Speakers:
SPEAKER
Michael Beck
Michael Beck is a pastor, professor, and author. Beck is a rare breed of both practitioner and scholar, actively engaged in frontline ministry while also researching and teaching at multiple academic institutions.
Michael and wife Jill have led a series of revitalizations and unconventional church plants with "the ones no one else wants or sees." They are currently co-pastors of Compassion and St Marks UMCs, where they oversee a holistic recovery housing program called Open Arms Village, and lead a network of fresh expressions gathering in tattoo parlors, dog parks, burrito joints, EV charging stations, digital spaces, and a substance abuse rehab. Michael serves as the Director of Fresh Expressions Florida, Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at Perkins SMU, and Director of Fresh Expressions UM.
He is currently a graduate instructor of sociology at the University of Florida and teaches as an adjunct professor at several seminaries including Emory, United, and Duke. Beck is the author of 18 books and widely considered the primary practitioner and thought leader of the Fresh Expressions movement in the United States. Follow on Substack.
SPEAKER
Woo Kang
Woo Kang is an Associate Pastor at The Nett Church and the Lead Pastor of At The Table, a dinner Church in Historic Norcross, Georgia, launched in February 2023. At The Table has quickly become a welcoming and transformative space, particularly for young people, to rediscover what it means to be the Church and belong to a faith community. Through innovative, asset-based approaches, Woo is dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of the community in fresh and meaningful ways.
As an Associate Pastor at The Nett, Woo has focused on outreach and discipleship ministries, helping to cultivate deeper connections within the congregation and beyond.
In his free time, he enjoys fishing, running, sleeping, exploring coffee shops, and indulging in great food with his wife, Lydia, and their beloved dog, Sugar.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AND SPEAKER
Carmelle Beaugelin
Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell is a Haitian-American visual theologian and multidisciplinary artist who work moves in vibrant hues and layered textures —- a visual language of ancestral memory and sacred migration.
Drawing on the wisdom of Caribbean art traditions and Christian pneumatology, her practice is rooted in Kombit —- a Haitian philosophy of collective labor and mutual care —- as an act of ancestral remembrance and sacred co-creation of new divine realities.
A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Carmelle founded BeauFolio Studio to curate collaborative experiences that merge fine art, spiritual practices, and play. Her work has been commissioned by Interfaith American, Duke Divinity, and A Sanctified Art.
Carmelle serves as Associate Director of the Missing Voices Project at Flagler College’s Center for Religion and Culture and sits on the board of Artworks Trenton. She has been awarded the 2025-2026 Overseas Missions Study Center (OMSC) Artists’ Residency at Princeton Theological Seminary.
SPEAKER
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will challenge us to “Go and make disciples of all nations” in the Sunday morning session, which will end with communion and a final invitation to “Go!” and share the story of all that God is doing in your life and in the world around you. You can learn more about Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi in the following articles:
A New Chapter for EPA&GNJ: A Conversation with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
Artists:
ARTIST
Alexander Pappas
Alexander Pappas is a world-renowned Worship Leader and Songwriter.
Having served as part of Young & Free, and Hillsong Worship for over a decade, and penning songs like “Alive”, “Wake”, “Real Love” and “Echo” which have served the global Church.
ARTIST
Tomorrow Has Come Ministries
Tomorrow Has Come started as a group of young adult worship leaders coming together to lead worship for a single event. Originally 8 musicians from Virginia, the group now consists of over 20 musicians living throughout the United States. Led by Andrew LaBar-Dietz, the membership looks different for every service.
Tomorrow Has Come draws influence from a variety of music and artists, both secular and spiritual, including: traditional hymns, the music of Taizé, Chris Tomlin, Eric Whitacre, Gary Clarke Jr., Puppet, Chicago, Mumford and Sons, and more.
They walk an eclectic path, finding ways to use different styles of music to engage with God in new and creative ways, all while welcoming the listener into the holy moment. You never know exactly what you will find with Tomorrow Has Come, but you can be sure that worshipping God will be its heart.
Emcee & Concert:
To date, El Vow has been featured in several national tours along many of today’s top artist such as Social Club Misfits, Tedashii, Derek Minor, KB, Travy Joe and many others. El Vow's music delivers a distinguishing style for his distinctive listeners. “I wanted to leave people with something more than just dope beats, I wanted to give them more substance” says Vow. Vow’s musical influences include Hip Hop, EDM along with traditional Mexican and latino music, which he claims to filter through his faith. It is no wonder El Vow continues to leave audiences hungry for more.
Although the ingredients in Vows secret recipes may seem to be requesting a slice in today’s music industry. El Vow also concentrates on other important things aside from the creative arts. El Vow and his family are currently raising support for their next season in ministry as full time missionaries. CLICK HERE to read more
DJ El Vow
WORKSHOP
Lauren Jenkins
Lauren N. Jenkins is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a certified therapist in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (C-DBT) Lauren is also a mental health Advocate, empowerment speaker, and trainer with over 19 years of experience providing therapeutic support and interventions to youth and adults involved in the correctional/mental health systems. In addition, Lauren holds extensive experience facilitating professional development and training for government organizations, as well as community outreach organizations throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia, as well as across the United States. Lauren is a Certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer (Youth and Adult), through the National Council for Wellbeing, a Master Trainer in Adverse Childhood Experiences, through the ACE Interface cohort; and a certified facilitator of other various Trauma Informed and Cognitive Behavioral programming and trainings. In her advocacy work, Lauren is passionate about raising awareness on the impact of suicide on African American Communities. She is a committe member for the non-profit organization Black People Die By Suicide Too, Board Member for the Life of Joy Foundation, as well as a Suicide Prevention advocate and Trainer of various suicide prevention programs, including L.E.T.S. Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Black and African American Communities through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is a Trainer and Co-Director for Soul Shop™ for Black Churches, a faith-based suicide prevention workshops, to support leaders and congregations minister to those impacted by suicidal desperation and suffering.
In August of 2021, Lauren launched The Journey2Well, LLC, (https://thejourney2well.com), a mental health and organizational wellness company to empower and equip organizations, through training, coaching and consulting to promote emotionally healthier staff, leaders, and work environments. The Journey2Well, LLC also provides psychotherapy and processing groups for individuals, primarily those called to the helping profession, in order to help improve their overall quality of life and so they can help others they have been entrusted to serve and support effectively and well.
When Lauren is not providing therapy, or serving as an advocate and trainer, Lauren enjoys leading worship, singing, and songwriting. She is a musician. From 2013-2020, she served as the lead singer for the Christian band "withLove," a Baltimore based band, who uses music and service to spread the word of God and the message to all to "Love God, Love People, and to do Everything with Love." She currently serves as the praise and worship leader at St. Paul United Methodist Church, located in Oxon Hill, MD under the pastorship of the Rev. Tony Love.