Central Methodist University and the Center for Faith and Service are hosting special chapel sessions again this February, as a trio of guest speakers will be joining the regular services as part of Black History Month celebrations on campus.

Speakers for the special services included Dr. Ayanna Shivers on February 3, as well as Pastor Tracey Wolfe on February 17, and Rev. Ivan James, III on February 24. Held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday mornings, these chapel services will be celebrated in Assembly Hall and livestreamed to those off campus as usual.

Dr. Anaya Shivers, a native of Mexico, Mo., started ministering in the church when she was child, through music. In 2008, she became an ordained evangelist in Deliverance Centers Ministries. She is currently a licensed local pastor for two churches named St. Luke UMC – one in Columbia and one in Mexico. In addition to ministry, Shivers is an associate professor at Lincoln University, where she serves as the program coordinator for the M.Ed in Community Agency (Mental Health) Counseling and the EdS in Clinical Counseling. Prior to that, she served as a school counselor. She has also served on the city council and as mayor in Mexico. Shivers holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma, The Citadel, University of Southern Mississippi, and Liberty University, and she is currently enrolled at Eden Theological Seminary.

Pastor Tracey Wolfe currently serves as the lead pastor for Grace United Methodist Church in Springfield, Mo. She has pastored churches in Springfield and the St. Louis area and served as a campus minister, as well. Ordained as an elder in 2021, Wolfe had previous careers as an NCAA Division I women's basketball coach and as a missionary with a large parachurch organization, as well as working several years with a women's residential facility that helped clients through life controlling issues.

Pastor Ivan James has been actively involved in ministry as a certified lay minister for more than 15 years. Prior to entering the ministry, he worked in corporate America, owning and managing a small business. He holds a degree in business and economics from St. Benedicts College (now Benedictine College) in Atchison, Kan. and a master’s in business from Central Missouri State University. James believes that his calling is to share the good news of Christ, nurture spiritual growth, and serve the community. He is dedicated to fulfilling this calling by delivering thought provoking messages, providing support for the congregation, and by reaching out to the community. James serves on a number of community organizations and is on the board of the Portfolio Art Gallery and is a CMU trustee.

In addition to the guest speakers, February chapel services will feature gospel music by the praise bands. Watch any chapel service, past or upcoming, on the CFS YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/@cmu_cfs