Board
| President: | Bafundi J (B.J.) Mpofu, Zimbabwe | |
| First Vice President: | Kang Pyung Lee, South Korea | |
| Vice Presidents: | Monica Fife, Brazil | |
| Doug Foster, USA | ||
| Bruce Greig, Australia | ||
| Katherine Ann Haggard, USA | ||
| Victor Hugo Queiroz, Brazil | ||
| Secretary/Treasurer: | Rick Reisinger, USA | |
| Immediate Past President: | C. Robert Wetzel, USA | |
| Past Presidents: | David Thompson, UK | |
| Richmond Nelson, Jamaica | ||
| Lyndsay Jacobs, New Zealand | ||
| Harold Watkins, USA | ||
| Ron Brooker, Australia | ||
| Other Board Members: | David Brooker, Australia | |
| Jackie Bunch, USA | ||
| Doug Dornhecker, USA | ||
| Marj Dredge, Australia | ||
| Richard Hamm, USA | ||
| Reggie Hundley, USA | ||
| S. Wye Huxford, USA | ||
| Stan Litke, Canada | ||
| Bill McDonald, USA | ||
| Martin Phiri, Kenya | ||
| Mark Taylor, USA | ||
| J. Jeanine Thweatt-Bates, USA | ||
| David Vargas, USA | ||
| Robert Welsh, USA | ||
| Ken Young, USA |
Biographies
David Brooker is the Senior Minister at Southern Community Church of Christ, an active congregation in Cheltenham, a southern bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia. David has served in a range of local and State leadership settings during his 30 years of ministry. He has served as the Chair of the Board for the Churches of Christ Theological College and is currently a member of the Victoria-Tasmania Churches of Christ Mission and Ministry Board. David’s “extracurricular” interests include music and motorcycling.
Ron Brooker. Ron grew up in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria in a loving, caring family, attending Middle Park, Brighton and Caulfield Churches. His career was mainly in the confectionery and food industries. He has been actively involved in the local churches – Caulfield, Ringwood, Cheltenham and North Balwyn as Secretary, Board member, Elder, Sunday School Superintendent, Teacher and Youth leader. His love of people led Ron into many areas of service; President and Treasurer of Save The Children Fund of Victoria, President 1980-81 of Victorian Churches of Christ State Conference, member of the Federal Board of Christian Education, member of Victorian Department of Christian Education, Secretary and Board member of College of the Bible Australia (now CCTC), Treasurer and Secretary of Australian Committee of World Convention, and Board Member of World Convention. Ron’s dedication to serving God and his love for life, his family, and the Church are his motivation.
Jackie Bunch is a retired guidance counselor for the Columbus, Ohio City Schools. After retiring in 2005, she became a real estate investor. Her ministry is providing decent housing for families in need, specializing in families with single mothers who are head of the household. She is the immediate Past President of Global Women Connecting (formerly World Christian Women’s Fellowship) and has served as President of the International Christian Women’s Fellowship.
Doug Dornhecker is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) serving since 2004 as Scholar in Residence for Liturgical Studies at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia, Washington. Doug is a graduate of Northwest Christian University and Emmanuel School of Religion. Doug and his wife served for one year at the Churches of Christ Theological College in Melbourne, Australia (2002), and, in 2006, Doug was named a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the Stone-Campbell Heritage at Northwest Christian University. Doug has served on the World Convention Board since 1992.
Marj Dredge lives in Adelaide, South Australia. Marj has been involved in Churches of Christ ministry in Australia for 45 years. Although recently retired from full time ministry, Marj and her husband have been involved in short term Intentional Interim ministries during the last 4 years. Now that they are not responsible for a church full-time, they enjoy exploring their beautiful homeland! Marj is a qualified Spiritual Director and was the first woman to hold the position of Conference President of Churches of Christ in South Australia. Marj has been heavily involved in ministry for and by women, having at one point been the Australian CWF President and later President of World Christian Women’ Fellowship (which later became Global Women Connecting). She is currently National Coordinator of Australian Churches of Christ Women’s Ministries, and, as such, is their representative to Global Women Connecting. Marj is also involved with the ecumenical group, Australian Church Women. She has been a member of the World Convention Board since 1996. Marj was recently appointed National Liaison for World Day of Prayer, Australia.
Monica Fife is Vice-President of the World Convention, President of Global Woman Connection and Missionary of the Brazil River of Life Ministries in São Paulo, Brazil. She has been responsible for the music, women and children ministries for the Brazil River of Life Ministries. Monica was ordained to the ministry by the elders at the Community of Christ Church in Peabody, MA in 1997, and holds a Music Degree with a Major in Piano, an Associate Degree in Bible and an Interior Decorating Degree.
Douglas Foster is Professor of Church History in the Graduate School of Theology and Director of the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Foster’s scholarly work has centered on understanding the place of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement in the larger context of global Christianity, and understanding the idea of Christian unity that was integral to formation of the Movement. He serves as a General Editor for a new global history of the Stone-Campbell Movement to be published in 2012. He is also completing a biography of Alexander Campbell for the Eerdmans religious biography series. He is a member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue and serves on the Boards of Stone-Campbell International and the World Convention of Churches of Christ.
Bruce Greig is a member of the Ringwood Church of Christ, Victoria, Australia where he has had various leadership roles over 44 years of continuous membership including Eldership for 20 years and secretary for 25 years. Bruce’s current involvement is in Seniors’ ministry. A retired Life Insurance Underwriter, Bruce has also been a member of the Australian Committee for World Convention for 12 years, secretary for the past eight years and has attended seven World Conventions. He enjoys bush walking and travel in his spare time.
Katherine Ann Haggard resides in Kansas City and was born and raised in Overland Park, Kansas. Katherine is an attorney licensed to practice law in both Kansas and Missouri. She has a general practice with an emphasis in estate planning and other areas of probate court. She enjoys most working with seniors. She earned a BS in psychology, with a major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, from Kansas State University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Katherine is actively involved on the board of Lake View Village, a local retirement community, Jamaica Partners, a nonprofit that provides medical and educational support to organizations in Jamaica and is a member of PEO (Women’s Philanthropic Educational Organization). Her parents, Forrest and Eleanor, initially got her involved in the World Convention where she met, worshiped and communed. She continues to cherish those close ties. She enjoys traveling, reading, yoga and spending time with her extended family and friends. Her true passion is outreach and seeing the ripple effect of her parents’ ministry.
Richard L. Hamm served as a minister of congregations for 26 years, as regional minister of Tennessee, and as general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada from 1993-2003. Dick currently serves as executive director of Christian Churches Together in the USA (www.christianchurchestogether.org), a new national ecumenical organization that includes 36 denominations (African American, Catholic, Evangelical/Pentecostal, Historic Protestant, and Orthodox) plus six organizations (American Bible Society, Bread for the World, Evangelicals for Social Action, Habitat for Humanity, Sojourners, and World Vision). He is also a partner in The Columbia Partnership (www.thecolumbiapartnership.org), which provides coach/consulting to congregations and denominational organizations. His most recent book is “Recreating The Church: Leadership For The Post-Modern Age” (Chalice, 2007). Dick also enjoys astronomy.
Reggie Hundley has served as the Executive Director of MSA and Editor of HORIZONS magazine since December of 1996. He is a native of Eden, North Carolina and the King’s Highway Christian Church. After studying at North Carolina State University, Reggie transferred to Johnson Bible College where he graduated in 1975. Since then Reggie has studied at the graduate and post-graduate level at Liberty Theological Seminary, Lynchburg College, and The College for Financial Planning, Andersonville Theological Seminary, and the Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching and Reformed Theological Seminary. The Hundley family has had a commitment to world evangelism for many years. Individually, and as a family, Reggie and his wife have devoted their time to planting new churches in the United States and Russia and have been involved with several ministries around the world. During Reggie’s years of ministry he has traveled, preached and taught in 25 countries as well as in congregations and conventions throughout the U.S. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Christian Church Pension Plan (and its Executive Committee); the Board of Directors of the Smoky Mountain Christian Men’s Fellowship and recently concluded a term on the Council of Seventy of Johnson Bible College. Reggie and his wife are members of the Lakeshore Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee where he serves in the area of small groups and with the children’s ministry.
Wye Huxford was born and raised on a farm in rural South Carolina. His family was involved in the founding of his home church, Russellville Christian Church, in 1883 and has been a part of the church there for over a century. After high school, he enrolled and graduated from Atlanta Christian College in 1973 and from the graduate division of Cincinnati Christian University in 1976. In the fall of 1976, he became an instructor in New Testament and Theology at Atlanta Christian College. In 1980 he began serving as Dean of Students. In 1983, he became the preaching minister at First Christian Church, College Park, Georgia, and remained an adjunct instructor at ACC. During a 20 year ministry, First Christian was involved in a relocation program that moved the 500 member congregation to Tyrone, Georgia. After 20 years at FCC, he became the Executive Director of the European Evangelistic Society in 2003, while continuing to serve as an adjunct instructor at ACC. In 2006, he became Vice President for Student Development and Dean of the Chapel at ACC, where he continues to serve, as well as continuing to serve as executive director of EES.
Lyndsay Jacobs is a retired high school principal from New Zealand. He has been on the World Convention Executive Board since 1979, was president 1984-1988 and General Secretary 1993-2004. He is also a past president of the Associated Churches of Christ in New Zealand (Christian Churches New Zealand). Currently much of his time is spent building relationships amongst all churches in New Zealand. Married to Lorraine since 1966. Lorraine was associate General Secretary of World Convention 1993-2004.
Ajai Lall is founder and director of Central India Christian Mission, The primary focus of CICM is evangelism, church planting and leadership training. The Mission has grown from two to over 500 fulltime workers and has planted over 700 churches in central and northern India and the countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Ajai served as the President of the 2001 National Missionary Convention and President of the All India Christian Convention in 2006. He spoke during main sessions at the combined 1995 North American Christian Convention/National Missionary Convention and at the 2000 and 2008 North American Christian Conventions. Ajai has written four Christian textbooks and edited others that are widely used by Hindi-speaking Christian leaders, teachers, and evangelists in India. Ajai holds degrees from the State University (Sagar) of Central India, Mid Atlantic Christian University, and the Institute of Theological Studies and Research, Kerala, India.
Kang Pyong Lee is First Vice-President of the World Convention. Pastor at the Yesusarang Christian Church in Seoul, he serves on several inter-church boards for the country of Korea. Kang Lee served on the Olympic Committee during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and subsequently as advisor to the Sydney Olympic Committee. Dr. Lee is a graduate of Peabody College and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Stan Litke works in Public Relations and Communications and resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Bill McDonald McDonald earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with minors in philosophy and sociology at Transylvania University and a Master of Divinity degree at Lexington Theological Seminary. He served as the Senior Minister at Crestwood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lexington, Kentucky from July 1995-November 2008. In addition to the Crestwood Church, Bill served Midway Christian Church (DOC) in Midway, Kentucky (1966-1983), Hyde Park Christian Church (DOC) in Austin, Texas (1983-1990), and Kings Highway Christian Church (DOC) in Shreveport, Louisiana (1990-1995). McDonald served ten years (1969-70, 1993-2001) on the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada and eight years on its Administrative Committee. He retired in November 2008 after 42 years in ministry with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and subsequently served World Convention as Interim Executive Director from August 2009 through January 2010. McDonald is currently a Disciples of Christ representative to the Stone-Campbell Dialogue.
Bafundi J., (B.J.) Mpofu was born in Zvishavane, Zimbabwe, near the Dadaya Mission. The son of an elder in the village church, B.J. grew up in a strong Christian home and was able to observe from an early age the impact of the Church on life and community. After attending the village school run by the missionaries, B.J. attended high school in Harare, the capitol city. He received his Diploma in Education from The United College in Bulawayo; an inter-denominational College of Education affiliated with the University of Zimbabwe. B. J. retired after 38 years in the field of education, the last decade of which was spent as the Headmaster of Petra, a large multi-racial Christian school in Bulawayo. A keen sportsman, he represented his country in soccer and for many years was a key football administrator before retiring from sports administration to concentrate on church work. B.J. serves as elder at the Makokoba Church and is frequently called upon to preach in congregations all over Zimbabwe and offers leadership training for congregations without trained pastors. In addition, he has overseen the establishment of more than 30 new congregations. He is past Chairman of the Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe. He is also on the Board of Zimbabwe Christian College, Dadaya High School, and Showers of Blessings Trust and was a founding Board member and first secretary of Khayelihle Children’s Village, where he continues to do extensive fund raising. At present, B.J. is responsible for the Showers of Blessings Trust whose main agenda is to empower the rural people in our Zimbabwean churches and to bring them into the main stream of economy. B.J. and his wife reside in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Richmond Nelson was one of the earliest graduates of Oberlin High School. He continued his education at University of the West Indies, United Theological College of the West Indies and Union Seminary (New York, U.S.A.). This prepared him for service as Assistant Pastor, St. James Presbyterian Church, New York, 1959-61, Teacher, Excelsior School, 1962-71, and Pastor, Duke Street Christian Church, 1961-72. He succeeded the C. A. Robertsons as head of the Oberlin School in 1971. Dr. Nelson’s service to the church continues as Moderator of the United Church of Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands.
Martin Phiri is from Kenya, and is a member of the churches of Christ which operates under the name Harvest International Center Ministries. He is Board Chairman of the Restoration of Churches of Christ-Kenya, a body duly to be registered that will affiliate all churches within the movement in Kenya. Martin holds an Advanced Diploma in Bible and missions from Nairobi Great Commission School and attended Abilene Christian University for a semester in 1998. He is currently the senior pastor of Harvest International Center Ministries, and also the Director of Harvest View Academy, a Christian Church school founded by Martin and his wife in 1994 that now serves 250 children.
Victor Hugo Queiroz is Vice-President of the World Convention, President of the Christian Church/Church of Christ Ministerial Counsel of Brazil, Vice-President of the Ministers Counsel of Brazil, and Senior Minister at Anapolis Christian Church in Anapolis, Goias. He has a B.A. degree in Bible Studies and a postgraduate degree in Religious Sciences. In the past he has worked as Cabinet Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Anapolis, Vice-Mayor of Anapolis, Secretary of Education of Anapolis and President of the Counsel of Economics Development of Anapolis, Administrative Secretary of the state of Goias, Administrator of the Urban Transportation of Goiania, and President of the Counsel of Ministers of Anapolis.
Erick D. (Rick) Reisinger serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the World Convention. He is Vice President and Treasurer of Church Extension, the capital planning and funding unit of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rick joined Church Extension more than 30 years ago upon his graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and economics from Culver-Stockton College, Canton, MO. His responsibilities at Church Extension include securities compliance and financial operations for Church Extension, as well as assisting congregations in planning and financing capital expansion projects.
Mark A. Taylor is publisher and editor of Christian Standard magazine and publisher of The Lookout. He has been editing Christian Standard since 2003 after having served in a variety of editorial, management, and marketing roles at Standard Publishing since 1976. He has been a member of Christ’s Church at Mason (Ohio) for more than 25 years. He has served there as director of Christian Education, elder, adult teacher, and worship leader. Mark has been a member of the Board of Stewards and the Executive Committee for the North American Christian Convention and became a member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in 2009.
Jen Thweatt-Bates grew up as a “PK” in the Churches of Christ and calls Murfreesboro, Tennessee her hometown—no matter where she lives. After graduating from Harding University, she taught English in Wuhan, P. R. China, before returning to the States to attend Abilene Christian University, where she received her M.A. in Theology. She is now a “theologian-at-large,” with a doctorate degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in the area of religion and science, and a special interest in issues of technology, embodiment and gender within Christian theology and the church. She has served on the leadership team of Christ’s Church for Brooklyn since 2006.
David Thompson recently retired as Professor of Modern Church History at Cambridge University (UK), where he has taught since 1965. He is also a non-stipendiary minister of the United Reformed Church in the UK, serving as Ecumenical Officer for the Eastern Synod. Since 1980 David has been a member of the International Dialogue between Disciples of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church, and he is also Co-Chair of the national dialogue between the Conference of Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and the United Reformed Church. He was the last President of the Annual Conference of Churches of Christ in Great Britain and Ireland in 1979-80, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church in 1996-97, and President of the World Convention, 2000-2004.
David A. Vargas is the President of the Division of Overseas Ministries (DOM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. As President of DOM, he is also the Co-Executive Officer of Global Ministries, a common witness in mission with the United Church of Christ. Prior to his current position, he served for twenty years as DOM/Global Ministries’ Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean, and as Vice President of DOM. During a transition period in preparation for the appointment of a permanent National Pastor, he ministered for ten months (1992-93) as the first National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries of the Disciples of Christ. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he earned a B.A. degree in History from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Divinity from Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico. He pursued postgraduate studies in the field of Church History at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. In 2003, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree by the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico. Rev. Vargas was ordained in February 1970 by the Disciples of Christ in Puerto Rico, where he provided pastoral leadership to three congregations. Currently he has ministerial standing in both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. David and his wife are currently members of Iglesia Casa del Alfarero (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis.
Harold R. Watkins graduated from Bethany College and later Lexington Theological Seminary. He received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Phillips University (1985) and Christian Theological Seminary (1995). Ordained to the Christian ministry in Wauseon, Ohio, he served churches in Tucson, Arizona and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Now retired, Hal came to the staff of Board of Church Extension in 1958 and was elected its President in 1980. Dr. Watkins served as President of World Convention from 1988 – 1992. He has also served on the boards of Bethany College, the National City Christian Church Corporation and the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund of Geneva, Switzerland. He is a past President of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture.
Robert Welsh, an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has served as President of the Council on Christian Unity since January 1, 1999. In this ministry, he offers leadership as the chief ecumenical officer for the Disciples of Christ, representing this church in a broad spectrum of international, national and local efforts in giving expression to the unity of the church and our oneness in Christ. He serves as one of the coordinators for the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in the United States.
C. Robert Wetzel retired as President of Emmanuel School of Religion on May 31, 2009. He was honored with the title Chancellor and began serving in that capacity. From 1961-1980, he was administrator and teacher at Milligan College. He then spent eleven years serving our sister churches in the UK and serving as Principal of Springdale College in Birmingham, England. During the academic year 2009-10 he returned to Milligan College as a part-time teacher of Humanities. He and his wife are members of the Downtown Christian Church in Johnson City, TN.
Ken Young currently serves as the Worship Minister for Fourth Avenue Church of Christ, Franklin, Tennessee, a position he’s held since October of 2003. His role as Executive Director of Hallal Worship, a family worship leader ministry involves wife, Marca, their children and grandchildren. After completing high school in Devine, TX (1974), Ken earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education (1978) at Lubbock Christian University, and then a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (1986) from Texas Tech University. His church work in Texas includes Kerrville, Brownfield, Austin (Westover Hills), Lubbock (Sunset), Irving (South MacArthur). He served ten years at Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland before assuming his current position in Franklin, Tennessee. Ken is a songwriter, arranger, and publisher. He is a writer with Howard Publishing, and Director of Stream (Spiritual Renewal Weekend).