Draft:Michael Chapman (minister)

Michael Chapman is an American Baptist pastor and church overseer of St. John Baptist Church and Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church. He is president and CEO of Buffalo’s Black Billion LLC, WECGOD II Inc. and 18 other corporations aimed at serving and uplifting the East Side of Buffalo, NY.

Early Life
Chapman was born in the East Side of Buffalo, NY, son of Herschel Chapman Sr and Irene Salter Chapman. As a youth, he was an All-High Athlete at East High School. He received a basketball scholarship from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

In 1991, Michael Chapman earned a Bachelor of Arts on Liberal Studies at Medaille College. Following this, he earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry in 1997 and a Master of Divinity in 2003 from Christ the King Seminary. In 2007, he earned a classroom certification of Systematic Theology from Christ the King Seminary.

Ministry
Chapman began his ministry career in 1981, as an Adult Sunday School and Bible Class Instructor. In 1986, he was licensed to the Ministry of Jesus Christ at St. John Baptist Church and began to serve as Youth Pastor and Assistant to the Pastor under the tutelage of Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr.

Chapman served as Director of the St. John Summer Youth Development Program where he secured sizeable grants through City Community Block and was responsible for the oversight and implementation of the program.

From 1994 to 1998, he served as Presidential Aide to the President Support Progressive National Baptists Convention. He currently serves as chairman. In 2003, he became the lead Pastor of St. John Baptist Church. As part of his ministry, he has implemented a 10-year development plan which aims at providing affordable education, housing and medical care. In 2017, he became the Overseer of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church.

Honors and awards

 * 2009 - Pastoral Care Award Erie County Medical Center
 * 2009 - Spirituality and Medicine Award Howard University School of Medicine
 * 2009 - PNBC Founders Award
 * 2007 - 1490 Community Service Award
 * 2005 - Jesus the Liberator Seminary Honorary Doctor of Divinity - Social Justice
 * 1992 - New York State Governor’s Distinguished African American Award

Buffalo Black Billion Initiative
The Buffalo Black Billion Initiative is a comprehensive redevelopment effort of Buffalo’s Fruit Belt. It aims at bringing in a billion dollars in economic development to the Fruit Belt neighborhood of Buffalo and the surrounding communities of Buffalo’s East Side. The initiative consists of providing affordable housing, employment services, community garden space and a community market that will include a farmer’s market and an indoor retail space.

The project, which looks to resolve the issue of food disparity and food deserts in the East Side of Buffalo, marks an important milestone in Overseer Chapman’s and other community leader’s goal of providing economic empowerment to an underserved community and mitigating the deleterious effects of crime and food and job insecurity.

Private life
Chapman has been married for 48 years to Ina Chapman. Together they have five children, 30 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.