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2007 New Wilmington Mission Conference Speakers
 - Stephen Saint grew up in Ecuador, son of martyred missionary Nate Saint who was killed by the Waodani tribe in 1956. He came to know and love these people who were served by his aunt, Rachel Saint until her death in 1994. Steve will be the Saturday evening speaker at NWMC July 22, 2007.
- A graduate of Wheaton College, Steve has launched several successful businesses and has worked as a missionary in West Africa, Central America and South America. At the request of the Waodani elders, he returned to the Amazon in 1995 along with his wife and children. Steve is the founder if I-TEC (Indigenous People’s Technology & Education Center) whose focus is on enabling indigenous churches to overcome the technological and educational hurdles that stand in the way of their independence - a vision that grew out of this experience among the Waodani. This formerly proud and independent group had become a welfare state, and their church a welfare church. While the Waodani people were the initial concern of I-TEC, its mission includes other hidden people groups around the world who will benefit from support such as dental equipment, solar-powered radio transmitters, canoe motors and powered parachutes.
- Steve and his wife Ginny have been married 33 years and have four children, Shaun, Jaime, Jesse, (who are married to Anne, Jessica and Jenni Joy) and Stephenie, who died suddenly in 2000 at age 20. Ten grandchildren (soon to be eleven) are the joy of their lives.
- Steve is a hands-on participant in I-TEC projects, is the author of three books and numerous articles, and is increasingly involved in speaking and radio and television appearances. The story of his father is featured in the recent movie "End of the Spear" and he narrates the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor.
 - Dr. Rebecca Young will preach Sunday morning during the 11:00 service at the New Wilmington Presbyterian Church across from the college Chapel. Although a rich tradition of missionary and pastoral service runs deep in her blood, Rebecca Young will not hesitate to say that ministry was the last thing in the world that she ever thought of doing. "The first call to which I really responded grew out of my desire to do my part to relieve world hunger," Young said. "I knew from the time that I started my master’s degree in public health nutrition that I would use it to go overseas to work in a developing country to help hungry people." And she did. She served with Church World Service in Indonesia and later Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in tsunami relief.
- Rebecca is the daughter of two Presbyterian pastors and graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in GA and received a PhD in contemporary systematic theology at Fordham University. She is now teaching at Jakarta Theological Seminary. She says "Being a missionary is part of our shared Presbyterian DNA. It’s what we do together as a family. As the connectional church, we’re all missionaries, and we are in mission together."
 - Veeda Javaid, Executive Director of the Presbyterian Board of Education in Pakistan will be our Sunday evening speaker. She says issues in her nation include nationalization of church schools once recognized for their excellence, high unemployment levels among qualified Christians, and laws that discriminate against Christians.
- After years of government control, many Presbyterian primary and secondary schools are being returned to the church's care in deplorable conditions. Veeda and her colleagues are recreating spaces where Christian and Muslim children can learn together and build a healthy society.
 - Rev. Jim Walker - Morning Meeting Speaker. Rev. Walker is co-pastor of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community, a joint Presbyterian and United Methodist new church development on the Southside of Pittsburgh, PA. The church has grown from 100 to 400 average worship attendance in two years. Jim initiated the Morning Meeting drama at NWMC last summer.
- Jim is a 2003 graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and serves this new church plant through the United Methodist Church. He has served 10 years in youth ministry at two churches: Bakerstown UMC and Oakmont UMC. He received his undergraduate degree from Point Park College in Pittsburgh. As a teenager, Jim had an after school job as *Zee Shakey Chef* at a New Jersey amusement park. The clown make-up never did come off. He now lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Brenda and their two children.
- His topics will be:
- "Cut to the Core" - Isaiah 6:1-8 (Monday) God is calling us go, but not as people who have it all together. Rather, God wants to use our scars to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
- "Super-Objectives" - Acts 2:41-47 (Tuesday) What is it that we really want and need? Did the early Christians get something that we don’t get? As missionaries, what is it that we are really offering to others?
- "The Evil Twin" - Luke 8:26-39 (Wednesday) Fame. Fortune. Beauty. Fear. Rejection. Masks. These are the ‘ways’ of our culture. But they are not the ways of God. How do we know when the Kingdom of God is near?
- "One Upped" - Philippians 2 (Thursday) Being a missionary means considering others better than ourselves.
- "As One" - 2 Peter 2:4-10 (Friday) We are not called to be lone missionaries. Mission work is done best when we do it as one, together, as the Body of Christ.
 - Rev. Andrew Adair - Monday Evening Meeting Speaker. Rev. Adair has just started as the director of a joint "strategic alliance" of The Outreach Foundation and the Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship(PFF). He will be developing new paths for people called to mission to reach the mission field.
- Since 1997 Andrew and his wife, Teri, have served as PC(USA) co-workers in Asia. As the country director of a creative organization, Andrew provided leadership and management to a field-driven, field-based partnership of professionals from 11 different countries and more than 13 partner agencies. Under his leadership the ministry grew to more than 80 long-term workers and 80 national staff members.
- Prior to his service in Asia, Andrew served for almost five years as mission pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. He earned his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in cross-cultural studies and a degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. Before entering seminary, Andrew worked as a bank investment officer and portfolio manager. Andrew and his family will live in the Houston area. He and Teri have three children.
 - Rev. Joan Gray – Tuesday Evening Meeting Speaker. Rev. Gray is the current Moderator of the 217th PC(USA) General Assembly. She has served as pastor and interim pastor in the Atlanta area since being ordained in 1978 and is currently Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. By the time of the New Wilmington Mission Conference she will be the Moderator of Greater Atlanta Presbytery.
- She has served the PC(USA) extensively at the General Assembly and Presbytery levels. She has been active in Presbyterian Women and written leader guides for their studies. Joan co-authored Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers.
 - P.W. Gopal will be leading music in the High School program during the week and sharing with everyone in a concert at Thursday’s Evening Meeting. P.W. is a musician with roots in Columbus, Ohio. He was originally involved in Young Life Ministries and has gained a considerable fan base by playing at the Fall Weekends and Summer Camps. P.W. has released three albums, Leaving Storyville, Connor and the Blackboard and a live album, Still Voices.
- P.W. Gopal knows that the stage is his place to be real and share glimpses of his life with crowds who are looking for authenticity from an artist. He comes as a prepared musician who has seen and experienced much of the same things in life that we’ve all lived through, and he'll leave you with a mark of familiarity, as if you’ve already known him for years. Stemming from the musical influences of Steven Curtis Chapman, Bebo Norman, Edwin McCain and Patty Griffin, P.W. writes his own music and tells his own stories of life, love and faith. For more info check out http://nwmcmission.org/utility/www.pwgopal.com!
  - Rev. McWilson Koku Atakro - Wednesday Evening Meeting Speaker. Rev. Atakro is from Ghana in Africa. He will be in the Hill Presbyterian Church in Butler, PA for a 6 month pastoral exchange. Rev. Atakro is a leading pastor in West Volta Presbytery. His wife, Belief, will accompany him.
- NWMC Summer Service Team – Friday Evening Meeting Speakers. Eight young adults and their team leaders Rachel and Michael Ludwig, who will have just returned from six weeks of serving and learning in Guatemala, will share their testimonies. They will mostly work with the new organization, Nueva Diaconia, helping to enable the Guatemalan people to organize their 'agricultural/economic' efforts to better use the land and create a more secure means of income.
 - Who is Rob Bradford the High School Bible Hour speaker?
- "I could tell you when I was born and where and even the names of my family and many of my ancestors. But does that really tell you who I am? I don’t think so. I could also tell you that I am twenty-seven years old and that I have been married to my beautiful bride Sharon for over four years and that I have a beautiful son named Taye who is eleven months old. But that doesn’t really tell you who I am. I could tell you that I was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, attended Hope College for my undergrad and worked as a youth pastor for three years until I recently quit and am now a stay at home dad. But that still does not tell you who I am.
- The only way you will really know who I am is by finding out what I am passionate about; what makes me laugh, cry, and jump up and down with excitement. The answer to this is clear. I am passionate about students; students of all ages from various walks of life. This passion is exemplified in my past career choices, current jobs and future aspirations. I believe strongly that every student deserves to be loved. Students deserve, no need, to feel loved, see love exemplified and love others. That is what moves me and keeps me waking up every morning with purpose. So, I hope it all makes sense. As life goes on, my life story will continue to mold and shape and change direction constantly. But the one thing that will not change is my passion for students. It is who I am and why I am."
 - Caitlin Rohrer is this year's High School Girl's Vespers speaker and will be using the theme "Image- how the world sees us, how God sees us, how we see each other and how we see the world..."
- Caitlin has been attending conference since 1995 and it's been one of her greatest passions ever since. Among her other passions are Jesus Christ (of course!), community, social justice, theater, education, women's issues, health, mission and culture, and of course...karaoke. She is a student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and works in social service with children and families through Every Child, Inc. Caitlin is a member of Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in the South Side of Pittsburgh and has been thrilled to be a part of such an amazing and genuine community for the past few years. She is excited about working with the high school delegates in a new way this year and can't wait to see how God is going to move!
 - Chip Stapleton will be the High School Boys Vespers speaker.
- Chip is a recent was just ordained on July 1rst. He accepted a call to be the Associate Pastor for Youth and Familes at Highland Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, NC. He will be attending again with his wife, Traci and sons, Charlie and Jack.
 - Kyle Joachim, Young Adult Mission Hour speaker was a volunteer with the PC(USA) in Berlin, Germany for 2 1/2 years, where he worked with Kurds. He worked closely with Christians and Muslims, co-directed summer camps, tutored English, sponsored soccer tournaments, and organized activities for youth from a broad spectrum of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. "The biggest challenge," Kyle says, "was creating a Christ-centered environment, where Muslim, atheist and Christian kids could all feel comfortable, loved and understood."
- Kyle is a 2002 graduate of Miami University of Ohio with degrees in Theater and German. Following graduation he went on the NWMC Summer Service trip to Malawi, Africa. "That was it. I was hooked. After that experience, I was addicted to mission work." He currently attends Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California and hopes to continue to be involved in overseas ministry. "Putting yourself in God's hands," he often quips, "is like silly putty. He'll take your life and stretch, bend, twist, tear, and mold you in ways you never thought possible . . . or wanted. It can be a frightening, messy process, but the end result will always be more exciting, fulfilling and interesting than the shapeless lump you would otherwise have been."
 - Dr. Urgessa Biru, the founder and president of the Light of Hope Ministry, will be this year’s Young Adult Bible Hour speaker. He grew up in an Arssi Oromo village in Ethiopia. After converting to Christianity, he was expelled from Addis Ababa University, imprisoned and placed on a death row by the communist regime for refusing to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ. His life was spared by God’s miraculous intervention and was released after several months in prison. He left his homeland in 1985 for a better life in a free western world, and had an opportunity to work with several international organizations in Canada and abroad.
- Urgessa has a Ph.D. in Development Economics from the University of Guelph Ontario, Canada and Doctor of Ministry in Christian Counseling from Canada Christian College in Toronto. He responded to God’s call in his life and left his professional life in Canada in 2000, and now serves as full time missionary evangelist with Light of Hope Ministry (a PFF partner). With the aim of increasing the Christian presence in the Muslim villages and with the vision of reducing the high illiteracy rate, LOHM is actively involved in literacy programs.
- In the past three years, LOHM has established 20 literacy centers/elementary schools in Ethiopia teaching over 6,000 Muslim children. In addition, LOHM promotes peace and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims in the villages. It is also empowering young Christians to be teachers and nurses through its “Tent-Makers” initiatives. LOHM also provides training in cross-cultural evangelism and church planting. Urgessa and his wife Bahrnesh, and their two sons Samuel (18) and David (12) are Canadian citizens and residents of Toronto.
 - The Rev. Dr. Kari Turner McClellan is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Levittown, Pennsylvania. She will be this year’s Career Bible Hour speaker. She is the daughter of the late Rev. Dr. William J. Turner Jr. and Flora Turner Zook and is married to Ralph L. McClellan, Jr. who is a Senior Director for Comcast Cablevision. They have a daughter, Mardilyn, who is beginning her freshman year at Penn State - Abington Campus.
- She earned a B.A. at Westminster College in 1973, an M. Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1976, and a D. Min. through the ASSERT PROGRAM offered by Princeton Theological Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary and the Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1992. Kari is also a graduate of the Critical Incident Stress Management training program of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
- She is the Secretary of the Board of Trustees for Princeton Theological Seminary, the President of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry, a member of the Board of Reference for the Charles Hodge Society and the Messianic Jews and a member of the church praise team, playing guitar and keyboard. (Not at the same time, of course.) Kari has appeared on the McNeil/Lehrer Hour, delivered the Barnhart lectures in Lenoir, North Carolina, and was a participant in a written panel discussion on sexual standards in The Presbyterian Outlook.
 - The Career Mission leader will be Shane Bennett. He writes... "I'm an ordinary guy. I grew up with a fine family in rural Indiana and went to college less than a half hour from my home. I began school planning to be a pastor, but through a number of people and events, God focused my calling on missions, specifically catalyzing efforts for the world’s most underevangelized peoples. After twenty years of barely venturing beyond the borders of Indiana, God began bouncing me around the world. I spent time in cities like Bangkok, Bombay, and Izmir, Turkey. In each of these places, and a few others for shorter times, my objective has been, with a team of people, to discover how the church might be established where it hasn’t yet. In Izmir I made a particularly wonderful discovery: One of my team members was so wonderful (and lovely) that I just had to marry her. (Well, after the summer in Turkey, of course.)
- Ann and I now have five great kids. Our family’s desire to see unreached people follow Jesus led us to Holland and England recently for three years. We’re now back in the U.S. I work as a speaker and writer for Frontiers, a sharp organization focused on extending God’s blessing in the Muslim world. I’m also focusing my mobilization efforts on a really cool church in Indiana. I think the key message that God has given me to say is that missions is important because of who God is. It’s all about Him. Missions certainly, but also the rest of life. His glory is paramount."
 - Rev. Glenn McDonald will be the Adult Bible Hour speaker. The church he organized in 1983 and pastors, Zionsville Presbyterian in suburban Indianapolis, was named one of "300 Excellent Protestant Congregations in America" in 2001. Partly because of his success with this church, he is a church-growth consultant for the PCUSA and author of The Disciple Making Church.
- Glenn loves reading books, studying nature, teaching, and spelunking (that’s "wild caving") in southern Indiana. He and Mary Sue have 4 children.
 - Dr. Alan Seaman, professor of Intercultural Studies and director of the TESOL Department at Wheaton College, will lead the Adult Mission Hour.
- Alan served overseas as a teacher/administrator in China and has also traveled widely, conducting educational programs in over 15 countries. He works with a broad range of Christian organizations and has trained hundreds of missionaries who are serving in some of the most difficult areas of the world. At Wheaton College he specializes in preparing teachers for cross-cultural service in the "tentmaking" model of missions.
- He also has a long-standing relationship with the New Wilmington Mission Conference. His grandparents and parents attended the conference, and he attended for eight summers, serving with a team in Egypt through the Summer Service Scholarship program in 1980. His own children are the fourth generation in his family to attend NWMC.
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