We are excited to feature two excellent speakers at our Men’s Retreats at Camp Walter Scott and Crystal Conference Center.
Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray at Camp Walter Scott, 19-21 September
Rev. Brian Frederick-Gray serves as the Director for Justice and Advocacy Ministry with Disciples Home Missions, where his work seeks to empower Disciples to use our voices and our actions to promote greater justice and mercy in the world. He also serves in a part-time capacity as Director for Mission Support & The Peace Intern Program with Disciples Peace Fellowship, where he has been responsible for strengthening connections with the wider church while equipping young adults as ambassadors for peace and justice.
Prior to his current roles, he served for seven years as Senior Minister at First Christian Church in Scottsdale, AZ, where he helped revitalize the congregation for mission and ministry.
Rev. Frederick-Gray has extensive experience participating with, and providing leadership to, organizations that do justice and advocacy work. He is a co-facilitator for the Disciples Justice Ministries Working Group, serves on the Executive Committee of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, and is a Member of the National Council of Churches Reparatory Justice Table, and he just completed a term as a Public Theology Fellow with Wesley Theological Seminary.
Brian lives in Bloomington, IN with his wife (the Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray), and they have a 19-year-old son who is a Sophmore at Chapman University and a 6-year Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Hercules.
Rev. Derrick Perkins, Sr. at Crystal Conference Center, 26-28 September
Rev. Derrick Perkins, Sr. is a native St. Louisan, shaped by a family of origin and ethos of strong and courageous African American women from Edwards, Mississippi. He is an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. In March of 2025, he began his ministerial call with Disciples Home Missions as Director for Congregational Vitality &
Innovation (CVI). CVI is a program area that supports DHM’s mission by developing resources and learning experiences for pastors, lay-leaders, and congregations to assist in congregational self-reflection, lay leader development, community partnership, and outreach. Serving in this merger position affords him the opportunity to serve the whole Church, while also advocating for and supporting ministry and causes for African American disciples and communities.
Prior to his current role, Rev Perkins served as the senior pastor of Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in St. Louis, MO, from October 2007 to February 2025. While at Centennial, Rev. Perkins provided significant leadership in developing ministry programs and collaborations that address and engage social determinants, health disparities, food insecurity, education, communal uplift, cultural enrichment, and more. Under Rev. Perkins’ leadership, Centennial became a community hub for resources for families and residents living in the Fountain Park and Lewis Place communities and neighborhoods throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Rev Perkins has a history of providing leadership, consulting, and program support for many not-for-profit organizations locally and nationally. He currently serves on numerous boards. He is a certified anti-racism trainer for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Rev. Perkins attended Lincoln University of Missouri, Harris Stowe State University, and Eden Theological Seminary, earning a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies in Science & Social Science, and a Master of Divinity Degree. He is a proud life-member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is married to Bridget Perkins, and is father to Aliyah, Derrick, and Andrew. Born and raised in urban communities plagued by poverty and systemic injustice, he has taken the mantle of ministry and committed his life to partnering with God’s mission to establish justice for all of
God’s people. Derrick’s motto for living is “Only what you do for Christ is going to last!”