naf convocation 2013 speaker bios

 NAF CONVOCATION 2013 SPEAKER BIOS
John E. Maracle, Mohawk Nation, currently serves as the Chief/President of the Native
American Fellowship (NAF) of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, a position
he was elected to in 2000, representing the constituency of 190 American Indian and
Alaska Native churches, and three Bible colleges that serve Native people across the
United States-- including Alaska. Rev. Maracle was elected as one of the first Native
American General Presbyters in 1996, and served as secretary of the Native American
Fellowship (1998-2000) until his election as Chief/President. At the 2007 General
Council held in Indianapolis, Indiana, Rev. Maracle was elected as a non-resident
executive presbyter, to represent the broad mosaic of ethnic fellowships within the
Assemblies of God. The Native American Fellowship (NAF) was the first ethnic
fellowship formed in the Assemblies of God.
Mavis Katsisenhawe Etienne, member of Wolf clan in the Kanehsatake
Mohawk Territory, was a Clinical Supervisor at the Onen'tokon Treatment Services for
over 25 years. She is also a DJ on the Mohawk Gospel Program with CKHQ 101.7fm.
Mavis served as a Chairperson in the Mohawk Bible Translation Project and currently
serves as a Deaconness at Kanehsatake Pentecostal Church in Kanehsatake, Quebec,
Canada where she is actively involved in children's ministry.
She is also a member of the Aboriginal Ministries Council for the Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada. Recently she and her husband James celebrated over 48 years of
marriage They have one son, Richard James Etienne.
Thomas Valtierra, Jr., is from St. Paul, MN, (Red Lake Chippewa Nation), was
ordained in April 24, 2000 with the Assemblies of God. He has pastored the United
Nations Church of Seattle, House of Prayer for All Nations, Lake Delton, WI and is
currently pastoring The Core, in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He has been the Director
of Centers for Native Leadership Development and Church Planting since 2008 to
present. Currently he serves as a General Presbyter for Native American Fellowship.
Johnny Dixon, Cree Nation from Northern Quebec. His wife Stella is a Navajo from
Tuba City, Arizona. He graduated from American Indian College in Phoenix, Arizona in
1974. He is currently pastoring Living Water Assembly in the Cree community
of Mistissini, Quebec since February 2001. He also sits on the leadership team of the
Quebec District of the PAOC as presbyter representing the Native ministries. He is the
chairman of Quebec Native Ministries under Quebec District.
Dr. Duane Durst is a graduate of Central Bible College in Missouri and Ashland
Theological Seminary in Ohio. While at Ashland Seminary, Duane acquired a Masters of
Divinity, Psychology and Counseling as well as a Doctorate of Ministry in
Administration. He was an adjunct professor at Ashland Theological Seminary and the
Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He has served as a church consultant in the
area of administration, planning and leadership development, and conflict resolution. Dr.
Durst has pastored churches in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and New York State. He has
served in a number of sectional positions, including serving as the first sectional
presbyter of the New York City – Queens section. Duane has served as District Assistant
Superintendent of the New York District Assemblies of God.
Dominic Herbst, M.S, M.A., He is Founder and President of Restoring Relationships,
Certified Psychologist, therapist, author and public speaker. Since before Dominic Herbst
founded his first ministry in 1983, he has been passionate about bringing healing and
restoration to troubled youth and hurting families. Although Dominic's professional work
in the secular realm since that time has brought much acclaim, today his heartbeat is
found in the Restoring Relationships message focused toward God's people.
Zollie L. Smith Jr. was elected to the position of executive director of Assemblies of
God U.S. Missions at the 52nd General Council in August 2007. As AGUSM executive
director, Smith coordinates the ministries of six departments: Church Planting;
Chaplaincy Ministries; Teen Challenge International, USA; Chi Alpha Campus
Ministries; Intercultural Ministries; and U.S. Mission America Placement Service
(MAPS). Currently, there are more than 1,000 missionaries and more than 600 chaplains
under AGUSM, with 5,000 other related field personnel. Prior to his present position,
Smith served as the Executive Presbyter representing the Ethnic Fellowships and as
president of the National Black Fellowship from 1998-2007. He served the New Jersey
District of the Assemblies of God as assistant superintendent (1998-2005) and then as
executive secretary (2005-07). From 1990 to 2005, Smith served as pastor of Eternal Life
Christian Center of the Assemblies of God, Somerset, New Jersey. Ordained with the
Assemblies of God in 1986, Smith holds a Masters degree in Business Management with
emphasis on non-profit organizations from Regent University; a Bachelors degree in
Criminology and Criminal justice from Florida State University; and a diploma in
Ministerial Studies from Berean Bible College.
Alfred M Flett, Ojibway Nation, from Edmonton, Alberta is a missionary and evangelist.
He has traveled throughout the globe preaching Jesus Christ as Lord Savior. Since
resigning his pastoral position in 1999, he has traveled extensively throughout the
countries of the globe. He has ministered in 70 plus First Nations communities
throughout North and South America and has traveled to 5 continents and 30 plus
countries of the globe. He has been in multi-cultural settings among Koreans, Filipinos,
Chinese, West Indies, Spanish and Anglos. He has spoken to ten of thousands at
conferences South America, East Africa, Russia and Philippines. Through the media of
TV and radio he has spoken to millions of listeners in the Philippines and East Africa.
Joe Donnell is a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (South Dakota), and
currently the Director of Student Ministries at Trinity Bible College, where he also
teaches Native American Culture and Ministry. For the past 9 years he has dedicated
his life to reaching Indigenous Youth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Joe has worked
as Outreach Coordinator, Youth Evangelist, Youth Pastor, and Leadership Mentor for
the “On Eagles’ Wings” team, under the leadership of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. He
has also served as Assistant Pastor with his father Vern Donnell on the
Sisseton/Wahpeton Reservation. Joe has been a credentialed minister with the AG for
the past 2 years. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Trinity Bible College
in Biblical Studies and a Master’s of Theology through Continental Theological
Seminary in Brussels, Belgium. Joe’s life passion is to reach those dying without
Christ and to influence others to do the same.
Chief Larry Sault was born and raised on the Mississaugas of New Credit Indian
Reservation in Eastern Canada to a dysfunctional family of 16 children. Surviving
years of emotional and physical abuse has given him first hand experience of what it
takes to transform anger, bitterness and dissatisfaction into an exciting journey of
success. After his amazing internal transformation from skid row in 1981, Larry
quickly rose through the ranks of his local church and his local community. In 1985 he
became President of Harvest Field Ministries: a mission’s organization with specific
emphasis on the Native American Indians and Eskimo’s of Northern Canada. During
his 14 years as leader of Harvest Field, he pioneered and built 12 local churches,
developed leadership conferences and created short-term bible schools in order to
develop leadership and mend hurting people. In 1987 he was elected to council in his
home community and by 1993 he became elected Chief responsible for the
administration of multi-million dollar budgets, programs and services, overseeing over
100 staff members. Larry has been married to his Mohawk wife Sonya for 37 years,
has two sons, two daughters and has a beautiful granddaughter: Hanna Grace.
Presently, he is CEO of Divine Choices, a ministry founded by his sister Claire, with a
mandate of transforming the lives of adult survivors of sexual abuse.
Michael Johnson, Navajo Nation, is Director of Ethnic Ministries at Global
University, with responsibility in serving as a liaison for various ethnic ministries and
coordinating the recruitment of students and study center/groups for Global University.
Prior to joining Global University, he and his wife both studied as a full time graduate
student at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, MO and served
as a volunteer Disciple Pastor for Passion Assembly in Springfield, MO. Even more, he
and his wife served on the pastoral staff at a Native American church in Wright City,
Oklahoma. In addition, they are both graduates of the American Indian College in
Phoenix, AZ. Michael is originally from the Navajo Nation, from a small town called
“Navajo”, located in the northwest corner of New Mexico. He is an enrolled member of
the Navajo Nation. His wife is also Native American, enrolled with the Seminole
Nation of Oklahoma.
Rabbi Michael Calise is from a Sephardic Jewish background. His grandmother was
raised in a rabbi’s home in Turkey. He came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah
of Israel in his early twenties and immediately sensed a call from Adonai to prepare for
full-time ministry. In 1991 he joined the staff at Beth Emanuel Messianic Synagogue in
Holbrook, NY, as the Worship/ Youth leader. He met his wife Carol there. Since 1994
they have led the congregation together. In June of 2012 Michael was elected as the
president of the National Jewish Fellowship. His passion is to see Jewish people come
to faith in the Messiah of Yisrael.
Brent J. Maracle, Mohawk, Pastor Brent J. Sakoneseriiosta Maracle is the Sr. Pastor
at the Assembly of God Church (St. Paul Evangelical Church) in Lexington, MA; and
is the Network Director of the Southern New England Royal Rangers. He grew up on
the Mohawk Nation territory of Akwesasne as a missionary kid of Pastor John and
Rana Maracle. Brent is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Nation. He played
lacrosse for the Iroquois Nationals, competing in the 1992 Jr. World Games and 1994
Commonwealth Games. In 2012, Pastor Brent became the official Pastor of the
Christian Motorcycle Club called Seed of Abraham M/C Massachusetts Chapter. He is
also is the Lead Pastor of Assembly Station which ministers to the "mobile culture" of
Southern New England. Prior to becoming the Sr. Pastor at St. Paul Evangelical
Church, he served as an interim Pastor at Riverside Assembly of God in Methuen, MA;
Campus Pastor with Calvary Christian Church in Lynnfield, MA while working full
time at Fidelity Investments. Pastor Brent worked for Fidelity Investments for 14 years
in various assignments throughout the enterprise. He built the private investments
program for retail clients as the Manager of the Private Offerings Program. Before
leaving Fidelity, Pastor Brent was the Sr. Manager of Research for macroeconomics
and demographics for Fidelity's global real estate strategy. He left that role to fulfill his
calling into to full-time ministry as the Sr. Pastor at St. Paul Evangelical Church on
January 1, 2012.
History was made when Vernice “Cheri” Sampson became the first female Native
American presbyter to serve in the Assemblies of God. Also she is the first Ordained
Woman to represent the Arizona District Council for the General Presbytery of the
Assemblies of God. Sampson, Akimel Authum, was elected by the Phoenix Metro
Indian Section of the Arizona District Council. Sampson’s father and mother both
served as Assemblies of God ministers. Even before her parents were married,
Sampson’s mother was a missionary to the Native American community. Sampson is
pastor of Salt River Indian Assembly of God in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since February of
2011, she also has served as treasurer for the Native American Fellowship of the
Assemblies of God and co-founder and Vice Chair of The Deborah Association, an
association for credentialed women in the Arizona District Council of the Assemblies
of God.