A native of Detroit, Michigan, the Rev. Alise D. Barrymore attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where she received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in African & African-American Studies, with an emphasis in history. After years of faithful service in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), she answered her call to ordained ministry and was awarded a Master of Divinity (MDIV) degree from McCormick Theological Seminary of Chicago. She continues her pursuit of excellence and love of education through her present enrollment in a Doctor of Ministry degree program, focusing in spirituality. Her academic honors include: Jesse Haley Award for Imagination in Preaching, Ellen and James Taylor Award in Preaching, Arthur A. Hays Fellowship in Church History. She has contributed to the books What Can Happen When People Pray and The Women of Color Devotional Bible, and the journal, The Covenant Companion. In addition, she was recently been named as one of the “Twenty to Watch” in the African American Pulpit Magazine.

Before serving as one of the founding pastors of The Emmaus Community, Rev. Barrymore served as the Dean of University Ministries and Campus Pastor at North Park University, an intentionally Christian university affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. In this capacity, she was responsible for the weekly chapel services; provided pastoral care for the undergraduate population and larger academic community; and, contributed to the academic life of the campus through writing and adjunct lectures. Moreover,  she is currently preparing workshops and retreats that challenge believers to new levels of spiritual discipline.

As a youth minister, she created a comprehensive junior high school ministry model called HYPE (Helping Young People Excel) at NITE. In addition, Pastor Alise has worked with youth in various community capacities, including as a volunteer in an elementary school tutoring program, a mentor, and a coordinator for summer programs. She has also served as a guest speaker at national conferences and as a preacher in numerous churches including the Roman Catholic, African Methodist Episcopal (AME), Lutheran, Pentecostal and Presbyterian denominations. In addition, she has regularly offered religious services at a facility for developmentally - delayed adults.

In a word, she seeks to employ the gifts, talents, self-understanding, wisdom and skills which are both nurtured in and empowered by a personal, dynamic relationship with God, in order to teach and model a holistic Christian spirituality that invites people to grow toward spiritual awareness and maturity.  Rev. Barrymore enjoys bowling, reading, rollerblading and the fine arts.