Elder Roland Slade

Roland is a retired master’s degree Social Worker with more than 10 years of experience working with youth and adult males who have had contact with the Juvenile Justice System or have been incarcerated. Roland graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work with his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

Roland’s experience with adjudicated youth has been an extensive one and includes residential youth home advisor, staff supervisor, and program director. Roland’s focus for both youth and adult males is a holistic approach, which includes a critical spiritual component, as the foundational base of recovery and establishing support systems.

Roland’s God-given passion is solving the violence dilemma confronting our youth and young adults, as it destroys their futures and our communities. Roland has worked with youth and young adult gang members, sets, and groups that are most “at-risk” of becoming the victims of a violent crime or perpetrators of violence against someone else.

Roland believes strongly in the reintegration of incarcerated men back into their communities as productive citizens and in seeing families made whole and healthy. He is driven in his efforts to assist men to find their way back to becoming the responsible men, husbands, and fathers that God created them to be. His ever-growing personal relationship with God has produced a faith in him that assures him that: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) and he shares this belief with every man that God has called him to minister empowerment and freedom to.

Elder Roland is the covering for A Hand Up Ministry, a men’s ministry that addresses the needs of men through spiritual mentoring, and the Gate Keepers, a collection of dedicated men who serve on Sundays and during church events meeting, greeting, and assuring the safety of the saints and visitors as they enter the House of God.