Michael is a provisional deacon in the United Methodist Church. He is from Rocky Mount, North Carolina and attained his bachelor's of science in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship from NC State University. He then attained a master's in divinity from Duke Divinity School.

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Michael has worked internationally in the missions field in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Argentina, and Tanzania. He has also worked with refugees at the Church World Service in Durham, North Carolina as well as with the UMVIM SEJ office.