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Nurturing streams from
Christ the Rock
to transform pastoral and urban landscapes
through God's new people
purposefully,
joyfully,
fruitfully.
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Keynote Speaker
Workshop & Conference Leaders |
Rest for the Journey:
Spirituality for Ministry and Mission |
Joan S. Gray
Moderator of the 217th General Asssembly, PC(USA) |
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| Keynote Speaker: |
The Rev. Joan S. Gray |
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photo by Danny Bolin |
On March 12, 1978, Joan Gray was ordained as the first female pastor of a church in Atlanta Presbytery. She started her ministry in a small, country congregation where it was not unheard of for a dog to wander in and lie down in front of the communion table during the sermon. Then in an urban setting, the focus of her ministry as an associate pastor was reaching out to college students and overseeing a vigorous community ministry.
Next, while pastor of Columbia Presbyterian Church, she also served as pastor, mentor and spiritual director to many seminary students and their families. After twenty years of installed pastorates, in 1999 she moved into a new ministry as a trained interim pastor. Her work since that time has often involved working with churches in conflict.
Since her seminary years, Joan has been active in the Presbyterian Women. She wrote leader guides for two national PW Circle Bible studies, has taught the Bible leaders in her congregations, and has led workshops for PW at the presbytery and denominational level. Two of her congregations have awarded her an Honorary Life Membership in the Presbyterian Women.
In her life outside church, Joan enjoys gardening (strange but true for someone who lives on the sixteenth floor of a condominium), baseball and taking walks with her husband Bill. The Grays met at Presbyterian College and have been married for 31 years. Bill is a Presbyterian elder and serves on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.
Joan was elected moderator of the 2.3 million-member denomination’s 217th General Assembly on June 15, 2007 and said she doesn’t have many answers for the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s problems but is willing to let God lead the way. We are excited to have Joan join us as our Keynote Speaker and for Conversations. |
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Rev. Karin Carroll is member and past Moderator of the Presbytery of Carlisle. After receiving her undergraduate degree in New Eastern Lauguages in the 1960s, she spent 3 years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morrocco, speaking Arabic and working in both urban and rural settings. Muslin-Christian Dialogue: Spirituality in a Time of Conflict |
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Rev. Kris Haig, co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Morgantown, WV, was formerly Associate for Spiritual Formation in the General Assembly Office of Spiritual Formation. Discernment |
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Rev. Stephany D. G. Jackson is the Associate for Congregational and African American Leader Development for the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Louisville, Kentucky. As Associate for African American Leader Development, she addresses African American educational concerns, develops networks, facilitates the development of resources, conducts leadership training events for clergy and lay leaders, and as Associate for Congregational Leadership, she provides training and develops resources for elders, deacons, trustees, ministers of music and worship leaders throughout the Presbyterian Church (USA). African American Spirituality |
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Dr. Lois Lang is the Associate in Ministry for Spiritual Life, Stephen Ministry and Older Adults. She is also the Director of the Labyrinth Ministry Program at East Liberty Presbyterian Church located in Pittsburgh, PA. This ministry is considered the “grandmother” of the region’s labyrinth movement and has become an integral part of the church’s diverse, multicultural ministry. Labyrinth Prayer Ministry |
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The Rev. Lois Nell Richwine is a minister-at-large in the Carlisle Presbytery, where she serves as a Spiritual Director. She is a graduate of Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Washington D.C. and The Lancaster Theological Seminary. Lois’ areas of specialty are spiritual formation, worship and music. Taste Taize
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The Rev. Linda Robinson is the Associate Executive for Pastoral Ministry for the Presbytery of Philadelphia, providing staff support to the Committee on Ministry and the Committee on Preparation for Ministry. She has a certificate in spiritual direction, formerly serving as an adjunct Spiritual Director with the Upper Room Spiritual Center in Neptune, NJ., & for more than 20 years served as both a pastor and a retreat leader, leading groups of clergy, seminarians, and lay leaders in the exploration of the life of prayer & spiritual disciplines. Contemplative Art of Spiritual Friendship |
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Dr.Ruth Rusling served as the 2006 Moderator for the Synod of the Trinity and Commissioner from Lehigh Presbytery. She is a commissioned Lay Pastor for Spiritual Formation & a retreat leader for churches throughout the Presbytery and Synod. Spiritual Simplicity of Money |
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The Rev. Dr. Steve Shussett is the Teaching (Executive) Presbyter of Lehigh Presbytery. He is a retreat leader and writer for publications including Horizons Magazine and Hungryhearts. Formerly the Associate for Spiritual Formation at the General Assembly, he wrote for and edited Hungryhearts and “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” His doctor of ministry degree was entitled “Centering Prayer as a Means Toward Contemplation for the Priesthood of All Believers.” Centering Prayer |
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The Rev. John Sonnenday, co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Morgantown, WV, was a member of the General Assembly’s Work Group on Sabbath Keeping and lead writer of the upcoming curricular resource on Sabbath. Sabbath Keeping
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The Rev. Dr. Bruce Stevens received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech and earned his Masters of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ and his Doctorate of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburg, PA The focus of his pastoral work has been congregational transformation, first in the Buckton and Nineveh Presbyterian Churches in Front Royal, Virginia, then in First Presbyterian Church, Hackettstown, New Jersey. In 1992 he was called as Interim Executive Presbyter of Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery and began service in the Synod of the Trinity in 1995 as Unit Associate for Evangelism and Church Development. He has served as Synod Co-Executive since December of 2003. Dwelling in the Word |
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The Rev. Joyce MacKichan Walker has been the Director of Christian Education at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ for eighteen years. A 1979 graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (now Union-PSCE) and a Certified Christian Educator since 1983, she has served on the Christian Educator Certification Council, the national cabinet of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators, & two General Assembly workgroups on the Role and Status of Christian Educators. Bible Study I & II: "Jonah - A story for Our Day"
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