Speakers, Musicians, & Artists
David Platt
Dr. David Platt, Pastor at The Church at Brook Hills, is deeply devoted to Christ and His Word. David’s first love in ministry is disciple-making – the simple, biblical model of teaching God’s Word, mentoring others, and sharing faith. He has traveled extensively to teach the Bible alongside church leaders throughout the United States and around the world. He has authored two books, Radical – Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, and Radical Together – Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. He is the founder of Radical, a resource ministry dedicated to serving the church in making disciples of all nations. David and his wife, Heather, have three children – Caleb, Joshua, and Mara Ruth. They are expecting their fourth child, Isaiah, this winter.
Michele Bachmann
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is the first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota. Congresswoman Bachmann has earned a reputation as a “principled reformer” who stays true to her conservative beliefs while pushing for real reform of the broken ways of Washington. Michele is a leading advocate for bipartisan earmark reform and tax relief and is a staunch opponent of wasteful government spending. She is among the leaders in the U.S. House pushing for increased energy exploration in the U.S. to provide much needed relief at the pump for hardworking Americans and put our nation on the path to energy independence.
Bachmann is a graduate of Anoka High School and Winona State University. After receiving her J.D. at the O.W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University and an L.L.M. in Tax Law at the College of William and Mary, she along with her husband, Marcus moved their young family to Stillwater, Minnesota. There they opened a small business health care practice that employs nearly fifty people. The Bachmanns, who have been married over thirty years, have five children, Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline and Sophia. The Bachmanns have also cared for 23 foster children, inspiring Bachmann’s tireless efforts in Congress on behalf of America’s foster and adopted children, a role that has earned her bipartisan praise. She is proud to represent Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District, which contains parts of seven counties, stretching from Scandia to Saint Cloud and Waconia to Waite Park.
Bishop W.C. Martin
For more than twenty years Bishop W.C. Martin has served the community of Possum Trot, TX as pastor of Bennet Chapel. In 1997, he and his wife Donna, adopted two children and began a miraculous adventure that has become one of the premier adoption stories in America.
Bishop W.C. & Donna Martin are the Founders of Saving a Generation Ministry, Inc., a nonprofit organization that has been recognized nationally for its success in facilitating, supporting, and under-girding the adoption/fostering of children who have been abused, neglected, & hard to place.
Saving a Generation's mission consists of helping rescue children who have suffered abuse and abandonment inside the foster care system. The Martin's share a roadmap to social transformation by demonstrating how his tiny church adopted and forever changed the destiny of 73 at risk children.
Bishop W.C. & Donna have two biological and four adoptive children.
Jedd Medefind
Jedd serves as President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. Previously, Jedd served in the White House, leading the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In this role, he guided reform efforts across the government to make the creativity and compassion of local non-profits central in all Federal efforts to aid the needy, from prisoner reentry to Global AIDS. Jedd also held a range of posts in the California State Legislature, and helped establish the California Community Renewal Project, which strengthens non-profits in some of the state’s most challenged communities. He has worked, studied and served in more than thirty countries, with organizations ranging from Price-Waterhouse, Moscow to Christian Life Bangladesh. Jedd has written numerous articles and two books, including The Revolutionary Communicator and co-authoring Four Souls.
Stephen Ucembe
Stephen Ucembe grew up as an orphan in institutional care from the age of around 5 till 18 years old. He has a BA in Social Work, and a Social Worker/ Counselor with HIAS refugee Trust of Kenya and currently am also undertaking my research in pursuance of MA Child Development. He started an organization called Kenya Network of Careleavers, currently known as Kenya Society of Careleavers. Started in 2009, the objective of the organization is to improve the wellbeing/ welfare of young people who grew up in institutional in Kenya, and helping them adjust with life after institutional care. He has been involved in advocacy work against unnecessary institutionalization of children and supporting family based care models as better alternative care approaches nationally and internationally. In addition he is a board member of the International Foster Care organization (IFCO) and a member of the Better Care Network (BCN) advisory team, promoting family care for children without parental care all over the world.
Dennis Rainey
Dennis Rainey is the President and CEO of FamilyLife, a subsidiary of Campus Crusade for Christ. Dennis has authored or co-authored more than two dozen books including the best selling Moments Together for Couples and Staying Close. Dennis serves as the senior editor of the HomeBuilders Couples Series® which has sold over 2.5 million copies and has been translated into 47 languages. A powerful and effective communicator, Dennis can be heard daily as co-host of the nationally syndicated radio program FamilyLife Today®. For his work in radio, Dennis was the recipient of the National Religious Broadcasters Radio Program of the Year Award twice. Dennis serves on the Board of Directors of FamilyLife and Dallas Theological Seminary. Dennis has spoken at numerous Weekend to Remember Marriage Getaways across the United States and internationally, but also for Promise Keepers events, YPO University, Fellowship Forum and at FamilyLife's I Still Do® and Rekindling the Romance® events.
Mary Landrieu
Mary L. Landrieu has been fighting and winning for Louisiana since she was first elected to the Louisiana state legislature at the age of 23. After serving eight years as a state representative and two terms as State Treasurer, in 1996 she became the first woman from Louisiana elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate. Senator Landrieu is currently the Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and a member of the Energy and Natural Resources, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. The nonpartisan Congress.org has ranked Senator Landrieu as the tenth most effective legislator in the Senate.
