The Rev. J. Oscar McCloud is Associate Pastor emeritus at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, where he served as an administrative pastor from 1995 to 2005. Oscar was first ordained into Christian ministry in 1961 and received a call as pastor of Davie Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he served for three years. Later, from 1964 to 1971, he was on staff at the United Presbyterian Church, working with civil rights groups across the Southeast. Over his career, Oscar has traveled extensively on behalf of the Presbyterian Church, including trips to Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as Central and South America. He was active in the anti-apartheid movement in the US and Southern Africa. I Dared to Hope is Oscar's first book, with its launch in April 2026 coinciding with his ninetieth birthday.