05/24/2026
Good morning, at this Sunday Morning’s Worship Experience, we are privileged to welcome Rev. Donald Marbury to the pulpit.
Rev. Donald L. Marbury — AME Preacher and Public Broadcasting Leader
Rev. Donald L. Marbury is an ordained African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church elder and has served as senior pastor of Ebenezer AME Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past eight years DC News Now. He previously led Ebenezer AME Church in Brunswick, Maryland, for 11 years and was senior pastor of St. John AME Church in Benedict, Maryland, from 2000 to 2005 Winning Writers+1.
Early Life and Education
Marbury was raised in Carter Chapel CME Church in Pittsburgh, PA, and is a 1971 honors graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in English Winning Writers. He earned a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, cm laude Winning Writers.
Career in Public Broadcasting
Before entering ministry, Marbury had a 27-year career in public broadcasting. He worked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the parent of PBS, as Vice President of Domestic and International Programs, overseeing nearly $65 million annually in production funds for PBS www.ebenezeramebrunswick.org+1. His programming decisions brought numerous Emmy and Oscar awards to public television and launched many now-iconic producers www.ebenezeramebrunswick.org. He began his career in the 1970s as a cub reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, later becoming an on-air news anchor and producer for WQED’s Newsroom www.ebenezeramebrunswick.org.
Ministry and Leadership
Marbury is known for his inspirational preaching and has been described as “one of the most powerful African American men in television in America” Winning Writers. He has served in various AME leadership roles, including ministerial liaison at First AME Church in Gaithersburg, MD, and is currently a Bishop’s Reporter for the Washington Conference and chair of its Resolution Committee www.ebenezeramebrunswick.org.
Teaching and Writing
He has taught at Howard University School of Communications and Montgomery College, focusing on broadcasting history and film www.ebenezeramebrunswick.org+1. Marbury is also a performance art poet, with his poetic autobiography My People, My People, My God published in 2018 and winning the 2019 Fischer Prize for Poetry Winning Writers+1.
Current Role
At Ebenezer AME Church, Marbury is recognized for fostering a strong, community-centered congregation, with members describing it as “family” and a place of deep mutual support DC News Now. He is set to retire at age 75, after eight years as senior pastor DC News Now.
In summary: Rev. Donald L. Marbury is a bridge between AME ministry and public broadcasting, known for his powerful preaching, leadership in the AME Church, and contributions to American television and education.