“Rev,” as he’s affectionately known at EBC, grew up mostly in Chicago and San Francisco. At that city’s noted Third Baptist Church, Rev. Trufant, a Morehouse College and Colgate Rochester Divinity School graduate, interned under his uncle, the Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, was licensed to preach in July, 1981 and ordained in May, 1988. Appointed as Emmanuel’s pastor in November 1990, Rev has overseen its exponential growth in membership and programming into a multi-racial, 4,000-member congregation.
Currently a doctoral student in Servant-Leadership at Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rev. Trufant is a certified Conflict Resolution Mediator, Pastoral Counselor and former Adjunct Professor at New York Theological and Auburn Theological Seminaries.
The son of Sylvia E. Trufant and Bishop James D. Nelson, Sr., Rev was raised both by his mother and adoptive father, Paul D. Trufant and by his maternal uncle and aunt, Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, Sr. and Jane Brown. Married for 21 years to Muriel Lynette Goode Trufant, Esq.(a daughter of former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Sr. and Velma Goode), he is the father of two daughters, Sharise Emmanuelle, 18, and Toni Niara, 16.

Born & raised in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn, Reverend Shareka Newton was reared by her maternal grandmother Priscilla Barnes-Davis. Mrs. Davis instilled a sense of faith & community into Shareka while encouraging her to be inquisitive & to formulate her own ideas. The idea that both God & attending church were important was further developed and eventually grew and flourished through her years growing up at Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Rev. Newton attended A. Philip Randolph Campus H.S. in Harlem, NY. She continued her education at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, where in 2003, she received her B.A. in English. Rev. Newton accepted her call to ministry in the spring of her senior year at Spelman & was licensed to preach & teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in fall 2004. May 2008, she received her Master of Divinity Degree from Drew University Theological School. Rev. Newton did her field education experience at St. James A.M.E in Newark, NJ. She was ordained on December 13th of 2008 & currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Rev. Tyrone E. Monro grew up in Bronx, NY where he attended St. David’s Episcopal Church and Eastchester Presbyterian Church. It was at Eastchester Presbyterian Church that he was encouraged to consider going into ministry. With a Masters of Divinity degree, he was ordained as a Baptist minister in 2001. He is currently the Associate Pastor for Public Witness and responsible for the “GO” portion of the 4G Pastoral Vision at EBC. Go identifies local, national and international service opportunities to minister through service and volunteerism. As part of the pastoral staff @ EBC, he is also responsible for special assignments i.e. HIV/Aids ministry, Mentoring ministry, Prisoner Re-Entry Ministry and Blood Drives and the South African Children Ministry.

Rev. Leslie L. Smith-Wright was born and raised in the Brooklyn, NY. In pursuit of higher education, she earned both a BA and MA degree in English Education from Brooklyn College. It is her love of learning that led her to pursue a career as a High School English teacher for ten years before resigning to fulfill her call to the Gospel Ministry.
Rev. Smith-Wright began her ministerial trek in the AME church where she was licensed and later ordained. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary. During September 2001, in conjunction with her studies, she began an internship at Emmanuel Baptist Church. It was through this experience that she was able to explore and plumb the depths of ministry in a profound and new way.
In September 2002, Rev. Smith-Wright became a member of the pastoral staff of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Presently, she is the Associate Pastor for Discipleship Development & Minister to New Members. Through her involvement in these areas of ministry, she is able to combine two of her greatest loves . . . people and learning.

Rev. Rose Jones-Wilson was born in Dawn, VA and moved to Brooklyn after high school to work and go to school. She worked with the New York Law Department/Corporation Council Office for 34 years. During this time, she met and was married to her first late husband for 19 years and became the mother of one daughter, Wakenna. As a widow and working single mom, she entered college 29 years after coming to New York. She met and married her second husband and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Long Island College 7½ years later.
After graduation, Rev. Rose (as most people fondly call her) was nearing retirement, but felt there was more God wanted her to do. In April 1996, she delivered her trial sermon at EBC where she had held membership since 1975 and was one of the first women ordained as deacon in 1994. She graduated from New York Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in May, 2000. While in seminary (1997), she became ordained. After retirement, she came on full-time at EBC as Associate Pastor for Adult Development. Soon thereafter, Rev. Trufant asked Rev. Rose to organize and pastor an older adult ministry. On January 22, 2000, Prime Time was born. The Prime Time Ministry serves those 50 and over, both in Emmanuel and in the community.
Rev. Rose, in addition to being a mother, is also a grandmother and great-grandmother.

Rev. Elzora Williamson, a Brooklyn native, has been an Emmanuelite since 1981. Elzora and her late husband, Deacon Syl Williamson, operated an awards and sporting goods store which just closed in May, 2008. However, under the leadership of her Pastor, Anthony L. Trufant, her true Christian mission began. Her call to ministry led her to The College of New Rochelle where she received her B. A. Degree and later to New York Theological Seminary where she received a Masters of Professional Studies Degree in May of 2003.
At Emmanuel, Rev. Williamson is Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care and visits the sick and shut-in at their homes or in hospitals. She also facilitates the grief ministry entitled “Healing Our Hearts” and an outreach every third Sunday at CABS Nursing Home with song, prayer and a God-inspired sermon. Her motto remains: “Only What You Do for Christ Will Last.”

Mike Saxton was born in Portsmouth, Va. but has lived in Brooklyn, NY since early childhood. He is a graduate of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and attended Hampton University. He has worked for a major Wall Street firm for 20 years. He is currently a general manager at a medium-sized privately owned business. After many conversations, trials, storms, prayers, praise and worship, I am now answering God’s call that I have felt all my life.