LEGACY 2025 SPEAKERS
PLENARY SPEAKERS
GEORGES HOUSSNEY
Teacher and author Georges Houssney was raised in the predominantly Muslim city of Tripoli, Lebanon. He came to faith in Jesus Christ as a teenager. Soon, God grew a deep love for Muslims in his heart, and he began to sense God’s call for full-time service among them.
Well-known for his work supervising the translation and publication of the Bible into clear modern Arabic, Georges and his family moved from the Middle East to the United States in 1982 to minister to international students.
Georges is passionate about reaching internationals here and abroad with the great news of salvation. He writes and lectures internationally about ministry to Muslims, and he strives to awaken a new generation who will proclaim the gospel boldly.
ABDU MURRAY
Abdu is an attorney, international Christian apologist, and the author of several books, including Saving Truth—Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World and Grand Central Question — Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major Worldviews. For most of his life, Abdu was a proud Muslim until a nine-year historical, philosophical, theological, and scientific investigation pointed him toward the Christian faith.
Abdu has spoken to diverse international audiences and has participated in debates and dialogues across the globe. Abdu holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Abdu lives in the Detroit, Michigan area with his wife and their three children.
HANY EMMANUEL
After finishing his University Degree in Business, Hany started serving in the regions of North Africa and the Middle East. Hany began serving in 1994 with a major focus on Discipleship and Leadership training out of Egypt, Spain, and the North Africa/Middle East region.
He now resides in the USA with His wife Natalie and their two children. Hany has a passion for the church to receive God’s heart for the Millions of the sons and daughters of Ishmael now and spread it around the globe.
BREAKOUT SPEAKERS
AARON AND JILLIAN BASHORE
Aaron Bashore has spent over 20 years ministering among Muslim communities worldwide. From leading church-planting efforts in North Africa to working with refugees in Germany, he has focused on creative evangelism, discipleship, and cross-cultural ministry. Now serving as the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Dearborn, MI—a church in a Muslim-majority community—Aaron continues his mission of reaching the nations with the Gospel.
Jillian and her husband Aaron have served on or led church planting teams in South America, North Africa, and Europe. She currently leads the Arab American Friendship Center in Dearborn, Michigan where she employs her passion for cross-cultural ministry to refugees and immigrants.
ADAM SIMNOWITZ
Adam Simnowitz is a minister with the Assemblies of God. He and his wife have ministered for over 25 years in Dearborn, MI, home to many Arabic-speaking Muslims. Their ministry includes church planting, evangelism, teaching, and writing.
He has been a part of the Legacy conferences since 2006.
BARBARA YANDELL
Barbara Yandell is an ordained minister, teacher, and international speaker. She calls both Austin, Texas, and Holland, Michigan, home. She attended Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Christian Education and holds a Masters of Divinity. Barbara is working on a doctorate to mobilize the Church for evangelism to Muslims.
She is the founder of Hope for the Nations, a college missions fellowship birthed by the Christian college revivals of 1996. She also started Legacy, a conference that aims to reclaim the legacy of Samuel Zwemer, the first modern missionary to the Arab World— himself the product of another college revival—the Student Volunteer Movement.
She helped publish the Engage Muslims with Christ Course and workbook. Additionally, Barbara is a supporter of Horizons' refugee center in Beirut, Lebanon, and coordinates and teaches Perspectives on the World Christian Movement classes.
DR. CYNTHIA
A retired physician with decades of experience ministering to Muslims, Dr. Cynthia is active in outreach, personal evangelism, discipleship, apologetics, writing, speaking, training and online.
She has hosted two television series and been a guest in various media outlets. Dr. C now hosts www.ChristianfromMuslim.com and YouTube/@ChristianfromMuslim channel for Muslim evangelism and discipleship. Its free videos range from short answers to a full course of lessons with study guides featuring international experts.
American Ethnic Ministries, which Dr. C directs, brings the gospel in word and deed to America’s unreached. It pioneered The Path of the Prophets, which is now used around the globe in many languages. The method’s booklets, bracelets, and bilingual dramas put the gospel in a Biblical context Muslims understand. Under a pen name, Dr. C wrote a well-reviewed book exposing the Quran. Among the awards she has received are Excellence in Teaching from a major American university, and a community Physician of the Year award. Former Muslim and bestselling author, the late Nabeel Qureshi said of her, “Cynthia is one of the most effective evangelists to Muslims I have ever met.”
DR. EZIES EBRAHIM
Dr. Ezies is a passionate evangelist, teacher, discipler, public speaker, and author with a deep love for sharing the gospel and ministering to the broken. A Christian woman from the Middle East/Arabian Gulf, her life is a remarkable testimony to God’s grace, sovereignty, healing, and faithfulness.
She is the author of From Pain into Glorious Hope and is currently working on her second book, written in Arabic, to encourage and equip Arabic-speaking women around the world.
Dr. Ezies writes and records for various media platforms, including the Arabic Christian radio program Bashayer (بشاير), broadcast through the Arabic Broadcast News app. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Cross-Cultural Studies, an M.A. in Biblical Mental Health, and a doctorate as a trauma specialist. With over 36 years of experience, she has helped countless individuals recover from emotional, mental, and sexual trauma.
Her passion is to be a voice for the voiceless and to bring hope to the hopeless through writing, teaching, and media. Dr. Ezies is also a cultural bridge-builder, using her background and insight to advocate between Arabic and American communities.
JEFF AND DEBBIE DAVIS
Jeff and Debbie Davis work in Dearborn, Michigan, together with many of their church members serving in different ministries of the Dearborn Evangelical Covenant Church of which Jeff is the pastor.
They serve Arabic and Latino immigrants of the greater Detroit community through ESL and other ministries. They show them love, respect and they share the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
MARCUS REGAN
Marcus Regan and his family have lived among Muslims in Dearborn, MI since 2011. He did his undergrad at Hope College, where God continued to cultivate a heart for the spread of His kingdom, especially among the least reached peoples of the world. Hope College is also where he met his wife, Jennifer. They now have three beautiful children.
Marcus and Jennifer have been involved in ministering to their Muslim friends and neighbors in Dearborn in various ways, including teaching English and Bible lessons to women in the community, Gospel literature distribution in local parks, local social media evangelism, and other outreaches through their local church.
STEPHEN KELLY
Steve was born and raised in Egypt. At age 19, he converted to Christianity. Prior to that he was introduced to a Christian young people's group, which left a great impact on him. Nevertheless, he was not interested in becoming a Christian yet, but he did become interested at least in exploring the Bible.
A small group he was attending began to compare Islam to Christianity. After many months he was convinced he wanted to become a Christian and was soon baptized. After his open declaration of conversion, Steve suffered arrest and interrogation and was almost killed.
After conversion Steve became involved in Christian ministry with Campus Crusade in Cairo University and led many college-age youths to Christ. He came to the United States in 1979, and joined the Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan and studied at Reformed Bible College.
At Urbana 1979, Steve felt the call to missions. He then attended Calvin Seminary and graduated in 1989 and became the associate pastor of the Dearborn Christian Reformed Church and started the Arab American Friendship Center (AAFC) to serve and witness to the Arab community. In 1996, he became the Islamacist at large at Arab World Ministries headquartered in southern England.
Steve Kelley is the author of From Cairo to Christ and obtained his doctorate from Providence College and Seminary. His goal is to bring Muslim Arab to Christ and to disciple believers from Muslims backgrounds.
TREY AND BECKY HANCOCK
Trey and Becky Hancock have lived in Dearborn, Michigan since 1987. They are Assemblies of God US-Intercultural appointed missionaries, sharing the Gospel of Jesus among the Arab Muslims there.
In 2000 the Hancock's started a church, meeting in their home, inviting friends to dinner and fellowship around music and the Word. There has been continued outreach in the community in the park & neighborhood outreach and English as a Second Language. The Lord has been faithful and a young church is planted. Trey & Becky have felt the Lord transitioning them to training of others that are called to church planting in a Muslim context.
Trey and Becky have 3 children: Ashleigh and her husband, Vesa Mättö, are missionaries in Asia. They have three children, Rebecca, William, and Elisabeth. Grace and her husband, Luke Halford, partner in leadership & ministering to Arab Muslims, focusing on evangelism and discipleship of young men and women. They have four children, Anna Claire and Hudson,Jane & Bo. Trey and Becky’s son, Paul, is an officer in the US Army- he and his wife Rebekah, with their family live in Destin, FL, where they minister to fellow soldiers and their families.
WISSAM AL-AETHAWI
Wissam Al-Aethawi is a convert from Islam; a native of Baghdad, Iraq; and a graduate of Sunset International Bible Institute.
His ministry (The Arab Christian Ministry) is both local and global.
Locally, he shares Christ with Muslims in Dearborn, MI, and tells Christians about Islam on a global level.