HBCU Link 2025 Speakers

  • Thabiti “Pastor T” Anyabwile is one of the pastors for ARC. He has served as an elder and pastor in churches in NC, DC and the Cayman Islands. After a few years as a practicing Muslim, Thabiti was converted under the preaching of the gospel in the Washington DC area. He and his wife, Kristie, have three children. Thabiti is the author of several books, including The Life of God in the Soul of the Church; The Gospel for Muslims; What Is a Healthy Church Member?; The Decline of African-American Theology; and The Faithful Preacher. He blogs at The Front Porch.

    At the HBCU Link, Pastor T’s session is entitled, “Church Planting and Campus Ministry.” Join us as we are equipped in how church plants and campus ministries can collaborate together to reach students. Whether you are a church planter looking to reach your local HBCU, a campus worker looking to partner well with an outward-facing church, or a campus worker considering a transition from campus ministry into church planting, this is for you.

  • Born and raised in Jackson, MS, Elbert “Pastor El” McGowan studied Mechanical Engineering at Alabama A&M before beginning his career with GE Aircraft. Though he had seen drugs devastate his family, he later witnessed their transformation through the gospel, leading to his own conversion while living in Ohio. Elbert soon felt called to share the gospel, starting with prison ministry in Kentucky before marrying his wife Karen and pursuing seminary at RTS in Jackson. There, he helped launch a campus ministry (Reformed University Fellowship) at Jackson State University and later became Senior Pastor of Redeemer Church in 2015. Elbert and Karen live in Jackson with their two children, Karis and Tripp, and remain devoted to serving the city they love.

    At the HBCU Link, Pastor El’s session topic is entitled, “To the Souls of Black Folks.” We want to apply the timeless truths of God's word to the timely questions and concerns of our students' hearts, from the pulpit to the one-on-one over coffee. How do we handle God's word? What are dos and don'ts? What is the nature of the hearts and circumstances of our HBCU students and how can we give good news about Jesus in those places?

  • James “Jimmy” McGee was born in Milwaukee, and later moved with his family to the Southside of Chicago where he grew up. He returned to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University, graduating with a Bachelors of Art in Sociology. After college, he re-located to Atlanta, Georgia to serve with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For ten years he served Black students who attended the Atlanta University Center. (The Atlanta University Center is a consortium of Historically Black Schools, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College and Morris Brown College.) In that capacity he has impacted college students’ lives through mentoring, training, and directing conferences. During his tenure with InterVarsity he had other responsibilities before leaving InterVarsity December 2004. His last role was as the Director, Pilgrimage For Reconciliation (2002-2004): a program to help InterVarsity grow deeper in its intent to become a welcoming organization to all ethnic communities by looking at racial/ethnic conflict domestically and globally through the lens of Shalom Theology.


    Jimmy has a Masters of Arts in Applied Anthropology from Georgia State University. Jimmy is the founder and president of The Bitumen Group, Inc. Married to Genie, together they have 3 sons; James (Jay), Noah Aslan, and Asher Cross.

    At the HBCU Link, Jimmy’s session is entitled, “Preparing Students for Kingdom Living.” We hopefully have our students for four years, but are they ready to live for Christ in their workplaces and communities when they graduate? We not only want students to love Jesus during college but also for a lifetime in impactful ways. Come be equipped on how we can prepare our students now for their futures as kingdom ambassadors, particularly as people of African descent.