Meet Our Contributors

Al Gordon leads SAINT, a fast-growing and thriving church on a mission to bring hope to the heart of East London. Al has a vision to build cathedrals of creativity across the globe through Renaissance, a new school of creativity. The creativity of Al's ministry is both intriguing and inspiring to any entrepreneurial leader. Whether it involves hosting concerts in their church building, opening a brewery like monks of old, or keeping bees as a prophetic reminder of the crucial role the church is to play in the ecosystem of human interactions. He is married to Olivia, an architect, and they have three children.

Mark Sayers is interested in how cultural trends and global shifts reshape our world. He is passionate about deep discipleship, resilient leadership, and renewal in the church and society.Mark is the Lead Pastor of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia, and the author of numerous books, including Disappearing Church, Reappearing Church, A Non-Anxious Presence, and Platforms to Pillars. He also hosts the Rebuilders podcast. Mark lives in Melbourne with his wife, Trudi, and their children, Grace, Billy, and Hudson.

Harry Michael, better known as Masked Wolf, has risen from Sydney’s suburbs to become one of Australia’s most impactful hip-hop voices. Once working a regular nine-to-five, he found freedom in the studio—where the “wolf” came alive through raw bars, magnetic hooks, and fearless honesty.Hip-hop became his way of processing life’s challenges, from his parents’ divorce to battling isolation, pouring it all into verses late into the night. That relentless grind culminated in his breakout hit Astronaut in the Ocean, a global anthem that captured both struggle and resilience, amassing hundreds of millions of streams and sparking viral moments across TikTok and beyond.Masked Wolf embodies Renaissance’s heartbeat: creativity that breaks barriers, voices real struggles, and sparks cultural movement. His story proves that when the mask comes off, truth has the power to inspire.

Successful Business women in the realms of Fashion, Creative Content and Creative Direction, twin sisters Rebecca and Marissa Karagiorgos, are also the founders and leading creatives behind digital fashion and lifestyle platform, Twice Blessed. In 2023, the sisters from Twice Blessed are doing twice the work. Expanding their business portfolio with MA-JR - a vehicle to further serve and impact their ever-growing community. MA-JR (pronounced ma-jor) is a Luxury Womenswear brand focussing on creating thoughtful & intentional pieces for the modern woman's wardrobe.

Lisa McInnes-Smith is one of the most awarded Professional Speakers in Australia, but she’d never given a significant speech until she gave her life to Christ at age 26. She was raised in a family of professional tennis players while her mother took the family from ‘rags to riches’ in Tupperware. She was educated in Catholic schools, and she is forever grateful that her parents gave her a faith-based education. However, at 18 yrs old she walked into the world to taste all that it offered. She realised pretty quickly that there had to be more to life than this. Her fortuitous connection with an American tennis player put her life on a different trajectory.
Lisa has built her life and her livelihood around sharing words - words that encourage, inspire and teach people life skills. She helps people raise their personal performance and contribute their talents to society.
Her tertiary studies were in Sports Psychology; she passionately sought to identify the attributes that separate peak performers from the rest. After achieving a goal to positively impact the lives of one million Australian teenagers, the parents of those teens were inviting Lisa to bring her expertise into their workplaces. The rest is history.
Lisa is now recognised among the top inspirational speakers in corporate Australia and
has spoken live to over 2½ million people across 30 countries. Lisa’s gift of
communication has been recognised through her induction into the international
Speaker Hall of Fame; the first Australian to achieve this recognition.
She has no plans to retire. She thinks there are still a few more people out there that need help … and hope.

Israel Cooper is a leader and innovator at the intersection of gospel-shaped social action, creative impact, and community formation. Together with his wife Jessica, he co-founded the Home Foundation Group of companies, pioneering an integrated model of housing that unites development, funding, construction, and community partnerships. Their mission is to pursue justice and seek shalom through housing by developing resilient, flourishing communities. For nearly two decades they have worked to transform the lives of the poor, the refugee, the widow, the elderly, and the homeless in New Zealand and beyond, while also seeking redemption for the systems, industries, and cultures that shape housing itself. They aim to embody the fullness of the gospel in business, governance, and community life, whether as employers, partners with government and the social sector, or members of their local church.Israel also chairs Parachute Music, a charitable trust that cultivates creative community for artists within and beyond the church, empowering them to bring hope through culture-making. He also serves on several other charitable boards dedicated to gospel-shaped social action across housing, culture, and business.With a background in economics, accounting, and finance, alongside postgraduate studies in theology, Israel is committed to exploring the fullness of the Gospel and how God calls his people to participate in His redemptive work. He is currently completing a Masters in Theology, Leadership, and Society at Regent College in Vancouver, where his research focuses on housing as justice and its role in God’s redemptive story.Israel and Jessica live in Christchurch, New Zealand, with their three teenage children.

Jimmy and Emma L’Almont are the senior pastors of Saints Church Melbourne (@saints.melbourne)
Creative pioneers at heart, in the last decade they have planted two locations in Ivanhoe and Carlton, launched two businesses in data, marketing and financial services across AU, NZ and EU, and previously founded an internationally recognised fashion label that showed at Australian Fashion Week.
Most recently, they led Saints Church’s reclamation and revivification of a historic Catholic cathedral -once destined for development into apartments- into a vibrant place of worship and community.
Known for blurring the lines between sacred and secular, business and ministry, creativity and community, Jimmy and Emma are dedicated to helping people grow in faith, purpose, and creativity.

Tom Gibbs is an artist and educator based in Brisbane, and a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Theologically trained, he brings together experience in Christian education, church ministry, and the arts. His classical studies in Italy and Greece shaped a lifelong passion for the Renaissance and its vision of beauty and renewal. Tom helps others see creativity as a vital expression of faith and believes that, just as in the 14th century, a new renaissance can emerge when creative people unite with a Kingdom-shaped vision.

Chris Maisano is a Sydney-based Creative Director and designer with over 20 years of experience across agencies, global brands, and the church. He began his career in Melbourne, working with clients such as Sportsgirl, Harry Potter, Honda, Samsung, Qantas and Lindt, before a life-changing encounter with Jesus led him to sobriety in 2017 and then Bible College. Since then, Chris has combined his creative expertise with his passion for ministry - first as Art Director for Hillsong, and now as Creative Ministry Director at Alpha Australia, where he leads campaigns inviting people to explore life, purpose and the Christian faith.

Born in Nigeria and raised in Nottingham, Gideon Akpovi is a worship leader, songwriter, and creative who now lives in London as part of the team at SAINT, where he helps oversee the worship ministry.Alongside this, Gideon also writes and records music under the artist name JERUB, blending heartfelt storytelling with emotional depth. His songs carry an honesty and intensity that connect across backgrounds, offering space for people to reflect, feel, and be moved.Whatever context he finds himself in, whether leading worship, writing songs, or performing on stage, Gideon’s heart is the same: to carry the presence of God and create moments where lives are touched and people are drawn to see a God who is bigger and more beautiful than they imagined.

Annie Phillips is the Founder of LUMN, a consultancy based in Brisbane helping leaders bring renewal, growth, and impact to their communities and organisations through pioneering projects and change initiatives. Passionate about supporting leaders shaping a courageous and creative future, she is the former Executive Director of Renaissance at SAINT in London, where she led its launch in New York, Latin America, and Australia. Her career has spanned government, social research, nonprofits, and the creative ministry context, and she holds a Master of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge. Alongside her consulting, Annie pursues her own artistic practice, crafting portraits that draw out the beauty and story with simplicity and depth.