hospice in New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland. The

ministry has taken Pastor Trusty to Uganda, Bermuda, Jamaica, and

throughout the United States preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. After

years of pasturing in a traditional, denominational setting, God began to

stir up something new. Pastor Trusty founded the Upper Room

Fellowship Center in 2002 to bring healing and deliverance to those in

need, believing strongly that the Body must be empowered with spiritual

authority to fulfill the Gospel Commission of Christ. He is the married to

the former Janice James and they are the proud parents of seven

children who join with the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the vision of

empowering the Body of Christ through the Word.

Pastor Jimmie Gibson currently serves as the Associate Youth Pastor

of the Community Praise Center SDA Church in Alexandria, Virginia and

Interim President of the Metro Area Youth Federation of the Allegheny

East Conference of SDA. A native of Washington, DC, Pastor Gibson has

held numerous leadership positions with the Seventh-day Adventist

churches and schools in the Metro area among them Assistant Pastor,

Columbia Community and Emmanuel Temple SDA Churches in Columbia,

MD and Alexandria, VA respectively; Freshman Bible and Life Skills

Teacher and Assistant Guidance Counselor at Takoma Academy in

Takoma Park, MD, and Youth Elder, Adventist Youth Society Leader,

Earliteen Sabbath School Leader, and Inner Cities Ministries Leader. He

received his Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from the

University of the District of Columbia and is currently pursing a Master in

Religion degree at Columbia Union College and MSW at Howard

University. Pastor Gibson’s prayerful goals are to pursue a successful and

efficient career in pastoral ministry as well as becoming a licensed social

worker to better serve the church’s community service outreach

program.

SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST

The First Word………………………..……………………….Rev. Francine Vinson

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:24)

Selection……..”Sacrifice”

The Second Word………………………………….……..Pastor James Clements

“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)

Selection……”Remember Me”

The Third Word…………………………………………………Dr. James Shopshire

“Woman, behold your Son…Behold your mother” (John 19:26, 27)

Selection……….”Calvary”

The Fourth Word……………………………….……….Rev. Dr. Frank D. Tucker

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34)

Selection………..”He Would Not Come Down”

The Fifth Word………………………………………Rev. Dr. Deborah Hoy-Jones

“I Thirst” (John 19:28)

Selection……”The Blood”

The Sixth Word…………………….……..…..…….Pastor Charles Richards, Jr.

“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

Selection……”I Never Met A Man”

The Seventh Word………………………..………..Pastor David W. Trusty, Sr.

“Father, into Your hand I commend My Spirit” (Luke 23:46)

Selection…..”Father I Stretch My Hand to Thee”

The “Eighth” Word……………………………………..……Dr. Mark A. McCleary