Opening Night Entertainment
Thursday, November 9th, 2023, 7:00 PM ET On-site and Livestream
Urban Impact Pittsburgh Youth Dance Team
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Morning Devotions
Friday, November 10th 2023, 8:00 am – 8:30 am ET On-site and Livestream
Rev. Keith Reynolds, MBA
Bio: Leadership has been increasingly understood as my way of learning from, and partnering with others, to catalyze change. As awareness of my participatory role in the unfolding drama of making good abound where bad seems to dominate – so to have opportunities for influence and service to communities, and individuals.
Mentoring, preaching and teaching, guest speaking, facilitating retreats, team building, vision casting, and consulting are just some of the ways that I have been invited or compelled to bring my influence to bear.
Devotional
“Renewed to Renew”
“Jesus said to them, Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.’ Many people were coming and going. They could not even eat.” -Matt 6:31-33
Ministry, or the enterprise of making the Gospel sensibly known to all people in every sphere of life, eventuates from a life abandoned to, and one that abides in, Jesus. From this restful place and posture, we derive the stamina and resource required to fulfill the mandate of Love.
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Morning Devotions
Saturday, November 11th, 2023, 8:00 am – 8:30 am ET On-site & Livestream
Gretchen Smith, MSW, LISW, CP
Bio: Words of encouragement play an important role in the therapeutic relationship. Gretchen strives to use her words wisely as she discovers, with her clients, their potential for making positive change in their lives.
Gretchen earned her BA in Sociology from Muskingum University and immediately answered a call to ministry with college students through the Coalition for Christian Outreach. After three years, she went to The Ohio State University where she earned her Master of Social Work degree focusing her preparation in working with children and families. As a licensed clinical Social Worker she has spent over 30 years working in agencies, private practice, and schools, and she has served as a registered supervisor for Social Work licensure in South Carolina.
Through the years, her therapeutic passion has always been to help people identify and overcome barriers so that they are enabled to make positive life changes by understanding and leveraging their God-given strengths, abilities and talents.
Devotional: “Philippians- A Treasure Trove of Encouragement”
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Saturday, November 11th, 2023
During the NACSW Community Conversations, 11:30 am ET
The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh
The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh is an auditioned mixed chorus whose mission is to perform high quality choral music in the Pittsburgh region and across the USA. The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh is founded and conducted by renowned Pittsburgh-area music director Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones. We enjoy coming together to learn and perform choral music for music lovers throughout the Pittsburgh community.
he Mission of The Heritage Chorale of Pittsburgh is to perform a wide variety of high quality choral music and inspire in ourselves and our audience a greater love and understanding of music, African-American Sacred Choral Music and Gospel Music. We are committed to enriching the lives of singers, audiences, and our communities through education, performance, and collaboration.
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Saturday, November 11th, 2023
During the Saturday Evening Banquet, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET On-site & Livestream
Enjoy the inspiring music and performance of Nikki Porter
Singer, songwriter, vocal coach, choir director, actress and recording artist, Rev. Nicol “Nikki” Porter is the Minister of Music and Head of Staff at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, a cross-cultural, inner-city congregation in Pittsburgh’s East End. She has provided oversight of the church’s music department for nineteen years, serving as worship leader, director of the adult and youth praise teams, children’s and mass choirs and private voice teacher in the church’s after-school music program, The Judah Project, which she established in 2005.
In addition to her full-time vocational music ministry, Rev. Porter travels throughout the United States and in Europe singing and teaching Gospel music, including the annual Gospel Connection conference in Assisi, Italy, where she and fellow clinicians teach and conduct a 350-voice mass choir comprised of singers from all over Italy. Here at home, she serves as the Lift Every Voice Unity Choir director for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, performs solo and with her band at events, such as Juneteenth, the Pittsburgh Black Music Festival, Pittsburgh Prays – the last event at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) and toured as actress/singer with the hit Gospel musical stage play, The Bold and The Sanctified, featuring Ruben Studdard. Rev. Porter also teaches music workshops and serves as guest Minister of Music for major events. Her recorded music is available via digital outlets, and with the soon-to-be- released CHURCH (Congregational Healers Uniting to Restore Health) project of the University of Pittsburgh.
Not only is Rev. Porter a music minister and recording artist, but as an activist, she has served and marched locally and in Washington, D.C. with the Black Political Empowerment Project/Election Protection, Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and has volunteered with food distributions in collaboration with the Wilkinsburg Free Store, National Heart Association and East Liberty Family Health Care Center. In November 2019, the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh named Rev. Porter as their Racial Justice Awards Common Ground Award recipient for her work in racial reconciliation and The New Pittsburgh Courier presented her with their Women of Excellence award in December of 2022.
Rev. Porter holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she also studied piano, jazz voice with the late Maureen Budway and founded Duquesne’s Gospel Choir, the Gospel Joynotes. Her private music studies include flute, piano with Dr. Alton Merrell, and classical voice with Eugene Perry. She also attends Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Master of Theological Studies program.
Rev. Porter is a member and elder of Potter’s House Ministries where she was ordained in 2008 by the late Bishop Otis L. Carswell. Prior to that, she was a member of Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ under the leadership of the late Bishop Loran E. Mann for sixteen years where she was called to ministry, licensed as an Evangelist, served in the music ministry and as teen Bible study teacher.
Rev. Porter has been married to the love of her life, Pastor Raymond Porter, Jr. for seventeen years and is the proud mother of their fifteen-year-old son, Raymond Porter, III, who is following in his mom’s musical and theatrical footsteps.
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