84 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING: FOUNDATION LUNCHEON SPEAKER
R ev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley (Iota Xi 1991) is the exciting, gifted and anointed senior pas- tor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, VA. A courageous, dynamic and visionary leader, he is only the eighth pastor in the church’s 216-year history of worship- ping Christ while serving humankind. Currently, Dr. Wesley is part of the first- of-its-kind in the world: the inaugural cohort of only 10 exceptional students in the Ph.D. program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric program at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. Under Dr. Wesley’s extraordinary leader- ship, the Alfred Street Baptist Church has grown from 2,500 members to near- ly 9,000 members, 50,000 plus monthly online viewers and 80 active ministries with an emphasis on children’s minis- tries and missions. To accommodate its favor and growth, the church holds four weekend worship services, including one on Saturday nights. As a result, Dr. Wes- ley has launched an initiative to redesign and expand the current sanctuary and ministry facility. Dr. Wesley is regarded as one of the most prolific and prophetic voices of jus- tice and grace in our generation. An em- phatic pastor who is not afraid to take on social and political issues, Dr. Wes- ley led community protest marches
against the New York grand jury’s 2014 decision not to indict an NYPD officer whose chokehold led to the death of Eric Gardner. His sermon, “When the Verdict Hurts,” was acknowledged in Time Magazine’s July 29, 2013 cover story, “After Trayvon” as one of the best sermons preached in the United States following the “not guilty” verdict in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Three of Dr. Wesley’s sermons, “When the Verdict Hurts”, “A Rizpah Response” (and with the black hoody he donned while preaching his sermon), and “Tell Your Own Story,” have been archived in the faith-based collection of the National Museum of African Ameri- can History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. With his guidance, Alfred Street Baptist Church became the first and only faith-based institution founding donor of the NMAAHC with a $1 million donation. much sought-after speaker for worship services, conferences and revivals. His preaching became a favorite of former President and Mrs. Barack Obama who worshipped with their family at Alfred Street Baptist Church on several Easter Sundays. “Faith Forward,” his radio broadcast on the Radio/Urban One Known to challenge the mind and inspire the heart, Dr. Wesley is a
Network, is one of the most listened to religious broadcasts in the Washington, DC area and his sermons on YouTube have more than 50 million views. Dr. Wesley is a compassionate and visionary pastor who cares deeply for the members of Alfred Street. At the church’s come-as-you-are service, he teaches and preaches to nearly 1,000 young adults, ages 22-35, from across the Washington, DC metropolitan area on topics that are relevant to today’s young professional. Dr. Wesley was twice recognized (2013 and 2016) by The Root as one of the top 100 most influential African Americans in the na- tion. In 2016, he received the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award for his work in social justice at the 47 th Annual NAACP Im- age Awards. In 2017, Dr. Wesley was honored for his work in ministry as an Engaged Clergyperson with the Rain- bow PUSH Coalition Trombone Award during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Annual Media and Telecom Symposium in Washington, DC. A native of Chicago, Dr. Wesley is the product of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in biomedi- cal and electrical engineering. While in medical school, Dr. Wesley yielded to the call of God and walked away from a path to a medical career to attend seminary at the presti- gious Boston University School of Theology where he was a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. scholar and a summa cum laude gradu- ate in biblical studies and African American religious history. He received his Doctor of Ministry in preaching from Northern Baptist Seminary. His passion for and excellence in preaching has afforded him the opportunity to serve as an adjunct professor at Hartford Seminary, Boston University and Virginia Theological Seminary. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Virginia Union Univer- sity and the John Leland Center
THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2019 | 55
Publishing achievement for 105 years
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