Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy

Workshop Leader Bios

Workshop One - Friday April 11, 2008 - 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

A Word of the Heart: Journaling for Personal Formation & Effective Ministry - Major JoAnn Shade, The Salvation Army
Major JoAnn Shade ministers with her husband Larry as the corps officers at the Salvation Army Ashland, Ohio Corps, home to a future Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. JoAnn was ordained in 1978 following the completion of The Salvation Army's Officer Training program. She received a B.A. in sociology from S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton, a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in June, 2006, in the "Women in Prophetic Leadership" track.

Within the Salvation Army, JoAnn has served in dual clergy roles in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Canton, Ohio and as the divisional social services secretary in Northeast Ohio. She also has served as a psychology assistant at North Coast Family Foundation, a Christian counseling agency.

During her stay in Canton, JoAnn developed LINCS, an intensive program for women leaving welfare, MarriageTools, a program that teaches practical marital skills, and SafetyNet, a program for chronically homeless men. She served with the Salvation Army in the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster as a counselor at the Medical Examiner's Office (morgue) and in the one-stop social services offices in lower Manhattan.

JoAnn enjoys participating in the creative arts, particularly writing, composing music, poetry and playing the piano. She has written The Heartwork of Hope: A Directed Journal and Seasons: A Woman's Calling to Ministry.

Prayer and Personality - Rev. Cathy Callahan-Howell, Free Methodist Church
Bio to be provided

Exploring Spiritual Formation through our Family of Origin - Rev. Sharon Bryson, Free Methodist Church
Sharon Clark Bryson combines her vast experiences and training in life to present educational, entertaining, and uplifting programs. Her teaching skills as an educator pair nicely with her insight as a counselor. Seminary trained, the spiritual dimension has informed her life experiences as a parent, pastor's wife and missionary. It's from this broad base of training and experience that Sharon creates engaging ministry.

Her educational training includes an M.A. in education from Western Kentucky University, and M.A.R. in evangelism and missions from Asbury Theological Seminary and an M.S.S.W. in clinical social work from the University of Louisville's Kent School of Social Work. Sharon holds a license to practice clinical social work in the state of Kentucky.

Professionally she serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Association of Christians in Social Work, (NACSW), and the administrative board of Parish Nursing for the Free Methodist Church. She has served as part-time faculty at Asbury College, Indiana Wesleyan University and the University of Kentucky's School of Social Work. Sharon also spent several years in Latin America as a teacher and missionary. Sharon is under appointment by the New South Conference of the Free Methodist Church to the Francis Asbury Society.

Biblical Foundations for Women in Ministry - Presenter, Commissioner Ken Baillie, The Salvation Army and Moderator, Commissioner Joy Baillie, The Salvation Army
Commissioner Ken Baillie is territorial commander (leader) of The Salvation Army for eleven Midwest states where more than half of the 762 officers (clergy) are women. He has been reading and teaching on women's issues since 1983.

Commissioner Joy Baillie was a biology teacher until she and her husband Ken entered ministry together in The Salvation Army 41 years ago. She is a pastor, preacher and teacher, and an amateur artist.

God's Story: Losing the Forest for the Trees - Rev. Dr. Sharon Clark Pearson, Church of God
Rev. Dr. Sharon Clark Pearson received her B.A. in Social Work and Bible and her Master of Arts in Religion from Anderson University School of Theology. Sharon received her Biblical Studies Concentration Ph. D. in New Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Sharon taught at Azusa Pacific University from 1985 to 1999. She continued in her teaching capacity at Anderson University from 1999 to 2006. Currently Sharon is serving in a New Testament post at Anderson's School of Theology.

Ethics and Social Work Ministries - Major Dorine Foreman, The Salvation Army
Major Dorine Foreman has been trained as a clinical social worker working in various ministries; adolescent residential treatment centers, homeless families and military veterans, homeless families and veterans camping, substance abuse clinics, and abused/neglected children. Dorine is an ordained minister with The Salvation Army for the past thirty years, working with the marginalized, providing counseling and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. In her current position she serves as the Associate National Social Services Secretary and Consultant for Volunteers and Older Adults.

Good Grief! Transforming Grief into Gifted Ministry - Rev. Marty Cramer, Church of God
Rev. Marty Cramer is an ordained minister in the Church of God (Anderson). She received her Master of Divinity degree from Anderson University School of Theology, where she was recognized for professional distinction in homiletics, pastoral care and counseling, and theology. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the Ohio State University. Marty is passionate about cross-generational and cross-cultural ministries and currently pastors a congregation that focuses on ministry to senior adults. She also has become an advocate for the broader employment of women clergy for senior pastoral positions within her state. She and her husband Darrell have two grown children and reside in Marysville, Ohio.

God is that You? Confirming & Living Out God's Call - Rev. Darlene Teague, The Wesleyan Church
Rev. Teague is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church. Since earning her B.S. from Houghton College and M. Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, she has served local churches as a staff pastor and her denomination in developing and producing Sunday school curriculum. She resides in Indianapolis, IN.

Godly Play - Pastor Caryl Menkhus, Evangelical Friends
Caryl is a recorded minister among Friends and the pastor of Camas Friends Church, a Quaker Meeting in Camas, Washington. She co-teaches a class on the spirituality of children at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and is a certified national Godly Play teacher trainer.

Has God Left the Church Building: A Panel Discussion - Moderator, Jennifer Smith, Church of God
Bios to be provided

Workshop Two - Saturday April 12, 2008 - 9:00 am to 10:30 am

Spiritual Renewal in the Life of the Church - Rev. Rhonda Gibbs, Church of God
Dr. Rhonda Gibbs has been traveling and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ since 1982. Presently she lives in Pleasanton, CA where she is the first woman to be appointed to The National Youth Ministry Team of the Church of God, a tennis professional at Club Sport Valley Vista, a college professor, a home school physical education instructor, a traveling youth minister, a youth leader at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, and a recording saxophonist/musician.

Rhonda graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Rhetoric Communication with a minor in Psychology and Religion from the University of Pittsburgh. She also graduated from Oral Roberts University where she received her Masters of Divinity and her Doctorate of Ministry degrees.

Tough Skin, Soft Heart: Spiritual Formation for the Woman Leader - Dr. Mary Rearick Paul and Rev. Dr. Jossie Owens, Church of the Nazarene
Dr Mary Rearick Paul is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. She served as staff pastor, senior pastor and co-pastor on the New England District for eighteen years. She received her DMin from Asbury Theological Seminary, Beeson Pastor Biblical Preaching and Leadership in 2005. Her dissertation title is: An Exploratory Study of Common Leadership Qualities among Nazarene Women Pastors Who Have Led Churches from Good to Great.

Mary was the Associate Professor of Christian Ministry at Olivet Nazarene University for two years and is currently the Vice President of Spiritual Development at Point Loma Nazarene University. She is married to Bruce Chandler Paul and has two children, Wesley and JJ.

Dr. Jossie E. Owens is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. She is currently serving as District Superintendent of the New England District. She was elected on the first ballot at the 2004 District Assembly held in Quincy, MA. She has oversight responsibility of 100 churches and fourteen new starts. Dr. Owens is currently serving on several national boards of the Church of the Nazarene. She was elected to the General Board at the 2005 General Assembly. Dr. Owens also was elected vice-chairperson of the General Board for the denomination and to the General Court of Appeals during the same assembly.

Jossie is an active member of the Multi-congregational Committee, which seeks to find effective ways for churches to covenant together concerning space needs. Within the past two years, she was selected by the Board of General Superintendents to be a member of a new national committee "BGS Thought Partners." This committee has been charged with the task of providing recommendations to the Board of General Superintendents concerning critical issues facing the Church of the Nazarene.

Healing our Images of God - Major JoAnn Shade, The Salvation Army
Major JoAnn Shade ministers with her husband Larry as the corps officers at the Salvation Army Ashland, Ohio Corps, home to a future Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. JoAnn was ordained in 1978 following the completion of The Salvation Army's Officer Training program. She received a B.A. in sociology from S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton, a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in June, 2006, in the "Women in Prophetic Leadership" track.

Wesleyan/Holiness Theology - Dr. May Lou Shea, Church of the Nazarene
Mary Lou Shea holds both an MTS in theology and a ThD in church history and the history of missions from the Boston University School of Theology. Currently, Mary Lou serves as an Assistant Professor of Religion at Eastern Nazarene College and as the Director of the DeFreitas Mission Program. She is a recipient of the 2006 - 2007 Teaching Excellence Award at Eastern Nazarene College. Mary Lou belongs to several professional societies and most recently presented a paper to the Wesleyan Theological Society on suffering and the image of God.

Worship Arts: Thinking Outside the Box - Lucinda Brown, Free Methodist Church
Lucinda Brown is a wife, mother and grandmother, who feels called of God to pursue a life in ministry as a second career. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art and has been involved commercially with graphic design and has taught classes for children and adults. This fall Lucinda will enter a graduate program at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and will be a Conference Ministerial Candidate through the Oregon Conference of the Free Methodist Church. At her home church, Northside Community Church in Newberg, Oregon, Lucinda is the curator/coordinator of the Unto Him Fine Arts Gallery, which changes exhibits monthly and is part of a local monthly Artwalk in the community. She also coordinates a yearly juried art exhibit and related activities called the "Creative Collaborative."

Connected for Life-long Ministry - Dr. Judith Schwanz, Church of the Nazarene
Dr. Judi Schwanz is the Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Nazarene Theological Seminary where she teaches courses in areas such as grief and loss, marriage and family, and the dysfunctional church. Judi is also the director of the Wynkoop Center for Women in Ministry. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Judi counsels NTS students in personal and professional matters. Judi has written the book, Blessed Connections: Relationships that Sustain Vital Ministry, as well as articles for Holiness Today and speaks at retreats and workshops.

In the winter time Judi likes to work on a quilt project while she watches a detective show on television. In the summer she can be found tending to her flower garden. Any time of the year Judi creates pages for her scrapbooks. Judi and her husband, Keith, are the parents of two married children and have two grandsons.

Called to be Sign-Readers: Reading the Signs of God in the Emerging Culture - Rev. Sarah Thomas Baldwin
Sarah Thomas Baldwin is the campus pastor and director of campus ministries at George Fox University. Sarah is a frequent retreat speaker and preacher and enjoys sharing spiritual friendship with college students as a sign-reader – looking for the signs of God in their lives. Sarah loves to tell and hear stories and to connect people to their passions and the heart of God.

Another great passion is her ministry with Word Made Flesh, a mission community that lives in solidarity with the poorest of the poor as a catalyst for community transformation. Sarah has a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and is pursuing her Doctor of Ministry in Leadership & the Emerging Culture from George Fox Evangelical Seminary.

Communicating in a Post Modern World - Captain Lisa Smith, The Salvation Army
Captain Lisa Smith has been involved in ministry to youth for more than 25 years. She was ordained in 1993 as an officer in The Salvation Army and enjoys leading worship and learning new languages. She met her husband Kyle in 1994 while doing relief work in war-torn Rwanda. Currently she works alongside her husband overseeing youth work for The Salvation Army in the western states and Pacific Islands. They have two sons, Landon and Brennan.

Preaching I . . . The Call to Preach - Dr. Diana Swope, Church of God
Rev. Dr. Diana L. Swoope is an ordained minister with the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. She has served on the staff of the Arlington Church of God in Akron, Ohio since 1981. In 1990, Pastor Swoope was the first female elected as president of the National Inspirational Youth Convention of the Church of God, which began in 1938 and has a constituency of more than 5,000 members. She and her husband Lawrence Allen reside in Copley, Ohio, along with their three children, Alecia, Allen, and Andreco.

Removing the Blinders: Sex Trafficking, Prostitution and the Global Sex Industry - Lisa Thompson, The Salvation Army
Lisa Thompson is the Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking for the Salvation Army USA National Headquarters. In this roll she works on public policy issues and initiatives related to eradicating sexual trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. She also assists in the development and coordinator of strategies for The Salvation Army to create recovery services for survivors of sexual trafficking.

Workshop Three - Saturday April 12, 2008 - 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

The Balance Beam - Rev. Melinda Priest, Church of the Nazarene
Melinda Priest has always had a heart for God and to know her is to see that passion. At seven years of age at a girls' camp, she found Jesus to be more than just a name. While at a Christian music camp in Colorado, as a junior in high school, she received her call into fulltime ministry.

Since graduating from Olivet Nazarene University, Melinda has served as Music and Worship pastor in Virginia and along with her husband, Jason and son Ty, is presently serving the Anderson, Indiana First Church of the Nazarene. She was ordained in 2005 as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene.

Completing the Circle: Mentoring as Fulfillment of the Call - Rev. Lori Niles, Church of the Nazarene
Bio to be provided

Single in Ministry - Rev. Gayle Salter, Church of God
Rev. Gayle Salter, Senior Pastor and Founder of the Eastside Church of God in Warren, Ohio, was licensed in 1981 under Dr. Timothy J. Clark and ordained under the late Dr. Lillie McCutcheon. Rev. Salter attended Gulf Coast Bible College, Youngstown State University, and the Ashland Theological Seminary of Excellence Program. She also has the unique distinction of being a pastor of a multi-cultural congregation with diverse leadership for twenty years.

Rev. Salter serves as Vice President of the Trumbull County Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and serves on the Board of Directors for ACOP (Action Community Outreach Program), as well as being Children's Ministry Coordinator for "Kidzfest Crusade for Christ." Rev. Salter is also a popular speaker for workshops, schools and interest groups.

Gender & Power: Pastoral Leadership - Rev. Dr. Mary Kate Morse
MaryKate Morse, ordained by Evangelical Friends International, is a Professor of Pastoral Studies and Spiritual Formation, and the director of the Masters programs at George Fox Evangelical Seminary. She teaches leadership and spiritual formation courses to persons preparing for ministry. Her teaching mission is to prepare women and men for enduring spiritual leadership.

MaryKate received her doctorate from Gonzaga University where she studied the characteristics of renewal leadership as modeled by Jesus. Outside of teaching, MaryKate serves as a consultant to churches in transition or experiencing leadership difficulties.

She is a recorded Quaker minister and a trained spiritual director. From 1996 to 2002, MaryKate planted a healthy, growing church, Community of Christ Church, in Hillsboro, Oregon, with two Lutheran pastors. Today she is planting a church in Southwest Portland, RiversWay Community Church.

How Pornography is Affecting the Church - Donna Rice Hughes
Donna Rice Hughes, President and Chairman of Enough is Enough (EIE), is an internationally known Internet safety expert and advocate and champions EIE's mission to make the Internet safer for children and families.

EIE was the first group to draw attention to the potential harms of the Internet; EIE recognized Internet pornography's market potential and began to warn Congress about the early formation of Internet sexual predator, child pornography and other black market pornography networks. Under Donna's leadership, EIE pursued a three-pronged strategy that involves the public, the technology industry and law enforcement sharing the responsibility to protect children on the Internet. This approach has been adopted by many industry and government leaders.

Donna also pioneered the development and production of EIE's Internet Safety 101: Empowering Parents program, a multi-media teaching product designed to educate and empower parents about he best Rules N' Tools to keep families and kids safe. Through partnerships with the Internet Industry, grassroots, charitable and faith-based organizations, EIE will deliver Internet safety guidance directly into the hands and homes of parents nationwide.

Donna is frequently sought out by the media, educators, policy makers, law enforcement officials, and industry leaders for her expertise on solutions for ensuring that children have a safe and rewarding experience online. Her book, Kids Online: Protecting Your Children In Cyberspace was heralded by the media, parents' groups, industry leaders and Congress as a "powerful tool for parents."

Donna has also spoken extensively on the subject of Internet safety in educational and professional forums across the country, including Johns Hopkins University, MIT, American University, University of Houston Law School, The Freedom Forum, and The National Press Club, and she has testified numerous times before the United States Congress on the issues surrounding Internet dangers and safety solutions.

Donna is a member of the 2006 Virginia Attorney General's Youth Internet Safety Task Force. She currently serves on the advisory board for the GetNetWise initiative, the National Cyber Security Alliance, the "Take a Bite Out of Cyber Crime" campaign, as well as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's advisory committee addressing social networking issues. Donna also celebrates EIE's work throughout the years with The Salvation Army.

Sitting with Jesus in Silence, Stillness and Wonder - Dr. Rebecca S. Letterman, Free Methodist Church
As the daughter of a pastor, Rebecca grew up surrounded by and involved in local church ministry for over 30 years - including children's ministry, women's ministry, singles' ministry, missions work, and music ministry. She holds a B.A. in English from Roberts Wesleyan College, and M.A. in Linguistics from Syracuse University, a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Cornell University, and is currently completing an M.Div. degree from Northeastern Seminary, where she serves on committees for spiritual formation and women in ministry. Rebecca is an adjunct faculty member at the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality in Pittsburgh, PA, and lives in Rochester, NY with her husband Mark and daughter Hannah.

"Jesus is my Homeboy": Why does the Culture Embrace Jesus but not the Church? - Rev. Sarah Thomas Baldwin
Sarah Thomas Baldwin is the campus pastor and director of campus ministries at George Fox University. Sarah is a frequent retreat speaker and preacher and enjoys sharing spiritual friendship with college students as a sign-reader – looking for the signs of God in their lives. Sarah loves to tell and hear stories and to connect people to their passions and the heart of God.

Preaching II . . . The Relevance of Preaching - Dr. Diana Swope, Church of God
Rev. Dr. Diana L. Swoope is an ordained minister with the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. She has served on the staff of the Arlington Church of God in Akron, Ohio since 1981. In 1990, Pastor Swoope was the first female elected as president of the National Inspirational Youth Convention of the Church of God, which began in 1938 and has a constituency of more than 5,000 members. She and her husband Lawrence Allen reside in Copley, Ohio, along with their three children, Alecia, Allen, and Andreco.