The BID will pay special tribute to Reverend Michael A. Walrond Jr. is the Senior Pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, New York. Walrond—affectionately known as Pastor Mike—is quickly rising as one of the most prolific and sought-after teachers and preachers in the country. Considered a visionary, cultural architect, and game-changer by his peers, Pastor Mike has not only catalytically changed the traditional perspective of black church, but he is also shifting the paradigm of Christian understanding and culture. Within two years of his leadership at FCBC, the church experienced exponential growth, tripling its membership. Over the past nineteen years, membership at FCBC has grown from 300 to over 10,000 members. 

Pastor Mike is a board member of the National Action Network (NAN) and was appointed the first National Director of the Ministers Division. He is the former Chair of The Board of Visitors at Duke University Divinity School. Pastor Mike has received numerous honors, accolades, and recognitions including induction into Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers as a “Distinguished Preacher.”  In 2014 Pastor Mike was a recipient of The Root 100 Award, a list of the top 100 most influential African Americans under the age of 45. In July of 2015 New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, named Pastor Mike as the first chair of the NYC Clergy Advisory Council. In 2017 he was an honoree on Ebony Magazine’s annual Ebony Power 100 list as a “Community Crusader”, and was on the New York State Power 100, a list of the most influential persons in New York State.