Windows on the World (October 7th at 10 a.m.)

Donald Hilliard: Preacher, Author, Painter, Professor, and Senior Pastor of Cathedral International

Windows on the World (October 7th at 10 a.m.): “Cross the Street”. Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. serves as the senior pastor of Cathedral International—The Historic Second Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. His willingness to “Say Yes!” to the Lord has fostered his ability to provide leadership in the exponential growth of the Church over the last 39 years. Dr. Hilliard’s transformational mindset is reflected in the numerous community development initiatives established under his leadership. He is the Founder and CEO of the Cathedral Community Development Corporation (an umbrella organization providing various outreach services to the local community), the author of fourteen books (including “Midlife, Manhood, & Ministry” and “55 and Counting”), and creator of original pieces of art through his abstract expressionist company Pulpit to the Palate Art.

Ordained into the ministry by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. in 1978 and consecrated a Bishop under the hand of Bishop John R. Bryant in 1995, Bishop Hilliard is the Presiding Prelate Emeritus and founder of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies (CEFCA), now known as Covenant Fellowship Alliance (CFA). He continues to serve as Father and Influencer to countless sons and daughters across the nation. Dr. Hilliard earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern College (now Eastern University!), the Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an earned Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary as a Dr. Samuel D. Proctor Fellow. Passionate about education, Dr. Hilliard is the former Pastor-Scholar in Residence at Palmer Theological Seminary, as well as a former member of the Board of Directors at Somerset Christian College, Somerset, NJ.  Bishop Hilliard is a servant of God who is comfortable in cathedrals, storefronts, and corporate board rooms, and he continues to say “Yes” to the Lord’s call on his life. Learn more about Donald Hilliard.

Windows on the World (November 18th at 10 a.m.)

Sarah Davies: Chief Data & Analytics Officer at NOVACREDIT

“When the Only Way to ‘Be in the World but Not of It’ Means You’re Called to Disrupt It!”. Sarah Davies will share how the Lord has guided her career as a Christian leader in analytics to disrupt foundational components of the U.S and global financial services industry. Through these industry disruptions, millions of people, who have frequently been marginalized and excluded from mainstream credit, have been able to gain access to the essential financial resources that enable them to fund their education, acquire a home and navigate challenging life events. Sarah will reveal the values and hallmarks that the Lord has used to ‘signature’ her career and enabled her to follow Him into the world whilst (most of the time) not being of it!

Sarah is the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at NovaCredit. She has over 25 years experience in the financial services sector, serving as an executive leader and innovator in the analytics and decision science field. Prior to joining NovaCredit, she was Senior Vice President of Product at VantageScore Solutions, LLC where she led the development of the VantageScore credit scoring models. She has authored numerous whitepapers and research insights on consumer credit behavioral analysis, holds several patents in credit analytics and is a frequent speaker and educator on credit risk and consumer behavioral analytics. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Operations Research, a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Operations Research and Statistics, a Masters degree in Theological Studies, and a PhD in Theology and Religion. Learn more about Sarah Davies.

Windows on the World (December 9th at 10 a.m.): “We’re People, Not Parables”. As an author, speaker, disability advocate, and trauma survivor, Stephanie Tait has harnessed her experience, writing her intimate understanding of pain into messages that foster healing within the Kingdom of God. For many, the term "ableism" feels like a fairly new addition to the cultural lexicon. But in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, there has never been a greater urgency to ask ourselves this question: What impact, if any, does ableism have on our churches, our faith practices, and even our reading of Scripture itself? From teachings on the healing stories of the gospels, to "was blind but now I see," Stephanie will explore some of the specific barriers disabled people face to full inclusion and participation in the body of Christ - and point us towards prophetic imagination of what "on earth as it is in Heaven" could look like.

With radical candor and transparency, her work aims to partner sound theology and practice with the unashamed acceptance of struggle in the present tense. She aims to create space for the reality of suffering, as well as practical tools and experience for its management, in the center of our faith ethic, our communities, and our joy. As a Lyme disease sufferer, whose 14-year delayed diagnosis led to myriad lasting health consequences, and a trauma survivor who remains in active treatment for her C-PTSD, she speaks and writes about disability and suffering from the perspective of her everyday lived experience. Her book, The View From Rock Bottom, examines the influences of the prosperity gospel in the modern church and urges us to a deeper and more robust theology of suffering. Stephanie's current work most notably focuses on disability justice, seeking to correct the inequities that exclude disabled bodies from full inclusion in both the church, and our larger communities. Learn more about Stephanie Tait.

Windows on the World (February 10th at 10 a.m.)

Details forthcoming

Learn more about Neighborly Faith.

Windows on the World (February 17th at 10 a.m.)

"Bringing Justice to the Wastelands"

Corban Addison is the international bestselling author of four novels, A Walk Across the Sun, The Garden of Burning Sand, The Tears of Dark Water, which won the inaugural Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, and A Harvest of Thorns, and one work of narrative nonfiction, Wastelands: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial. His books have been published in more than twenty-five countries and address some of today’s most pressing issues of justice and human rights.

Corban holds a law degree from the University of Virginia and an engineering degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After completing a judicial clerkship, he spent six years trying cases in the courtroom before turning to writing full-time. He is a supporter of numerous humanitarian causes, including the abolition of modern slavery, forced labor, and gender-based violence. He lives with his wife and children in Virginia. For more information on Corban Addison, please visit www.prhspeakers.com.