2026 Advent O Antiphons Guest Speakers

Tasha Blackmon is President and CEO of Cherry Health, one of Michigan’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), serving more than 60,000 patients across six counties. A Grand Rapids native, she brings 20+ years of healthcare operations experience, including 21 years with Cherry Health and six leadership roles before becoming CEO in 2018.

A mission-driven leader, Tasha advances health equity and disrupts healthcare disparities. Under her leadership, Cherry Health expanded access to integrated, high-quality care while taking a holistic approach to patient and community needs. She mentors, coaches, and advocates for those facing barriers to care.

Deeply committed to her community, Tasha serves on boards focused on healthcare, economic development, housing, education, and community well-being. Her honors include the ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award and Crain’s recognition as a Most Influential Leader and Woman of Influence. She is personally driven to ensure patients in Grand Rapids and across Michigan have access to the highest quality care.

Rev. Dr. Reginald Smith has worked since 2023 as the diversity ministry consultant with Thrive, a denominational ministry of the CRCNA. In February 2020, Reggie was appointed to the new position as Director of Diversity where he works with 300 multiracial and multiethnic churches and leaders to support, encourage, grow and thrive. In 2017, Smith appointed Director of the Office of Race Relations and the Office of Social Justice for the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

He moved to Grand Rapids to attend Calvin Theological Seminary and earned his Masters of Divinity degree in 1992. He was ordained into the Christian Reformed ministry on March 14, 1994. Dr. Smith served churches in Chicago, IL and Paterson, NJ. He was the Senior Pastor of Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church from 1994 to 2015. In 2004, he obtained his Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary. Reggie pastored and worked in the urban environment for over 30 years.

He and his wife, Sharon, have been married for 35 years. Together, they are committed to modeling a life of racial reconciliation in a cross-cultural urban setting. He is the proud father of three beautiful adult daughters Katrina and Mariah and their older sister Janelle They attend Madison Square Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids.

Bonfils Matenga, also known as Bon Mate, is a student at Aquinas College. Bon is originally from Burundi, where his family sought refuge after fleeing the Second Congo War in the DRC. After spending 11 years in a refugee camp, he relocated to the United States in 2015. While Bon describes himself as an introverted individual who tends to be reserved, he is deeply committed to his spiritual journey. He is dedicated to learning more about his faith and is continuously striving to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. One of his favorite scripture passages that always motivates him to keep on going is Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

Thelma Ensink serves as the Executive Director for Degage Ministries, a homelessness response and housing provider. In 2024, she co-founded Heartside Landings, a transitional housing project for individuals with severe mental illness and substance use disorder. Also in 2024, she co-led the launch of the Housing Stabilization Case Management program for chronically homeless individuals. She is passionate about cross sector and cross organizational collaboration and solving problems at a systems level. She has served on the CoC Steering Council. She received her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Calvin University and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University.

James K.A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University. As a cultural critic and commentator, he explores the tensions of modern life, inviting readers and audiences to more intentional practices of faith and flourishing. He is the award-winning author of a number of books including You Are What You Love, On the Road with Saint Augustine, and How to Inhabit Time. His latest is Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing. His essays and criticism have appeared in America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture, Christian Century, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

William Williams is the Executive Director of Matthews House Ministries, a faith-based ministry serving individuals experiencing homelessness and financial hardship on the northwest side of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A lifelong Grand Rapidian, William has spent more than two decades serving vulnerable communities through organizations including Mel Trotter Ministries and the Downtown Grand Rapids YMCA. His ministry is rooted in his belief that Christ calls us to bring hope, light, mercy, and dignity to those on the margins. As he reflects on the O Antiphons, William sees their longing for Christ as a reminder of the Church’s call to be present with those who are hurting and in need. William and his wife of nine years have six children and five grandchildren. He is currently preparing to open an 8,000-square-foot ministry center expanding services and opportunities for those in need.

A classroom teacher throughout her professional life, Sr. Mary Navarre later served as a councilor on the Leadership Team and then as Director of Archives until her retirement in 2025. Today, in semi-retirement, she enjoys the roles of storyteller, writer, poet, and unofficial congregational historian. After more than sixty years as a Dominican Sister, she has collected countless stories and memories from those who shaped the congregation’s history. If she doesn’t happen to know the answer to your question, she likely knows where to find it in the archives.