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Authors

Caris Adel is a blogger and homeschooler who is passionate about recognizing the image of God in everyone, and seeing the truth of God everywhere. She loves coffee, good music, books, the beach, other cultures, Earl Grey tea, silence, Bollywood movies, good food, sweet wine, chocolate, memoirs, paint, paper, making jewelry, reading a good quote, Madeline L’Engle, Rob Bell, wonder and mystery, theology, deep thoughts and quirky movies, traveling and road trips, story and liturgy, campfires and Christmas, Twitter and Instagram. Read more of her blog at www.carisadel.com

Desi Allevato always knew she was looking for something, but wasn’t sure what. She found her husband Frank in grad school, and later, thankfully, found her way OUT of her PhD program. In 2012 she and Frank walked into the Easter Sunday service at Church of Our Savior just up the road from their house and she found God. Or God found her; she’s not sure which yet. While very pregnant wit their son John Paul, Desi was baptized in July that same year. The following year she and Frank were confirmed on her 36th birthday. Since then, Desi’s done her best to balance raising a family, sustaining a loving marriage, working full-time, and growing into a faith and love of Jesus that manages to change her life every single day. Desi works as a digital product manager in Charlottesville, VA.

MEREDITHMeredith Baker and her family now attend church at Redeemer Episcopal Midlothian in Virginia and previously attended Christ Church Washington Parish. She has written about the history of the Episcopal Church of Virginia in The Richmond Theater Fire: the Early Republic’s First Great Disaster (LSU Press, 2012).

TrinityHS_1035rtWendy Claire Barrie has directed programs for children, youth, and families since 1989 in seven Episcopal congregations large and small on both coasts, presently at Trinity Church Wall Street. Wendy is also the mother of an especially curious thirteen-year-old, and the author of the new book Faith at Home: A Handbook for Cautiously Christian Parents.

Elizabeth Bentrup loves ideas, connecting, and getting things done. An education and Jesus-enthusiast, she’s made the rounds as a clergy spouse with her husband and two boys in Virginia, Texas, and now, South Carolina. With an interest in civic responsibility and systems, you will often find her sipping coffee and reading the headlines in an actual newspaper, watching CBS Sunday Morning, or lounged out watching college football. When she can, she gets away to beautiful places and live concerts.

Meaghan Brower has been the director of the Episcopal Conference Center in Rhode Island since 2012. After graduating from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2007 Meaghan worked as the Associate Rector at Emmanuel Church in Southern Pines, NC. From there she and her husband Jonathan took some time off to travel and discern God’s will in their lives. They were delighted that discernment brought them back in their home state of Rhode Island where Meaghan works at camp and Jonathan works as a furniture maker. They have three children.

Drew Bunting is an Episcopal priest currently serving as Interim Rector of St. Paul’s, Athens, TN near his home in Chattanooga. He has previously worked as chaplain of St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School in Miami, as well as serving parishes in Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington, DC. He has a side gig as a children’s musician, specializing in songs that don’t make parents want to puncture their own eardrums. His music can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Prime, and other streaming sites, and this online store.


Bill Campbell is the Executive Director for Forma – the Network for Christian Formation. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife Amy, their precocious daughter Maddie and their bird crazed GSP, Owen.  Bill loves fundraising, especially for the Episcopal Church and he nothing gives him more pleasure than a day spent in the field with his dog. You can always find Bill wherever two or three are gathered to share tall tales and love Jesus.

Sarah Carr is a stay at home mom who often wonders if all those communication studies at university were  simply for this calling: parenting six children alongside her headmaster/priest husband. Late at night she can be found surrounded by stacks of shortbread and piping bags of icing filling cookie orders for her home business, listening to podcasts about the enneagram and, most recently, middle school and young adult fiction to stock the shelves of the bookstore she and her husband opened with friends in their hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Matthew E. Chen is a parishioner at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia. He works in public affairs in Washington, D.C.

 

Christina (Tina) Clark serves as Director of Christian Formation at Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, and is the author of the resource book Arts Camp: A Creative, Customizable Alternative to Vacation Bible School and Beyond and of the novel Little Gods on Earth. Tina lives in Denver, has two teenage sons, and loves all things church, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. Tina’s calling is to create meaningful formational experiences for all ages, from Godly Play for little ones about to be baptized to exploring all aspects of faith with teens and adults. A staunch advocate for social justice, Tina yearns to walk every day in the Baptismal Covenant to seek and serve Christ by striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being…even the ones with whom she ardently disagrees.

The Rev. Adam Walker Cleaveland was in full-time youth ministry for 10 years before founding Illustrated Children’s Ministry, a fast-growing online business creating illustrated faith resources for the church and the home. He lives in Chicago with his wife (a pastor), their young son and daughter and 10 year old lab-pit, Sadie. Adam loves to draw (with both a pen and a stylus) and loves binge-watching the many great TV shows that are created today. You can find Adam on most social networks as @adamwc and you can learn more at adamwc.com.

Ben Day is the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Kennesaw, GA. He is an avid reader, cyclist, and runner. He is also a single father to a wonderful young son, Marshall. They share their home with two rescue dogs, Becket and Augustine—both named after Archbishops of Canterbury!

Christopher Decatur is seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary and currently interning at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Prior to seminary, Chris served at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, OH as the Associate Minister for Children, Youth, Family, Young Adult and Campus Ministries. Chris currently serves on The Taskforce for Liturgical and Prayer book Revision. At Virginia Theological Seminary, Chris is also a Catechist for the Discipleship Initiative “Baptized For Life”. Chris comes from an undergraduate degree in Comparative Religion from Cleveland State University and years of studies and practicing of Early Childhood Education at both CSU and as a student at The Catholic University of America.

doriandelpriore-1Dorian Del Priore is an Episcopal priest currently serving as the Canon for Mission and Evangelism at Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, SC. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and Virginia Theological Seminary, he has been involved in youth ministry for more than 20 years. Dorian is a husband to Lauren and a father to Jordan and Brynn. They have a particular heart for rescuing Great Danes. He loves photography, swimming, hiking, camping, and ice cream, especially butter pecan.

Alissa Ellett has worked in ministry for fifteen years, serving in churches across California. She earned her Masters in Christian Education from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Currently based in Fresno, CA, when she’s not writing for Illustrated Children’s Ministry, she’s immortalizing moments and seasons in others’ journeys through her photography business, Waypoint Photography.

Miguel Escobar is Director of Anglican Studies at Episcopal Divinity School at Union. There he is working with the Dean Kelly Brown Douglas to transform theological education by providing innovative public programming and classroom instruction that reimagines faith in the public square and trains Episcopal faith leaders for progressive activism. Previously, Miguel served as managing program director for leadership, communications and external affairs at the Episcopal Church Foundation. He earned a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2007 and served as communications assistant to then-Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from 2007 to 2010. Miguel is a member of the board of directors of Forward Movement and serves on the advisory council of Duke Divinity School’s Leadership programs and Episcopal Relief and Development’s church programs committee. He grew up in the Texas hill and now lives in Brooklyn where he’s a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Park Slope.

img_0275 Ann Benton Fraser is a priest serving as an associate rector at historic St. Mark’s in downtown San Antonio, TX. She lives with her husband Andrew, who is a fellow Louisiana native, and their three children (two Mississippians and a Texan). She spends time reading, being outside, and learning from her children. Either indecisive or decidedly adaptable, she likes Game of Thrones and Call the Midwife, using scissors and glue, making messes and cleaning up messes, quiet and chaos, things Protestant and Catholic.

Patrick Funston is husband to Michael and father to Eirnín and York. A 2011 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, Patrick serves as the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, Kansas.  Prior to St. Paul’s, Patrick was the Chaplain of Bishop Seabury Academy in Lawrence, Kansas. Patrick, an avid gamer and geek, loves to preach and teach in his congregation and on his YouTube channel.

Tim Gavin is an Episcopal priest who loves life and spending time with his wife, Joyce, and their two golden retrievers. He serves as the Head Chaplain at The Episcopal Academy, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. In addition to providing pastoral care, he teaches biblical literature, leads worship services, and oversees the community service program. He, also, coordinates the school’s partnership program with St. Marc’s School in the Central Plateau of Haiti, which he visits three to four times a year. As a result of his work in Haiti, he enjoys studying Haitian literature, history, and language (Creole). In addition to his work as a school chaplain, he serves as an associate priest at St. Alban’s Church in Newtown Square. Tim is a poet and the author of Lyrics from the Central Plateau. His poems have appeared most recently in The Anglican Theological Review, Blue Mountain Review, Cresset, Pacific Poetry, Poetry Quarterly, Poetry South, and others. Tim enjoys praying, reading, writing, and distance running.

The Rev. Sarah Kinney Gaventa is the Dean of Students at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is mother to Charlie, and wife to the Rev. Matthew Gaventa, Head of Staff at University Presbyterian Church, in Austin, TX.  Her mother was Pamela Kinney, a brilliant and creative elementary school teacher who had an encyclopedic knowledge of Broadway musicals and Greek mythology.  She was also a very, very good mother.

headshot1BenjaminGildas

Benjamin Gildas is a professed religious in the Anamchara Fellowship, founding host of the Episcopal podcast Priest Pulse, and rector of Incarnation Holy Sacrament Church in Drexel Hill, PA. Find him on Twitter @priestpulse and @benjaminwallis or at facebook.com/priestpulse. When he isn’t at IHS or on Twitter he can be found roaming Walt Disney World with his family and his best pal Mickey Mouse.

Emily Gowdy Canady has been a lay professional in the Episcopal Church for more than 20 years. In that time she served parishes in Alabama and Washington, DC as a youth minister, as the Diocese of East Carolina’s Program Officer for Youth, College Campus and Young Adult Ministries, and currently as East Carolina’s Missioner for Lifelong Christian Formation. In her very spare time, she enjoys running, crafting of all kinds, and cooking. She lives with her husband and two school aged children in New Bern, NC.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem Jackson Greer is a writer, family minister, speaker, blogger, and the author of the book At Home in this Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroads of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises, and A Homemade Year: The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting and Coming Together. Jerusalem lives with her husband and two sons (ages 12 and 16) at the intersection of beauty and mess, on a farm-in-progress in Central Arkansas. Together they are attempting to live a slower version of modern life rooted in their faith. In-between batches of laundry Jerusalem loves to write and speak all the wonderful trouble this pursuit causes her. You can find Jerusalem online at jerusalemgreer.com or on Instagram under the same name.

Charlotte Hand Greeson shares her passion for formation as a manager, editor, and writer for Building Faith. In addition, she assesses curriculum for the Center for Ministry of Teaching and speaks on formation on behalf of the CMT. Charlotte takes seriously Paul’s injunction in his letter to the Romans to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,” living this out in social media ministry. A 22-year military spouse, she currently lives in California.

PhotographerMarcus Halley is an ordained Episcopal priest serving as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Minneapolis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master of Divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center, and a Master of Sacred Theology from the School of Theology at the University of the South. An avid writer and blogger, Fr. Marcus has contributed to numerous other publications both online and in print.

Christine V. Hides is the Director of Ministries with Children and Youth at Northbrook UMC and a  deacon candidate in the United Methodist Church. She writes about faith formation at Bless Each One. A former kindergarten teacher, she is passionate about childhood literacy. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Victoria Hoppes is the Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at Resurrection Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She also serves as the Project Coordinator for Faith @ Home (www.dofaithathome.org). She has ministry experience with youth, family, and camping programs at both the parish and diocesan levels. She holds degrees from Texas Lutheran University and Luther Seminary. She You can follow Victoria on her website, www.ministryincontext.com, or on social media (@vlhoppes).

Erin Hougland is the Pathways to Vitality Priest for the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. As the Pathways Priest, Mother Erin works with three congregations over a two year period to help develop their discipleship pathways and programming, stewardship and regular giving campaigns, ministry organization and structure as well as evangelism and outreach initiatives. Mother Erin comes from Kentucky originally, but has lived in Indianapolis since 2008. She loves to write, hike, camp, and spend time with her husband and two children. Mother Erin received her BA in Theological Studies from Hanover College in 2008, her M.Div from Earlham School of Religion in 2014 and her Diploma for Anglican Studies from Bexley Seabury Seminary Federation in Chicago in 2017. Mother Erin is passionate about fostering a sense of spiritual knowing within individuals and faith communities and believes our capacity to share love and compassion will save, heal and transform us into the beacons of hope and light God has made us to be.

Sara Irwin was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 2004, and serves as Pastor of St John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Carnegie, 5 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA.  She is mom to Isaiah and Adah, and spouse to the Rev. Noah Evans, rector of St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mt Lebanon. She loves tattoos, hiking, and making beer.  She writes for Mt Lebanon Magazine and other publications.  She blogs at  www.saraiwrites.blogspot.com.
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Rachel Jones loves Jesus, her husband, their respective families, barbecue, breakfast tacos, Bob Dylan, baseball, the Book of Jeremiah, trips to the beach, finding money in a jacket pocket, and snagging the shadiest parking spot in the lot—in that exact order. Rachel and Mr. Jones live in Cincinnati with three neurotic cats and a new kitten named Carrie Fisher. When she’s not working on Forward Day by Day, she’s usually looking for her car keys or putting up preserves, but should probably be updating her blog at https://makeshiftfarms.wordpress.com/.

ep-150109862Maria Kane is a priest, historian, writer, and rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. Prior to arriving at St. Paul’s, Mother Maria served as a parish priest in southern Virginia and a chaplain & teacher at a New England boarding school. She’s long been fascinated by history and storytelling and finds immeasurable joy in hearing people’s stories and walking alongside them in faith. She has written for Weavings, Alive Now!, and the Upper Room. For two years, she served as one of Lent Madness’ Celebrity Bloggers.

Lauren Kuratko is an Episcopal priest and mother in the Diocese of New York. As a spiritual director, she enjoys looking for God in the humor (and humdrum!) of everyday life and community. Lauren is the Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Lauren enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband and three exuberant boys, every single second of quiet she can find, and cheering for Auburn football.

Ryan Kuratko, PhD is the Campus and Young Adult Missioner for Harlem, Uptown, and the Bronx for the Diocese of New York. He likes to ask really basic questions about prayer and spirituality, and he maintains good boundaries with his time mostly so that he can hang out with his kids, cook, and play video games.

plewis1The only daughter of British Guyanese immigrants, Pamela A. Lewis was born in Queens, New York. Now retired, Pamela was a high school French teacher for 30 years. She enjoys serving in her church, reading, writing, and learning classical guitar.  She writes regularly for The Episcopal New Yorker, Episcopal Journal, and is a blogger for The Huffington Post. She resides in Queens.

Eric J. Liles is a native of the Golden State with deep roots in the Lone Star State. He is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a dog owner. He is an enneagram type 8 with a 9 wing (aka the momma bear!) and a Myers Briggs INFJ. He received a Bachelors of Arts degree at Texas A&M University, Masters in Divinity at at Virginia Theological Seminary, and Doctor of Ministry at the School of Theology at the University of the South. He plays a little guitar, enjoys traveling, cycling, hiking, and camping, an occasional cigar and distilled beverage. You can follow his ministry at Saint Michael and All Angels in Dallas and through his blog Preaching with Luke.

Kit Lonergan is currently serving as Priest in Charge at St. James Episcopal Church in Groveland, Massachusetts, and as Chaplain at Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She and her husband are parents to a 5 year old rescue chocolate lab, a 3 year old daughter and a one year old son. She would desperately like to tell you about her hobbies, but they would currently be listed as: eating leftover food off plastic plates, searching for rogue socks, and wearing sweaters with something unidentifiable smeared on the shoulder in public. Neither crafty nor good with plants, she loves intergenerational ministry, dark humor, the BBC and pie.

mckellar-2Andrea McKellar is the Ministry Developer at The Episcopal Church in South Carolina and mom to two young children. When not solving the problems of the world, she is blogging about church stuff at funeralhomechurch.com. Andrea enjoys reading with her children, golf, and Sunday afternoon naps.

IMG_3932Miriam Willard McKenney finds extreme joy parenting her three girls: Nia, 25; Kaia, 20; and Jaiya, 17. She and her husband, David, met at the Union of Black Episcopalians conference in 1981. Miriam works as Forward Movement’s Development Director and is on the Way of Love working group. She was a children’s librarian and school media specialist for 20 years before joining Forward Movement’s staff. She loves to evangelize about her love of outdoor fitness, even in extreme temperatures — as there is no bad weather, just incorrect clothing choices.

Cara Meredith is a writer, speaker, and south-after conversationalist. A former high school English teacher and non-profit outreach director, her writing has appeared in numerous print and online publications. The Color of Life, a spiritual memoir about her journey as a white woman into issues of race and justice, was released in February 2019. She holds a Masters of Theology from Fuller Seminary and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. You can connect with her on her website, as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Betsey Monnot serves as Missioner for Leadership Development and Networking for the Diocese of Northern California, and is the mother of three growing boys.  Betsey is originally from Massachusetts and came west for seminary at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley She is continually surprised at how long she has lived in California. She enjoys cooking, writing, and reading middle-grades fiction.

Karen B. Montagno is an Episcopal priest and Canon Missioner at Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati.  Her ministry as Missioner involves engagement/outreach, collaborating with individuals and groups for community empowerment. She has been a spiritual director for over 10 years. She is drawn to the intersection between spirituality and social justice. Writing and offering meditations is one way she shares life in the spirit and spiritual listening with others. The plants she grows and cat friends are also an important part of her own spiritual life.

hugo

Hugo Olaiz is associate editor for Latino/Hispanic resources at Forward Movement. Hugo grew up in La Plata, Argentina, moving to the U.S. to do graduate studies in Spanish, linguistics, and translation. Hugo now lives in Oxford, Ohio, with his husband John-Charles Duffy and an aging beagle mix named Patches. In his spare time, he loves to entertain friends, edit Wikipedia entries, and watch opera clips on YouTube.

DerekOlsenDr. Derek Olsen is a layman within the Episcopal Church with a doctorate in New Testament. He is the liturgical editor of the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book and the author of Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life. Derek has served on the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission for Liturgy & Music. An IT professional by day, he is also the mastermind behind St Bede Productions, which is responsible for the St Bede’s Breviary, Forward Movement’s Daily Prayer site, and the St Bede Blog (formerly haligweorc). He lives in Baltimore with his wife, an Episcopal priest, and their two daughters.

image5Jamie Osborne is a priest serving at St John’s Episcopal Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition to nurturing those already in the Episcopal Church, Jamie has a desire to guide young adults and those who are unchurched/ dechurched into a life of faith in the Episcopal tradition. He also spends quite a bit of time wondering what God might be calling the church to be and do in the midst of the cultural, technological, and religious shifts that are happening in the landscape of the United States and the world.

Anna V. Ostenso Moore is the author of the picture books “Today Is a Baptism Day” and “We Gather at This Table” and associate for family ministries at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis. Wife, priest, daughter, sister, aunt, godparent, friend, and expectant adoptive mother, she lives in Minneapolis with her husband, David.

IMG_3194The Rev. Nurya Love Parish is an Episcopal priest, blogger, speaker, and ministry developer. She is the co-founder of Plainsong Farm and the curator of the guide to the Christian food movement. When she is not in front of a computer or at a meeting, she can often be found in the kitchen.

Kate Rademacher grew up outside of Boston and lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her family. In her debut memoir, Following the Red Bird: First Steps into a Life of Faith, Kate describes how she came to embrace a relationship with God after maintaining a pick-and-choose approach to spirituality for many years. Kate’s second memoir, Their Faces Shone: Lessons on Loving and Letting Go, about her experience as a foster parent will be released in the summer of 2020. You can visit Kate online at www.katerademacher.com

Genevieve Razim is grateful for the generations of church folk who have shared the faith with her. As an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Texas, she prays for the grace to do the same. Married for 25 years and the mother of two young men, her favorite place to be is at the table with loved ones. Additional reflections can be found at genevieverazim.wordpress.com.

George Roberts is an Episcopal priest, serving St. James Parish in Farmington, CT for the last eight years. He finds great spiritual inspiration in the natural world, seeing God most clearly in the sacramental nature of God’s creation. Mary Oliver, RS Thomas, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Henry David Thoreau are among his favorite poets. Cathedrals are also a touchstone for George’s understanding of God, which he experienced in a most profound way during his sabbatical in the United Kingdom last summer. George and his wife Tracey have four independent and amazing children.

Emily Rutledge is the Children, Youth, & Family Minister at Church of Our Saviour in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is passionate about creating communities of belonging rooted in God’s infinite and inclusive love, consent, and clearance sales. She has absolutely none of life figured out and finds that her Type A personality doesn’t mix well with the surprising nature of existence. She is daily working to live authentically while raising two small humans, caring for her mother with dementia, holding space for her congregation, and attempting to be (mostly) happily married. You can read about how that is almost working out on her blog It’s a Hot Holy Mess.

Laura Shaver loves her life full of all things boy. She is married to Trevor and together they have three beautiful young sons. Her faith sustains her, the coastal air lifts her spirits, and she finds courage in talking faithful parenting with any mom willing to listen and share. She has worked in Episcopal church communications for the past 12 years. Daily life involves lots of balance among two full-time working parents, active children, and seeking Jesus’ sweet guidance through it all.

Melody Wilson Shobe is an Episcopal priest who has served churches in Rhode Island and Texas. A graduate of Tufts University and Virginia Theological Seminary, Melody had authored and co-authored a number of books and curricula for Forward Movement, including Faithful Questions, Meet the Saints: A Family Storybook, The Path: A Family Storybook, and Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs & Practices (due out Summer 2017). Melody, her husband, and their two daughters live in Dallas, Texas, where she spends her spare time reading stories, building forts, conquering playgrounds, baking cookies, and exploring nature.

A lifelong Episcopalian, Christian Simmers is a wife, mother, and nurse practitioner in the mountain foothills of Central Virginia. After a decade at the hospital bedside, she noticed striking similarities between teaching nursing students how to care for the sick and teaching her daughters to care for the world around them. She blogs about their adventures and her lessons in humility at www.fourgirlseightnames.com.

Heather

Heather Sleightholm is an artist, wife and mother living in northeastern Oklahoma. She sells her paintings through her folk art business and recently illustrated the book Mary Holds My Hand by Michele Chronister. You can read more about her art and exploration of faith through her paintbrush at http://sleightholmfolk. blogspot.com/

 

Rosemary Thomas lives in Bedford, UK. She has one daughter who loves church, another who finds it boring and a talented husband whose vocation is to make choral singing in church as inclusive as possible. Originally a Methodist, she is now a baptized Anglican and attends her local church where she plays in the worship band and leads junior church. Rosemary comes from a liberal Christian tradition and has been very influenced by the liturgy of the Iona Community in Scotland and Taize style worship of southern France. More recently she has taken an interest in contemplative and centering prayer as a way of carving out time to be still and listen to God when small people clamor for her attention! Previously a Work Psychologist supporting people with disabilities into employment, she currently combines managing the household with attempting to complete her qualification in occupational psychology. She may one day get round to doing a theology degree…

Richelle Thompson croppedRichelle Thompson is a mom of two, a wife of a priest, and the deputy director and managing editor of Forward Movement. With all the balls spinning, sometimes her personal mantra is to keep moving forward, day by day! She lives in Northern Kentucky with her family, a dog, a rabbit, a horse, and an adopted stray cat that just gave birth to four kittens. (Anyone looking for a new pet?)

Ryan Casey Waller studied philosophy and religion at the University of Southern California before earning a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Theological Studies from SMU. After a brief career in the law Ryan felt called by God to teach and preach. He spent three years at All Saints’ Episcopal School before being led to the Church of the Incarnation. He is married to Caroline Waller and has two sons, Ford Casey and Charles Henry.

 

The Rev. Erin Jean Warde works as a Teaching Assistant at Tempest Sobriety School and serves as the lifestyle & humor editor at Earth & Altar, a publication in partnership with Forward Movement. She lives in Austin, TX, but she grew up in Alabama and you can hear it when she talks. She studied English and Creative Writing at Troy University and received her M. Div from Seminary of the Southwest. When she is not writing, verbally processing, and laughing, she can be found in a coffee shop or vintage store making new friends.

 

Anne Marie Holwerda Warner is a Chicago carpenter’s daughter and the author of an unpublished essay collection loosely themed around her Protestant faith that evolved into an Episcopalian one. Her poetry and photography have appeared in gravel, Foliate Oak, Flyway, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, The Feast and Art Prize 10.

FullSizeRender (1)Emily Watkins has a Masters in Applied Theology from Regent College in Vancouver and is the Headmaster of The Augustine Academy, a hybrid Charlotte Mason School in the Milwaukee area. She loves spending days by Lake Michigan and doing nature study in the Wisconsin woods with her husband and four sons.

MomJedThe Rev. Melissa Wilcox lives in a charming walking-town outside of Philadelphia. She lives with her husband, who serves as a rector at Christ Episcopal Church. They make their home in a Victorian “condo” literally attached to the church, with their three lively children–Elias, Adelaide, and Josiah. She serves the church as an assistant rector at Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA. Melissa blogs about the intersection of faith and family and sundry other things at www.kradelkids.blogspot.com.

MaryWileThe Rev. Mary Lee Wile is a deacon in the Diocese of Maine. She is the author of the theological novel Ancient Rage, three program books: I will with God’s help, Christ’s Own Forever, This Bread & This Cup, and two children’s books: Star of Wonder and Season of Angels, both through Forward Movement. She has written for Forward Day by Day and Daily Devo, and she maintains an intermittent blog at Bread & Stories: Tending Family Faith in Cyberspace. Having served eight years as a pediatric hospice chaplain, ten years in prison ministry, Mary Lee continues to offer spiritual direction, writes sporadically, Zooms with grandchildren, and for 23 years taught high school English.   

Carrie Willard lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, two sons, three dogs, and a cat who showed up on her front step one day. Carrie is an attorney who works in university administration. Her writing also appears in Mockingbird and the Anglican Digest. Carrie and her family attend Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston.

 


Editor: The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles is wife, mother, peacemaker and priest learning navigate life in the suburban wilds of Dallas. After working as Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s Executive Director for six years, Allison has re-entered parish ministry in the Diocese of Fort Worth. She currently serves as the Priest in Charge of St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Hurst, Texas.

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