CBFGA State Gathering Highland Hills Baptist Church-Registration-November 10-11, 2024

Recently retired from Good Faith Media as Executive Editor of Nurturing Faith journal for 24 years, John is well-known in Georgia CBF circles. John previously served as a Baptist campus minister, and he has served multiple CBFGA churches as interim pastor.

He is currently Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. John is a native of Ringgold, Georgia, and attended Berry College, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Columbia Theological Seminary.

Rich Kosowski is a child of the Midwest, born in Chicago and growing up around Green Bay, Wisconsin. He has earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Truman State University, a Master of Music in Performance from University of Miami, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Vocal Pedagogy and Voice Science from the University of Houston. Rich has held different cantor, chorister, and conductor positions in churches and synagogues throughout his adult life. He has maintained a rich and fulfilling performance career, which includes professional opera, oratorio, and choral work. Rich currently serves as the Director of Graduate Studies and chair of the Vocal Studies Area at Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music.

Rachel Gunter Shapard is the Regional Vice President for Together for Hope, Black Belt. She is also a co-founder of Pastors for Florida Children, a public education advocacy group in the Sunshine State that was formed in 2019. Previously, she served as the Associate Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida from June 2012 – March 2020; as an Eldercare Advocate at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, FL from 2009-2012; as a Hospice Chaplain for VistaCare Hospice in Lubbock, TX from 2006-2009; as Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Outreach at FBC Gainesville, GA from 2000 – 2006; and as an Admissions Counselor at McAfee School of Theology from 1998 – 2000.