KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Rev. Efrem Smith
Susie Gamez
Rev. Efrem Smith is a pastor, consultant, motivational speaker and author. He is passionate about life transformation, racial righteousness, thriving churches and community development.
Smith was the founding pastor of the Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church in Minneapolis, and cofounded and was president of the Sanctuary Community Development Corporation. He formerly served as the superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, providing leadership to 160 churches within California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Utah.
In addition, he served as the president and CEO of World Impact, an urban missions organization committed to empowering urban leaders and planting churches in under-resourced communities. Currently, Smith is the co-lead pastor of Midtown Church, a thriving and multi-ethnic community in Sacramento.
Susie Gamez is Canadian by birth, Korean by heritage, Mexican by marriage and American by immigration. She is passionate about matters surrounding reconciliation, racial justice and the gospel.
Gamez and her husband Marcos met at Fuller Theological Seminary while getting their master’s degrees in intercultural studies. They now have four beautiful LatAsian kids. After serving as a youth pastor and church planter in South Central Los Angeles for 14 years, Susie now lives in Long Beach, California.
WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
Joel Perez
Donecia Smith
Sebastian Rogers
SCHEDULE
Monday, March 13
| 7-8:30 p.m. | Plenary keynote speaker: Efrem Smith Bauman Auditorium |
Tuesday, March 14
| 10:50-11:40 a.m. | Chapel keynote speaker: Efrem Smith Bauman Auditorium |
| noon – 1:15 p.m. | Lunch break |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Breakout session 1 Canyon Commons 101-103 |
| 3-4 p.m. | Breakout session 2 Canyon Commons 101-103 |
| 4:15-5:30 p.m. | Afternoon plenary panel discussion Bauman Auditorium |
| 6:30 p.m. | Preview Screening of the Documentary High Eagle Post Film Q&A with Filmmaker Sebastian Rogers Bauman Auditorium |
Wednesday, March 15
| 9-9:50 a.m. | Morning worship and devotion Canyon Commons 101-103 |
| 11 a.m. – noon | Closing plenary: Susie Gamez location TBD |
For more information about this years Symposium, visit the GFU website below.
Rodney K. Sisco Diversity Students’ Choice Awards
Both Wheaton College where Rodney served as well as the Sisco Symposium award yearly honorees with an Award for championing efforts resulting in greater diversity, Kingdom inclusion, justice, and unity. Click to learn more about the award as well as see past recipients.