Dee Dee Coleman

Reverend Dr. DeeDee M. Coleman, a native New Orleanian who now resides in Oak Park, Michigan is the Pastor of the Russell Street Missionary Baptist Church. In November 1999, Russell Street, which is the oldest church on the North End of the city stepped out on faith and for the first time in its history, called Reverend DeeDee M. Coleman as its first female pastor. This preaching and teaching woman of God brings a vision, a plan and the Spirit to move Russell Street forward in the Lord.

Reverend Coleman has been in the ministry since 1963, ordained as a Deacon in October, 1988; granted her license to Preach in October, 1990; and received Full Ordination to the Ministry in July 1993, all under the leadership of The Reverend Dr. Charles G. Adams, Senior Pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan.

She is an entrepreneur and owns her own business, The Wings of Faith, Inc. where she implements a one-stop resource center for ex-offenders, as well as an economic development Day Labor Program known as The WorkForce. Doctor Coleman also implements “The Mentors of Faith” where she provides mentoring services for serious and violent youth offenders from the ages of 14-21. Currently she is also the Director of the Detroit Area Apprenticeship Trades Association designed to build the skilled trades in construction and manufacturing. This initiative will also connect registered skilled tradesmen to jobs.

Dr. Coleman has been awarded many accolades for her boldness in speech and proclamation of uplifting the name of Jesus. She has been noted as an upcoming female in ministry, who has a No-nonsense Approach to the Gospel.

Dr. Coleman received the 2007 Edwin T. Dalhberg Peace Award for outstanding work in prison ministry and reentry services to this country. The Dahlberg Peace Award is the highest award granted by the American Baptist Churches, USA. This Peace Award is true to Dr. Coleman’s heart, with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being the first recipient of this honorable mention.

She serves on various Boards throughout the Country including the Co-Chair of the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s Commission on Social Justice and Prison Ministry. She is the first female pastor to hold the office of Secretary of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity located in Detroit. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Alumni Chapter, Detroit, Michigan and teaches as an adjunct professor at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, teaching “From the Pulpit to the Pew – Grassroots Prison Ministry”.

She has a B.A. Degree in Business Administration from William Tyndale College, Farmington Hills, Michigan; a Masters of Arts Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan; and a Doctoral Degree from The United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio majoring in Inter-cultural Communications.

Reverend Coleman is the mother of Tabatha Brown and Samuel Brown, Sr. and the grandmother of Samuel Brown, Jr., Brianna Marie Dee-Ruth Brown, Pamela Brown and the great grandmother of Andrea Marie McCloud.

When asked what her motto is, she simply says, “If I can help somebody along the way, then my living won’t be in vain”.