Bandy Preaching Conference 2025

Abbington serves as Associate Professor of Church Music and Worship at Candler School of Theology, where he has taught since 2005. His research interests include music and worship in the Christian church, African American sacred folk music, organ, choral music, and ethnomusicology. Along with his roles at Candler, Abbington is executive editor of the African American Church Music Series by GIA Publications (Chicago). In addition to writing and editing, he has produced numerous recordings under GIA.

Allen-McLaurin, an Emmy and Webby-award-winning pastor, professor, psalmist, and public theologian, is professor of worship, music, and spirituality at Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO). She is an ordained elder and is appointed the coordinator of practical ministries for the Sixth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. She has authored five books, including her forthcoming monograph, Over My Head: The Power of Ancestral Music to Future the Black Church, The OneWord Worship Model: A New Paradigm for Church Worship Planning, and A Womanist Theology of Worship: Liturgy, Justice, and Communal Righteousness. Allen-McLaurin holds bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in piano performance and music education from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi. She also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Allums is a recording artist, songwriter, worship leader, and musician. He is currently the music director for Emory University’s Gospel Choir Voices of Inner Strength, host of Mid-week Meditations, and the music director for Emory’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. He has served as minister of music at the historic Big Bethel AME Church in downtown Atlanta and Word of Faith Love Center. A widely known accompanist, Allums has released his own recordings and also co-produced the musical compilation Voices in My Head with Voices of Inner Strength.

Alvarado serves as pastor of Grace Church International and bishop of the Grace Fellowship of Churches International. Under his leadership, Grace Church International has grown to nearly 2,000 members and over 35 active ministries in DeKalb County and Clayton County, Georgia. Alvarado has earned numerous degrees and is currently writing his dissertation, Toward an African-American Pentecostal Theology of Worship, toward a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pentecostal theology. In addition, he serves as president/professor of theology of the Greater Atlanta Theological Seminary. A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Alvarado has authored academic papers, book chapters, and journal articles on the subjects of ecclesiology, church/pastoral leadership, holiness, and worship and liturgics.

A first-generation Haitian American, Barnett is a digital content curator and brand strategist with a diverse professional background. She draws from her experiences as a producer, consultant, speaker, host, and minister to help individuals, companies, and churches tell their stories ethically and boldly. Barnett holds a Master of Arts in Christian ministry from Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from Capella University. In 2024, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis, and will graduate from McAfee School of Theology with a DMin in pastoral care and chaplaincy in May 2025.

Will Buthod is pianist, organist, composer, and conductor at Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur. He’s worked in churches for over 26 years and is known for employing a wide range of styles to fit any given situation, from gospel to salsa and bluegrass. He has served congregations in New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Atlanta, as well as throughout Oklahoma and New Jersey.

Buthod’s gospel music background earned him a spot as pianist for the Harlem Gospel Choir, and he has played for such well-known preachers as Al Sharpton, Timothy Wright, James A. Forbes Jr., Albert Jamison, Jr., and Johnny Ray Youngblood. He has composed over 300 works, from classical trios to R&B tunes, which are performed regularly throughout the country and abroad. Buthod’s knowledge and understanding of a variety of sacred music and its history have also made him a popular clinician and speaker.

A second-generation teacher and preacher, Cherry serves as associate minister and minister of sacred movement arts at Saint Philip A.M.E. Church in Atlanta. She provides leadership as a 6th District MCAM-Dance Executive Board member choreographing and conducting workshops and consultations for local churches. She has choreographed and ministered with over 10 Christian music artists in national worship conferences. Cherry is a dual degree graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, holds a Master of Divinity from Turner Theological Seminary, and is a Board Certified-eligible pediatric chaplain. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Duke Divinity School.

Daniel is director of chapel music and assistant professor in the practice of music ministry at Candler, overseeing the musical life of the seminary and directing the Candler Singers both in and outside of weekly worship services. Since 2007, he has served as director of music and worship arts at Duluth First United Methodist Church. He previously served churches in Virginia, South Carolina, and Alabama. Daniel chaired the worship planning team for the 2018 and 2019 Lake Junaluska Music and Worship Arts Weeks, and served as musical director for worship at the North Georgia Annual Conference of The UMC from 2011 to 2014. He is a member of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, American Choral Directors Association, Choristers Guild, and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.

Elliott is professor in the practice of practical theology and Methodist Studies at Candler, where he also serves as director of Contextual Education II, Teaching Parish, and internships. An elder in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, he served as the pastor of rural, town, and suburban churches for 26 years prior to joining the Candler faculty in 2013. He is the co-author with Anne Burkholder of The Quick and Easy Guide to United Methodist Polity. Elliott’s current research interests focus on Christian formation in John Wesley’s preaching ministry in the early Methodist revival. He is also a singer, songwriter, musician and has published several musical CD projects.

Gregory is a producer, director, singer, actor, and minister who has performed on numerous stages throughout the United States. Among her many awards and nominations received, she is most proud of her nomination from Broadway World as Best Actress in a Professional Musical for her role as Caroline in Caroline, or Change. Although Gregory has an MEd in counseling psychology and is a certified life coach, her passions have always included ministry and the performing arts. She serves as the director of modern music & performing arts at Dunwoody United Methodist Church and will graduate with an MDiv from Candler in May 2025.

Henderson-Brooks is a fourth generation licensed and ordained Baptist preacher. She is a graduate of Spelman College and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In 2024, she earned her Doctor of Ministry from Memphis Theological Seminary as part of the country’s inaugural cohort focused on Womanist preaching. Currently, Henderson-Brooks serves as Candler’s assistant dean of students and is the senior pastor of historic Hill First Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia, the first woman elected to serve north Georgia’s oldest Black Baptist church in its 157-year history. A sought-after preacher, Henderson-Brooks travels and preaches across the country and abroad.

An experienced Christian educator, Kemp holds a BA with a three-pronged focus of music, Black Studies, and sociology, and an MA with an emphasis in Christian education. He is also a classically trained professional jazz musician and composer/arranger. In addition to his professional “gigs,” giving private lessons, and teaching music in community-based organizations and churches, Kemp helped to launch the ethnomusicology department at the University of Pittsburgh. He has a lifetime of training and experience addressing the educational, cultural, and spiritual needs of learners of all ages in community-based organizations, schools/universities, and churches.

An ordained elder in the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church, LeMon has been a member of Candler’s faculty since 2007, and views music as a tool for engaging with Scripture. His research focuses on the Psalms, Hebrew and Ugaritic poetry, and ancient Near Eastern history, literature and art. He is the author and co-editor of numerous books and a frequent speaker at universities, associations, and churches. LeMon studied trumpet as a music education major at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Virginia. Even as his academic focus shifted to the theological disciplines, he has continued to play the trumpet in churches, community orchestras, chamber groups, and various jazz and rock bands. He also enjoys playing dobro, banjo, and harmonica with his friends in the Hot Dill Pickers, a bluegrass consortium based in Decatur.

Little is the program coordinator for Candler’s Office of Worship and Spiritual Formation, where she also serves as a facilitator for The Candler Foundry’s certificate course on Essentials of Biblical Interpretation. As a Candler student, she was honored with the Hoyt L. Hickman Award for her significant contributions in pastoral care and liturgical leadership. With over 12 years of experience in congregational ministry, Little’s work has focused primarily on youth and college students, including her most recent role at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. A passionate teacher and group facilitator, she is dedicated to fostering community and cultivating spaces for spiritual growth. Whether in the classroom, in worship, or in small group settings, she strives to create environments where individuals can engage deeply with scripture, grow in their faith, and build meaningful connections.

McNeill is a sought-after workshop clinician, lecturer, consultant, mentor, and choral conductor. He currently serves as affiliate professor of worship and seminary musician at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He is a guest lecturer in the master’s degree program in Black Sacred Music housed jointly at the Arkansas Center for Black Music and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He previously served as director of choral activities and chairman of the department of performing arts at Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and as director of worship and the arts at Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. McNeill has held teaching positions at Texas Southern University, Campbell University, The Interdenominational Theological Center, and Union Presbyterian Seminary. He has curated and led worship for numerous denominational and institutional gatherings, and is a member of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), among others.

A native of Atlanta, Moore-Copeland completed her Master of Music Degree in vocal performance and literature at the University of Illinois at Champaign. Her concert credits include completing the world tour of the opera Porgy & Bess with the Houston Grand Opera, touring Japan, Italy, and France. She is a member of numerous institutions, among them the American Guild of Musical Artists and Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity Inc. Moore-Copeland is a lifelong member of Saint Philip AME Church in Atlanta, where she has served as director of worship and arts ministry for 28 years. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-edited the first online hymnal for the AME Church. Her solo project, “RADIANT,” is an eclectic mix of spiritual songs birthed out of the hurt, pain, and disappointments that she has endured throughout the journey of life.

Opalinski is an ordained United Methodist elder from the Florida Annual Conference. He served in local churches for over 20 years, and also chaired the Board of Ordained Ministry for the Florida Annual Conference. A 1998 Candler graduate, Opalinski holds a PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity from Iliff School of Theology/University of Denver. He has been a long time social justice and civil rights advocate, working in issues related to anti-racism, LGBTQ+ rights, poverty, and criminal justice reform and is committed to helping local churches (and the general Church) engage the world in a way that makes the Kingdom of God visible. His research interests include Methodist history/theology, monasticism, Celtic Christianity, contemplative spirituality, and new monastic expressions of church community.

Smith is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Divinity and associate dean of faculty at Candler, where he teaches preaching and ethics. He also serves as director of the Theological Education between the Times project and the editor of the related book series. He is the author of three books of his own: The End of Theological Education (Eerdmans, 2023), Weird John Brown: Divine Violence and the Limits of Ethics (Stanford University Press, 2014), and The New Measures: A Theological History of Democratic Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2007). Together these books try to think theologically about core American Protestant institutions, practices, ideals, and rhetoric in the time of their unraveling. Smith is ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Solomon earned his BA in political science from Morehouse College, and his MDiv and ThM from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on December 19, 2020, and to the Sacred Order of Priests on June 26, 2021. Prior to his ordination in The Episcopal Church, Solomon was a licensed and ordained Baptist minister and co-pastor of a nondenominational church. He currently serves as associate rector at Holy Trinity Parish, where he oversees children, youth, and adult formation. In the Diocese of Atlanta, he serves as secretary of the Standing Committee, diocesan chaplain for The Order of the Daughters of the King (Diocese of Atlanta), and the East Atlanta convocation representative for the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia. Solomon also serves Candler as chaplain of the formation community St. Vedast House and as an adjunct faculty member.

Stephens serves as associate pastor of Saint James Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. A 2018 graduate of Candler, he was the recipient of the school’s John Owen Smith Award for Preaching and was featured in By Faith magazine as a Harry Hoosier Spirit Award honoree for diverse ways of proclaiming the gospel. Stephens is a former member of Poetry Atlanta’s National Slam Poetry team and is writer and producer of The Ascension Project, a music project that fuses praise and worship and spoken word poetry. As a worship content consultant, he has created online worship experiences for dozens of churches across the country that entail original songs, poetry, and multimedia videos that communicate radical hospitality’s ability to transform ministry contexts. He’s also written original works of poetry and song for numerous national conferences and has created commissioned poetic works in honor of luminaries such as Ambassador Andrew Young, the late Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, and internationally renowned hyper-realist Ross Rossin.

Weaver serves as executive minister of The Riverside Church in New York City. She is a member of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship’s worship grants advisory board, a member of the Liturgical Conference board, and recently completed a term as a member at large on The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada’s executive committee. Weaver served as a theological consultant on the hymnal One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: An African American Ecumenical Hymnal (GIA Publications, 2018) and as a contributor to Singing Our Savior’s Story: A Congregational Song Supplement for the Christian Year, Hymn Texts since 1990 (GIA, 2014). She earned a BA from Bernard M. Baruch College C.U.N.Y., master’s degrees from Columbia University Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary, and The Catholic University of America, where she also earned a doctor of philosophy degree in liturgical studies and sacramental theology. Weaver has served internationally as a preacher, teacher, seminar convener, seminar and workshop leader, Bible study leader, panelist, and liturgical consultant.

Williams is co-director of Candler’s Baptist Studies program and senior pastor of the historic Providence Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Atlanta. Between 2009 and 2012, Williams served as an associate minister and was ordained at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta. In addition to his MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary, Williams earned his PhD in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a curriculum writer for the Baptist Layman publication of the Sunday School Publishing Board; an adjunct professor at Georgia Tech in both the Industrial and Systems Engineering departments; and works with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. Williams is also a committed mentor to youth and young adults in the Atlanta area. He serves on the boards of Columbia Theological Seminary and Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, as well as Candler’s Baptist Studies Advisory Board.

Williams is the associate dean of worship and spiritual formation, associate professor in the practice of worship, and co-director of the Baptist Studies program at Candler School of Theology. She also serves as the executive minister of Providence Missionary Baptist Church. An ordained minister with dual affiliation in the Baptist Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Williams earned her MA in theological studies from Columbia Theological Seminary and her PhD in liturgical studies with a focus on theology and worship from Graduate Theological Union. She is also a professionally trained classical ballet and modern dancer. Williams is the co-author of A Worship Workbook: A Practical Guide for Extraordinary Liturgy (Abingdon, 2021), and co-editor of Theological Foundations of Worship: Biblical, Systematic, and Practical Perspectives (Baker Academic, 2021). As an ordained minister and liturgical artist, Williams is sought after for her worship leadership, her vision for integrating worship and the arts, and her expertise in womanist and feminist spirituality and worship.

Williams is an educator, songwriter, singer, psalmist/cantor, vocal coach, and a licensed elder in the Apostolic denomination. She holds a BA in music education from Clark Atlanta University with a concentration in voice performance pedagogy and a master’s of education from the University of West Georgia. Williams serves as creative arts resource production director at Greater Turner Chapel AME Church. She is a music consultant and workshop facilitator for various denominations throughout Atlanta, the U.S., and internationally, and has been a vocal coach for Columbia Records, including for American Idol. Williams is actively involved in the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc., the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter, the Georgia Music Educators National Convention, the American Academy of Religion, and the Hymn Society, among others.