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Conference Emcees

We’re honored to have Noemi Acosta, Math Interventionist with Richmond Public Schools, and Sharese Williams, Assistant Principal with Chesterfield County Public Schools, serve as our conference emcees. Together, they will guide us through the day’s sessions, helping create an atmosphere of faith, encouragement, and connection as educators gather to worship, learn, and prepare for the new school year.

Interactive Bible Study

Bruce A. Louis is a licensed mental health counselor associate, Christian life coach, minister, author, and U.S. Army veteran. Through counseling, coaching, and ministry, he is passionate about helping others grow in faith, strengthen their relationships, and confidently walk in their God-given calling. Bruce will lead Covered for the Calling: An Interactive Bible Study, guiding educators through Scripture as they prepare for the new school year.

Student Challenge & Educator Response

Dwight S. Riddick, III and Lynn Varian, Music Educator with Southampton County Public Schools, will each share a brief message to encourage, inspire, and challenge educators as they prepare for the new school year. This meaningful session offers both a student and educator perspective and sets the tone for the day ahead.

Interactive Keynote

Dr. Dwight S. Riddick, II and Rev. Dr. Jennell Whitfield Riddick will deliver a dynamic, tag-team keynote designed to encourage, challenge, and equip educators as they prepare for the new school year. Through biblical truth, practical application, and authentic conversation, they will remind educators that God has uniquely gifted and equipped them to faithfully walk in their calling.

To learn more about our keynote speakers, visit the Keynote page.

Mental Health Matters for Educators

Education is a calling, but it can also be demanding. Kasey Louis of Move in Faith Counseling Services and Vonda Warren-Lilly of VWL Counseling and Consulting will lead an engaging session that creates space for honest conversations about the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of educators. Together, they’ll share practical tools, strategies, and resources to help you care for yourself while continuing to faithfully serve others.

To learn more about our facilitators and the services they provide, visit:

Move in Faith Counseling Services
moveinfaithcs.com

VWL Counseling and Consulting
vwlcounselingandconsulting.com

Educator Round Tables

New this year, our Educator Round Tables give conference attendees the opportunity to learn from one another. Educators who submitted proposals will lead small group discussions, sharing ideas, experiences, and practical strategies from their schools and classrooms. Choose the topic that interests you most and join the conversation.

Round Table – Option 1

“Workshop Title: “Responsible Integration of Biblical Literacy in Public Education: Equipping Teachers to Fulfill Their Calling”

Presenter: Wilma Brown-Foreman

This workshop explores how professional training empowers public school teachers to responsibly incorporate biblical literacy into secular curricula, respecting legal and constitutional boundaries. Drawing from recent research and best practices, participants will learn strategies to teach biblical texts academically as literature, history, and moral virtues—”covered” by legal protections and scholarly objectivity. Emphasizing the importance of biblical literacy for moral development, critical thinking, and cultural understanding, the session will provide practical tools to enhance teacher confidence and efficacy. Attendees will gain insights into balancing respect for diverse beliefs while fostering holistic student growth, ultimately equipping educators to fulfill their calling to shape morally grounded, culturally literate, and academically prepared students within the framework of public education. This workshop aims to bridge legal, pedagogical, and character education goals, ensuring biblical literacy is a meaningful, responsible, and transformative component of secular schooling.

Round Table – Option 2

“Covered for the Calling: When the Mask Gets Heavy: Rediscovering Purpose, Strength, and Identity in Education”

Presenter: Charmaigne Lloyd

Many educators entered this profession with a passion to make a difference, yet somewhere between the lesson plans, student behaviors, testing demands, endless expectations, and personal responsibilities, that passion can become buried beneath exhaustion. We show up every day for our students, colleagues, and communities, often carrying burdens that no one sees. We smile, teach, lead, encourage, and serve while quietly wondering how much longer we can continue carrying the weight.

This interactive workshop is designed for educators who have ever felt stretched, discouraged, overlooked, or disconnected from the very purpose that brought them into education. Through reflection, discussion, collaborative activities, and biblical encouragement, participants will examine the “masks” they wear, identify the weights they carry, and rediscover the difference between their assignment and their identity.

Grounded in Hebrews 13:20–21 and the conference theme, *The Blood of Jesus: Covered for the Calling*, this session reminds educators that God never intended for us to lose ourselves while fulfilling our calling. While the challenges of education are real, so is God’s ability to equip, strengthen, and sustain us through every season.

Participants will leave refreshed, encouraged, and empowered with practical strategies to protect their purpose, nurture their well-being, and lead authentically. Most importantly, they will leave reminded that before they are educators, they are children of God—called, equipped, and covered for the work He has entrusted to their hands.

Round Table – Option 3

“Love With the Love of Jesus”

Presenter: Dr. Beverly Allen-Hardy

This workshop theme reminds me of how Jesus was tempted by Satan. In every answer, Jesus used God’s word to silence the demon. Many teachers are intimidated by parents who sometimes make them feel as though they are the enemy. Teachers need strategic approaches to managing difficult parents and situations. They need God’s word.
In my experiences as a School Principal, scripture was an integral part of my desk and wall. Luke 4:18 was my daily walk. I prayed for parents and with parents who were broken and angry, at their wits’ end. Parents want to be heard! They always had my respect and my ear. We need to remember that parents were once students. Teachers need to build trusting relationships in which parents feel welcome and appreciated. Not easy!
When teachers look in the mirror, they focus on the God who stands with them and be reminded of Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

Round Table – Option 4

 “Equipped to Pivot: Thriving Versus Surviving Through the Educational Year”

Presenter: Dr. Tamara Williams

Equipped to PIVOT is an empowering and interactive professional development workshop designed to help educators in faith to move beyond simply surviving the demands of the academic year and become intentional about thriving—personally, professionally, and collectively. 

Participants will leave Equipped to PIVOT with practical strategies, renewed perspective, and an intentional plan for navigating the academic year. The workshop challenges educators to shift from “How am I going to get through this year?” to “How can I prepare myself to thrive throughout this year?”

Because surviving the educational year is about making it to the finish line. Thriving is about how you live, lead, teach, connect, and grow along the way.The goal is not simply to make it through the educational year. The goal is to be prepared to PIVOT when necessary, remain grounded in purpose, and to THRIVE every single step of the way.

Worship & Prayer for the School Year Ahead

We’ll close the conference by coming together in worship and prayer as we prepare for the new school year. This special time will provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and seek God’s guidance, strength, and wisdom for the students, schools, and communities we have been called to serve.

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Thank you for exploring the 2026 Educators in Faith Conference schedule. We pray this day encourages your heart, strengthens your faith, and equips you for the school year ahead. We look forward to welcoming educators as we gather to worship, grow in God’s Word, connect with one another, and pray together.