Co-Chairs:
Rev. Dr. Herbert Davis | Nehemiah Christian Center
Herbert Reynolds Davis maintains an active academic, ecclesiastical and advocacy profile engaging: Church Planting, Community Organizing and Advocacy, Christian Theology, Leadership Development and Organizational Consulting. Herbert holds a Bachelor degree in Religion, the Master of Divinity degree, the Doctor of Ministry and the Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership. He has earned professional certification in Leadership Education.
He served in academia as the Executive Vice President of a Title IV theological institution for more than a decade. Herbert has participated in broad based community organizing for over two decades through Metro IAF (Industrial Areas Foundation), serving on both local and national Strategy Teams. He regularly speaks to civic and faith-based groups effecting positive spiritual and social change. He is often requested to offer trainings for church leaders, nonprofit leadership teams and community organizations. Dr. Davis is the President of HRD Strategic Development LLC which offers training and development for religious organizations, higher education institutions, non-profits and small businesses. Herbert is the author of three books: The Visitation: Your Defining Moment in the Presence of God; The Christian Leadership Blueprint: Seven Principles for Building Something Great, Transformative, and Lasting; and Graced for This.
Herbert is ordained in the Church of God in Christ. He has served faithfully on the local, statewide, national, and international levels for more than thirty years. Locally he serves as the Senior Pastor of the multicultural Nehemiah Church. Herbert serves as a District Superintendent and Chairman of Ordination within North Carolina Second Jurisdiction. He has used his gifts through service both nationally and internationally with the Annual Leadership Conference, World Missions Department, the Pastors and Elders Council as well as the Education Commission. Herbert finds greater meaning and inspiration of life from his wife Psiyina and his four adult daughters.
Reverend Tanya Johnson | Abundant Hope Christian Church
Reverend Tanya Johnson is an Associate Pastor at Abundant Hope Christian Church. Rev. Johnson is also a professional who works for Duke Hospital. She is a native of Durham, NC and born to preacher/teacher parents. Rev. Johnson lived in public housing in her youth, which has fueled her passion for Affordable Housing. Rev. Johnson has been an active member of CAN for over four years. She has been the lead on several actions calling for DHA accountability, City Council Accountability and CAN to do internal reflection on how we engage and consider our work based on race, gender and socio-economic status. Rev. Johnson is a voice of reason for the CAN organization. As a leader, she is not afraid to challenge power in order to advocate for all. Her faith is pivotal in all decisions she makes. She does not take any assignment given to her lightly. It comes with prayer, research and analysis.Reverend Tanya Johnson is an Associate Pastor at Abundant Hope Christian Church. Rev. Johnson is also a professional who works for Duke Hospital. She is a native of Durham, NC and born to preacher/teacher parents. Rev. Johnson lived in public housing in her youth, which has fueled her passion for Affordable Housing. Rev. Johnson has been an active member of CAN for over four years. She has been the lead on several actions calling for DHA accountability, City Council Accountability and CAN to do internal reflection on how we engage and consider our work based on race, gender and socio-economic status. Rev. Johnson is a voice of reason for the CAN organization. As a leader, she is not afraid to challenge power in order to advocate for all. Her faith is pivotal in all decisions she makes. She does not take any assignment given to her lightly. It comes with prayer, research and analysis
Team Members
Pastor Molly Brummett Wudel | Emmaus Way
A native Tennessean, Molly first came to North Carolina ten years ago on a Wait Fellowship at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. She is recipient of Baptist Women in Ministry’s Addie Davis National Award for Excellence in Preaching (2013), and is published in The World is Waiting on You: Celebrating the 50th Ordination Anniversary of Addie Davis (2014) and Believe the Women: A Journey of Liberation with Alliance of Baptists' Women (2019).
As pastor at Emmaus Way, Molly focuses her time on curating the weekly worship gathering, creating space for theological and spiritual formation, cultivating deeper community relationships, and visioning alongside staff and lead teams. In addition to pastoring, Molly serves on Durham CAN's strategy team and is co-chair of the clergy caucus and has taught within the Department of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. She lives in Durham with her husband, daughter, and precious pup.
Elder James Blake | Fisher Memorial United Holy Church
Elder James Blake is a native of Durham, North Carolina. He was educated in the Durham Public School, Hillside High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While a student at UNC he joined the Black Student Movement which focused on the issues related to being black students on a predominantly white institution. This organization gave voice to those who felt invisible and powerless. Advocacy for others has been an early commitment and it continues today.
Not only was he an advocate for others but he has a great love for God and the church. He has been dedicated to the church by serving in many capacities. Believing that all service to God is important, he served in many aspects of the church including Sunday School Teacher, Vacation Bible School Teacher, Bible Study Teacher, Trustee, Minister of Music and eventually preacher of the Gospel. All of this was done under the leadership of the late Elder Robert A. Siler.
Elder Blake preached his initial sermon in January 2001 and was licensed in the United Holy Church in 2002. He was assigned to the Guiding Light United Holy Church in August of 2004 where he served for twelve years and was ordained an Elder in July 2005. He has served as an Assistant District Elder and on the Board of Presbytery. He also served as the President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Durham and Vicinity from 2015 thru 2018.
Currently Elder Blake serves as the pastor of the Fisher Memorial United Holy Church in Durham, North Carolina. There’s the church serves the community with a weekly food bank, adopting a class at CC Spaulding Elementary School as well as Fisher Tribe designed to attend to the needs of our youth. He also serves as a District Elder and as a member of the Board of Elders for the Western North Carolina District of the United Holy Church of America.
Elder Blake is married to Minister Sabrena Mervin-Blake and they are the proud parents of one daughter, Taylor.
Latasha Williams | Abundant Hope Christian Church
Latasha is a dedicated leader, passionate advocate, and committed professional who serves as a member and Dance Ministry Leader at Abundant Hope Christian Church. In addition, she holds the role of Assistant Property Manager at Priderock Capital Management, LLC. Though she has spent much of her life in Durham, NC, Latasha's roots trace back to Newark, NJ, where her early experiences shaped her unwavering determination to make a difference in the lives of others, particularly women and children.
Latasha’s drive to serve others was nurtured by witnessing her mother’s resilience as a single parent, steadily climbing the ranks in her career while raising Latasha and her younger brother. The perseverance and strength her mother demonstrated instilled in Latasha a profound sense of purpose—a desire to advocate for those in need and create lasting change.
Latasha earned her BSW and M.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Human Development and Family Studies from North Carolina Central University. It was through her social work background that Latasha discovered her calling to make a tangible impact in her community. Although she always knew she wanted to help others, it wasn’t until attending a listening session with Durham CAN that she realized this was where she could channel her passion and ignite the change she sought.
As a member of Durham CAN, Latasha boldly advocates for those who need it most. Drawing on her personal experience as a single parent, she fiercely champions the rights and well-being of her community. Her work advocating for free lunch and breakfast for all Durham Public Schools students exemplifies her commitment to ensuring equitable access to resources.
Although her journey with Durham CAN is just beginning, Latasha is determined to meet every challenge head-on, working alongside those in positions of power to bring about meaningful change. She firmly believes, as Mary Richmond wisely stated, “The good Social Worker doesn’t go on mechanically helping people out of a ditch…She begins to find out what ought to be done to get rid of the ditch.” Latasha is driven by this principle—working not just to address immediate needs but to create sustainable solutions that uplift and empower communities.
Rev. Melinda Keenan Wood | Pilgrim United Church of Christ
I am ordained in the Disciples of Christ tradition, (2000), a denomination that shares communion with the United Church of Christ, I was called to serve with Pilgrim, after a two year transition and search process, beginning our ministry together in September, 2017.
Prior to coming to Pilgrim, I served a Disciples of Christ congregation in Orlando, FL for fifteen years, ultimately helping my former congregation negotiate a settlement for its campus through eminent domain with the county in 2017. As I moved with the congregation through this painful four year process, I felt God’s call of leave-taking so that my former congregation could open itself to resurrection and new creation.
I have also served as the Minister in Residence for Chicago Theological Seminary and the Florida Center for Theological Studies. I graduated from University of Chicago with a Master of Divinity degree in 2000. I currently serve as a trustee for Disciple Divinity House, University of Chicago and served as President of its Alumni Council.
Prior to entering ministry, I worked for many years in corporate, government, nonprofit arenas, in Washington DC and Chicago. The concentration of my work, prior to accepting my call to ministry, was in international public policy through the Agency for International Development and World Vision. I hold a MBA from Loyola University, Chicago and a BA (French and Spanish) from Indiana University.
I pray my entire journey shapes and informs our ministry together.
Rabbi Matthew Soffer | Judea Reform Congregation
Rabbi Matthew Soffer is the Senior Rabbi of Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, N.C., where he leads a community of over 650 families through the cycles of an engaged, pluralistic, and modern Jewish life.
As a writer, musician, and community organizer, his rabbinate is informed by the belief that friendship and love are Jewish values, life is precious, and Judaism exists for the purpose of improving the human condition - both individually and systemically. Rabbi Soffer has provided years of pastoral care as well as ritual innovation and he is devoted to mining ancient texts for meaning with an embrace of challenging questions.
Rabbi Soffer was ordained by HUC-JIR, where he earned an M.A. in Hebrew Literature and was in the inaugural class of the Tisch Rabbinical Fellowship. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Muhlenberg College with a degree in English Literature. His formative Jewish learning developed at URJ Camp Harlam, where he experienced Judaism as a way of living meaningfully, rather than a conventional religion.
Prior to joining Judea Reform Congregation Rabbi Soffer, was the Senior Associate Rabbi of Temple Israel of Boston, the largest Reform Temple in New England, where he directed the Riverway Project, led its social justice work through its community organizing arm (“Tikkun Central”), and founded and directed the Village for Families with Young Children, a project that has touched thousands of families with the blessings of Judaism.
Rabbi Soffer joined Judea Reform Congregation in 2019 as its Senior Rabbi. His leadership blends humor, compassion, and creativity. He currently serves on the Strategy Team of DurhamCAN, the Board of Jewish for Good (Jewish Federation), and is on the Board of the North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association. He is committed to building personal and communal interfaith relationships that empower and enrich progressive coalitions in the South.
Rabbi Soffer diversifies the experience of Jewish practice through musical composition, performance, and even his stand-up comedy troupe called Three Rabbis Walk into a Bar. He has been recognized by Newsweek/Daily Beast as one of “10 Rabbis to Watch,” and he was selected as one of the Religious Action Center’s “50 Faces of Justice.”