The Living Church Foundation

The Living Church Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, is a corporation governed by men and women representing a wide cross-section of bishops, priests, and laity from across the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The members meet annually to discuss and review the affairs of the foundation and its publications, to nominate and elect new members, and to worship and remember friends of the foundation who have died during the past year. Foundation and board members serve three-year terms, and board membership is term-limited.

Foundation members nominate and elect from their number a Board of Directors, which has direct responsibility for managing the affairs and finances of the foundation. The directors meet twice yearly, once with the larger foundation and once separately. Their responsibilities include appointing an Executive Director and overseeing the proper management of the foundation’s resources. The Board of Directors must consist of at least four officers — President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer — but have no more than twelve members. Directors must be nominated and elected by the foundation: in this way, the Board of Directors remains accountable to the larger foundation membership.

Board of Directors

• The Rt. Rev. Dr. John C. Bauerschmidt, President
• Dr. Grace Sears, Vice President
• The Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins, Secretary
• The Rev. S. Thomas Kincaid III, Treasurer
• Richard Clements
• Marie Howard
• The Rev. Dr. Walter L. “Chip” Prehn

The Living Church Foundation, Inc.

• • • Kathleen Alexander, Potomac, Md.

• The Rev. Colin Ambrose, Nashville, Tenn.

Biographies

Kathleen Alexander

Kathleen Alexander is an independent consultant with extensive executive-level management and human resource experience in all aspects of the business life cycle and in industries as diverse as hospitality, IT, e-business, and satellite communications. Most recently, she served as the chair of the Board of Trustees for the Washington International School in Washington, D.C., and has chaired and served on a number of university, advisory, and not-for-profit boards. She is an accomplished public speaker and lecturer, most recently for the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. She is a graduate of the College of Notre Dame and the Johns Hopkins University, both in Baltimore, and a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church, Potomac, Maryland.

The Rev. Colin Ambrose

Colin Ambrose serves as vice rector at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville. He previously served for a decade at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His passion is applying organizational excellence to the churches at which he works, building teams, and inspiring leaders to equip the church and its members to share in Christ’s mission to the world.

Colin received his MDiv from Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Before entering the ordained ministry, he worked with Lehman Brothers in New York and as a Managing Partner and CFO of a company in the construction and remodeling industry that he co-founded in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews

Stephen Andrews is the principal of Wycliffe College, Toronto. Prior to this appointment, he served as Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma from 2009 to 2016. He has also served as president and vice chancellor of Thorneloe University, Sudbury, Ontario, 2001-09. He studied classics at the University of Colorado and theology at Regent College and Wycliffe College, where he received his MDiv. He was ordained in the Diocese of Nova Scotia in 1986 and went on to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University in 1995. He continues to teach sessionally at Thorneloe.

Bishop Andrews has been active in the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada since 1997, serving as prolocutor and member of the Council of General Synod, and as member of the Anglican Consultative Council. He was chair of the Faith Worship and Ministry Committee, and is a former National Chaplain to the Royal Canadian College of Organists. He was a member of the Primate’s Theological Commission. Bishop Andrews is married to Fawna, and they have two daughters, Clare and Ellen.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. John C. Bauerschmidt

John C. Bauerschmidt was consecrated Bishop of Tennessee in January 2007 and is president of the Living Church Foundation. He was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. At the time of his election he was rector of Christ Church, Covington, in the Diocese of Louisiana. Ordained in 1984, he served parishes in the dioceses of Western Massachusetts and North Carolina, as well as on the staff of Pusey House, Oxford. Educated at Kenyon College and the General Theological Seminary, Bishop Bauerschmidt holds a DPhil degree in theology from Oxford University. He is married to Caroline Pearce Bauerschmidt, and they have three children.

Bishop Bauerschmidt has an abiding interest in Church history, in particular Early Church, English Reformation, and the Oxford Movement, with a growing focus on the history of ideas.

The Rev. Dr. Kristine Blaess

Kristine Blaess is rector of St. Paul’s Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ordained in 2002, Kristine served a small church in Rigby, ID for 10 years and as Sr. Associate Rector at St. George’s Church, Nashville, TN. In her doctoral work, Kristine considered how to form Christian leaders as theologians of the cross who can lead profound change in their parishes and judicatories. She has spent the past decade developing models for discipling Christian leaders in small groups and missional Communities.

The Rev. Dr. Stewart Clem

Stewart Clem (PhD, University of Notre Dame, 2019) is assistant professor of moral theology and director of the Ashley-O’Rourke Center for Health Ministry Leadership at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. A native of Oklahoma, he received BA and MA degrees in philosophy from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Molly, were confirmed at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City in 2009. After discerning a call to the priesthood, he attended Duke Divinity School, where he earned an MDiv and Certificate in Anglican Studies. He was ordained to the priesthood in his home parish by the Rt. Rev. Edward Konieczny in 2013. He serves as priest associate at the Church of St. Michael and St. George in St. Louis.

Richard Clements

Richard Clements is the CEO and co-owner of 405 Plastics & Distribution, a blow molding manufacturing company, located in Oklahoma City.  He is also a shareholder in Clements Food Company, a privately-held food manufacturing company, and a partner in A-OK, LLC, the Krispy Kreme franchisee in Oklahoma. Clements is currently the chairman of the Episcopal Church Foundation and has served on their board since 2009.  He is a member of All Souls’ Episcopal Church, where he served as a member of the vestry, junior warden, and senior warden and is a current member of the Finance Committee and Investment Committee of the Diocese of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (BBA) and Northwestern (MBA).  He and his wife, Dr. Melissa K. Clements, have three children.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Christopher Cocksworth

Christopher Cocksworth read theology at the University of Manchester. After teaching in secondary education, he trained for ordination and pursued doctoral studies. Bishop Cocksworth has served in parochial and chaplaincy ministry and in theological education, latterly as Principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge, before becoming Bishop of Coventry in 2008. He entered the House of Lords in 2013. Bishop Cocksworth has written a number of books and articles in the area of Christian theology and worship.

Heather Cross

Heather Cross is a cradle Episcopalian who was raised in the Detroit area. She received her BA from Harvard in History and Literature, and for ten years she taught at Friends Seminary in NYC. She now tutors middle and high school students while pursuing a writing career in both fiction and non-fiction. She has published two novels, Wilberforce (FSG 2015) and Grievous (FSG 2019), both set in a churchy English boarding school. She lives in Brooklyn.

The Rev. Dr. D. Stuart Dunnan

One of the few Episcopal priests who still serves as the headmaster of a secondary school in the United States, and a highly regarded essayist and preacher, Fr. Dunnan has an A.B. and A.M. in History from Harvard University and an M.A. and D.Phil. in Theology from Oxford University in England. He grew up in Washington, D. C., where he attended St. Albans School, and has been Headmaster of Saint James School since his appointment in July of 1992. Before coming to Saint James, he was the Chaplain of Lincoln College, Oxford. A coeducational boarding school near Hagerstown in western Maryland, Saint James School was founded in 1842 by the leaders of “the Church School Movement” in the Episcopal Church, and it is the oldest school still standing in that tradition. Father Dunnan is the tenth headmaster. Father Dunnan’s essays and sermons are available in From the Pulpit of Saint James School: The Collected Thoughts of a Priest Headmaster, vol. 1 (Watson Publishing Int., 2002) and From the Pulpit of Saint James School: Further Thoughts of a Priest Headmaster, vol. 2 (Watson Publishing International, 2009).

The Most Rev. Gerald James Ian Ernest

James Ian Ernest was consecrated as 15th Bishop of Mauritius on June 24, 2001. He is the son of Archdeacon Gerald Ernest. He studied at Madras University India and graduated with a B.A. in Commerce in 1979. Subsequently he followed a 3-year full time course in Theology at St. Paul’s Theological College, Mauritius, followed by pastoral studies at Westhill College, University of Birmingham. He obtained a certificate in Communication and Geriatric Counseling in 1999-2000. He has, since 2005, served as a Procter Scholar of Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He was ordained priest in June 1985 at St. James Cathedral, Port Louis, Mauritius, and served successively from 1986-2001 as Rector of Christ Church, Mahebourg, St. Agnes Church, Rose Belle, and St. Clement’s Church, Curepipe. He was Missionary Priest to Reunion Island from 1997-2001.

On January 24, 2006, Bishop Ernest was elected Archbishop of the Province of the Indian Ocean, and re-elected as archbishop on August 8, 2012. He served as Chairperson for the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa, 2007-2012; received the G.O.S.K, the second highest distinction awarded by the Republic of Mauritius; was a member of the Design Group of the Lambeth Conference and Anglican Gathering for 2008 and was awarded the St. Augustine Cross; and was elected Secretary of the Global South Primates Steering Committee of the Anglican Communion in August 2012.

Bishop Ian is married to Kamla and they have one son, Julian.

Neva Rae Fox

Neva Rae Fox is the principal of The Fox Group, a communications company offering multifaceted communications and media consulting. Previously she was the Public Affairs Officer for the Episcopal Church, guiding the church’s media opportunities and public face for 12 years, from the installation of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to the sermon at the royal wedding by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

She has also worked in communications in two Episcopal dioceses. The recipient of numerous national and professional awards, she started her professional life as a newspaper reporter and editor, followed by a career in healthcare communications, and then she operated The Fox Group, whose clients mostly focused on nonprofits and represented a wide range of interests such as a regional airline, social service agencies, business groups, and media outlets/organizations.

She is active in her church and in the Diocese of New Jersey. She is a member of many organizations and groups, religious, personal and professional, and is active in various personal and philanthropic endeavors. She has been elected to various offices on all levels of the Episcopal Church and was named a Woman of Honor by the Diocese of New Jersey in 2015.

Carrie Boren Headington

Carrie Boren Headington serves as missioner for evangelism for the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas and is founder of The Good News Initiative. She is a graduate of Yale University (B.A., History), Harvard University (M.A., Education, Urban Poverty Policy) and Oxford University (C.T.H., DIPTHE, Theology, Evangelism and Apologetics).

Carrie is an evangelist and apologist who speaks in various settings, including churches and seminaries, universities, coffee shops, and pubs. In 2010, Carrie was a delegate at the Third Annual Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, and was the lead evangelist in a Lausanne mission in Zimbabwe where 1,000 people made first time commitments to follow Jesus. Carrie teaches workshops in personal and parish evangelism.

The Rev. Dr. Wesley Hill

Wesley Hill (PhD, MA Durham University; BA, Wheaton College, Ill.) is associate professor of biblical studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa. He is the author of Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality (Zondervan, second edition 2016), Paul and the Trinity: Persons, Relations, and the Pauline Letters (Eerdmans, 2015), and Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian (Brazos, 2015). He writes for Christianity Today, Comment, First Things, The Living Church, and other publications.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Justin S. Holcomb

Justin Holcomb serves as Canon for Vocations in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and teaches theology and apologetics for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. He has written or edited numerous books on sexual assault, domestic violence, historical theology, biblical studies, and more. Justin earned his PhD from Emory University and taught for seven years at the University of Virginia in the religious studies and sociology departments.  He serves on the boards of GRACE and Leaders Collective. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, live in Orlando, Florida, with their two daughters.

Marie Howard

Marie Howard is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduate of Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where her husband Samuel Johnson Howard serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Florida. A volunteer in the community and the Church, she served on the board of Episcopal Children's Services, which is engaged in early childhood care and education, during which she obtained increased publicity and private contributions for ECS. Currently, she is serving an extended term on the board of the American Friends of the Anglican Centre in Rome. She has been active in ministries for women and youth, speaking on spiritual topics and life in Christian community at a variety of parish and diocesan events. Prior to her husband leaving the practice of law for seminary, she was employed as a stockbroker and banker. Her husband and she have two sons pursuing doctoral studies, one in theology at Cambridge University; the other, in art history and architecture at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University.

The Rev. Canon Jordan Hylden

Jordan Hylden is canon theologian for the diocese of Dallas and priest associate at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Dallas, where he previously served as co-vicar. His Th.D. in theology and ethics is from Duke, where he wrote a dissertation on democracy and authority in the work of the Catholic philosopher Yves Simon. His M.Div. is also from Duke (2010, summa cum laude), and he has an A.B. in government from Harvard (2006). He is a 2014 Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow, and a contributor to The Living Church, First Things, Christianity Today, and The Christian Century. He has taught courses in theology and ethics at Lutheran Southern Theological Seminary (Columbia, S.C.) and Saint Louis University, and is Dean of the Stanton Center for Ministry in the diocese of Dallas. The Hyldens have two boys, Charles and Donny, and they live in Dallas.

The Most Rev. Dr. Josiah Idowu-Fearon

Born in Central Nigeria, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon serves as Secretary General of the Anglican Communion and Bishop of Kaduna, Nigeria. He joined the Nigerian military school Zaria at the age of 14. It was here, when witnessing brutality within some soldiers’ families and contrasting that with his own loving, Christian home, that he was converted to Christ in 1964. This was coupled with the strong conviction that he should become a priest. He obtained a sympathetic discharge from the army.

He studied at Ibadan College, Nigeria, and St. John’s College, Durham. He earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations from Birmingham University. He has studied Arabic at Amman University, Jordan, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. He completed a PhD in sociology and earned a postgraduate diploma in education at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

Beliving that God has called him to be a bridge-builder between Christians and Muslims, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon established a Centre for Islamic Studies in his diocese. He is a visiting lecturer at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, and Canterbury International Study Centre, where young Anglican scholars attend a summer school. Archbishop Rowan Williams appointed him as a Six Preacher of Canterbury Cathedral in 2006. In recognition of his promotion of Christian-Muslim dialogue across the world, Archbishop Justin Welby awarded him the Cross of St. Augustine in 2013. He chairs the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa and is a member of the Religious Advisory Council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

The Secretary General is now an Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of London, where he will carry out episcopal functions as time permits. He has also accepted an invitation from the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral to be an Honorary Provincial Canon and an Honorary Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

In 1977, while studying in Durham, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon married Comfort. They had two sons, Ibrahim and Dauda, and one daughter, Ninma. In 2008, Dauda died of meningitis, contracted at Bristol Medical School, U.K., at the age of 24.

The archbishop is a keen squash player.

Catherine Whittinghill Illingworth

Catherine Illingworth is a doctoral student in comparative literature at UCLA and adjunct professor of the humanities at Pepperdine University. Her academic work focuses on Dante, theology, and women. She holds an MA in religion and literature from Yale Divinity School and a BA in English from Pepperdine. Catherine has held fellowships in the offices of two university presidents, has taught at Yale, Baylor, and UCLA, and served for three years as the Director of Business Development and Communications at Whittinghill Aerospace, her family’s experimental rocket company. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

The Rev. Ajit Samuel John

Ajit John is both a priest and lawyer. Born in India to Christian parents, he moved with them to Canada as a boy, studying history at the University of Toronto (BA and MA) and then law at the University of Western Ontario (LLB). He served as a lawyer for those on the margins before taking a two-year break to work at Covenant House, New York. Upon returning to Toronto he married Margaret whom he credits as the one who first suggested God might be calling him to the priesthood. Ajit completed theological studies at both Wycliffe College and Nashotah House (STM) while working as counsel for the Law Society of Ontario. After ordination in 2003, he served in various Toronto parishes, the most rewarding being nine years building up an historic downtown church slated for closure. Ajit studied canon law (LLM) with Norman Doe at Cardiff University from 2011-2013. Ajit and Margaret have a teen-aged daughter, Gabrielle. They spent a year as a family in France where Ajit pastored a Church of England chaplaincy in Versailles. He served for many years as a Trustee of Wycliffe College and as a weekly squash partner for George Sumner. In the past two years Ajit has been active working with other clergy and with the Archbishop of Toronto to preserve a place where Anglicans of opposing views can live in love, preach freely, and seek together what is true for the whole Church of God.

Heidi J. Kim

Heidi J. Kim is an educator and Episcopalian living in Minneapolis, MN, and currently serves as the Director of the Melrose Family Center for Servant Leadership at the Breck School. She previously served for five years as Staff Officer for Racial Reconciliation for the Episcopal Church, listening and learning with Episcopalians and Anglicans throughout the church. Heidi’s experience in church-wide ministry as well as in higher and secondary education has focused on the stories of the survivors and disrupters of oppression and marginalization, as well as the struggles of faithful people to speak across difference while remaining in community. Her passion is working with curious, diligent, and loving people to maintain stronger and more faithful communities.

Elisabeth Rain Kincaid

The Rev. S. Thomas Kincaid III

Thomas Kincaid began ordained ministry at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas and has been vice rector there since June 2015.

Between his first stint at Incarnation and his current role, Thomas served as priest-in-charge of two parishes in the Diocese of Northern Indiana.

He attended Duke Divinity School, graduating from its Anglican Episcopal House of Studies. Prior to Duke, he spent a year in Washington, D.C., after attending Southern Methodist University, where he earned a BBA in finance and a BA in American history.

Thomas is married to Covenant contributor Dr. Elisabeth Kincaid, an Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at the Aquinas Institute. They have two children.

Thomas also serves as the Treasurer of the Living Church Foundation.

The Very Rev. Ian Markham

Ian Markham was appointed as dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary in August 2007. He completed his PhD at the University of Exeter, where he focused on Christian ethics. He previously earned an MLitt in philosophy and ethics from the University of Cambridge and a BD in theology from the University of London. Markham is the author and editor of numerous books, including Against Atheism: Why Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris Are Fundamentally Wrong; Do Morals Matter? A Guide to Contemporary Religious Ethics; Liturgical Life Principles: How Episcopal Worship Can Lead to Healthy and Authentic Living. Markham serves as priest associate at St. Paul’s Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He is married to Lesley Markham and they have a son, Luke.

The Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins

Daniel H. Martins is a native of Brazil and was raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Educated at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and the University of California at Santa Barbara before a decade of work in the insurance and retail field in Oregon, he matriculated at Nashotah House in 1986 and received the M.Div. degree in 1989.

He has served as curate and school chaplain at St. Luke’s, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; vicar of St. Margaret’s, Baton Rouge; rector of St. John’s Church in Stockton, California; and rector of St. Anne’s, Warsaw, Indiana. He was consecrated Bishop of Springfield in 2011. The bishop and his wife, Brenda, have been married since 1972. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Daniel Muth

After 36 years in the nuclear industry, Dan Muth has entered semi-retirement as a consultant, providing assistance to electric utilities in the area of nuclear fuel fabrication oversight. Most recently, he was a Manager in the Nuclear Fuel department of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  He is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is completing a master's degree in theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. A lifelong Episcopalian and son of an Episcopal priest, he is married and has two grown daughters. Mr. Muth served on the Board of Directors of the Living Church Foundation 2005-2017 and has been writing for the magazine for over a quarter century. He and his wife live near Wilmington, NC, where he attends St. James Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Dr. Matthew S.C. Olver

Matthew S.C. Olver is assistant professor of liturgics and pastoral theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 2014. In 2018, he completed his doctoral work at Marquette University on the influence of Hebrews on the origin and theology of the Roman Canon. Before moving to Wisconsin, he was for seven years the assistant rector of Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, and undertook his previous studies at Wheaton College and Duke Divinity School. He is married to Kristen and they have two elementary-aged children. He assists at Zion Episcopal Church, Oconomowoc, and was a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the U.S. (ARC-USA) from 2006 to 2014, which produced Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment. He is a regular contributor to Covenant, the weblog of the Living Church, and has published in The Journal of Ecumenical Studies, The Anglican Theological Review, Nova et Vetera, and Antiphon.

Canon David R. Pitts

David Pitts has served as Chairman and CEO of Pitts Management Associates, a national hospital and healthcare consulting firm, for 36 years. Recently moving to a less active day-to-day role, he remains President of Health Insights, one of the nation’s leading healthcare think tanks, and is an Executive Partner in two private equity firms.

As a young man he was an officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service; his assignments included: commanding a 150 bed surgical evacuation hospital in Vietnam; Executive Officer in the Surgeon General’s Office; Founding Associate Dean of the military medical school located in Bethesda, Maryland; and, Executive Officer for healthcare in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He received a number of awards and decorations for his service with the military, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Bronze Star.

In the course of a long career, Pitts served as a director or trustee of nearly 100 boards, publically traded, privately held, and in the not-for-profit sector, frequently as the chairman.

Canon Pitts is a recipient of the Dean’s Cross of Virginia Theological Seminary, and has received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Nashotah House, and a Doctor of Civil Law from Sewanee, the University of the South.

Dr. Colin Podmore

Colin Podmore is a Cornishman who read history at Keble College, Oxford, and trained as a teacher at Selwyn College, Cambridge. His Oxford DPhil thesis was published as The Moravian Church in England, 1728-1760 (1998). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

He served on the staff of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1988 to 2013, in a succession of roles including Deputy Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity, Secretary of the House of Clergy, Secretary of the Liturgical Commission, and Secretary of the Dioceses Commission. He was also secretary of groups that reviewed the processes for senior church appointments and oversaw the publication of the Common Worship liturgy. From 2011 to 2013 he was Clerk to the Synod, Director of the Central Secretariat and Director of Ecumenical Relations. He left Church House at Easter 2013 to become Director of Forward in Faith (UK) and Secretary of the Council of Bishops of The Society (www.sswsh.com).

His publications include Aspects of Anglican Identity (2005) and articles on Anglican ecclesiology, the ecclesiology of the Episcopal Church and the development of the Anglican Communion.

He is director of Forward in Faith (UK) and secretary of the Council of Bishops of The Society under the patronage of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda. 

The Rev. Dr. Walter L. “Chip” Prehn

Walter L. Prehn was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1985, and served as a parish priest for twelve years. These years included a vigorous teaching ministry, including work as Instructor in Historical Theology at the Bishop’s School for Ministry in San Antonio 1993-1996 (Anglicanism 1700 to Present). Prehn responded to a powerful call to enter school work in 1996. The late Jennings Waggoner directed him at the University of Virginia, where he earned a Ph.D. in History. Prehn is an authority on the educator William Augustus Muhlenberg (1796-1877), whose school-making movement founded in 1828 gave rise to some of the premier “Church schools” in the United States. Dr. Prehn has a deep commitment to the classical Anglican vision (especially that of Richard Hooker) and is an avid student of the Oxford Movement and Church Revival on both sides of the Atlantic. For seven years, he was Headmaster of Trinity School in West Texas, and his Headmaster’s Journal was widely read by other school leaders. He is currently working on two novels and is a published poet.

Dr. Grace Sears

Grace Sears is vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross. She has represented the Order in Malawi, England, Brazil, and Haiti, as well as visiting DOK assemblies across the United States. A graduate of Calvin College, she completed her Ph.D. in Renaissance literature at the University of Kentucky. She has taught core curriculum classes at several colleges, served as publications manager for the Department of Surgery at UK, and retired in 2010 from a position at Berea College as special collections and archives assistant. In 2008-09 she researched and wrote about a former contributing editor to The Living Church, Ada Loaring Clark (“Depression Era President: Ada Loaring-Clark,” The Royal Cross, 74/4, 2009). Active at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Richmond, Kentucky, she has served on the executive council and the standing committee of the Diocese of Lexington.

The Rt. Rev. Samy Shehata

Samy Shehata became Bishop Co-Adjutor of the Diocese of Egypt in April 2020. Ordained a deacon in 1990 and a priest in 1991, Bishop Samy served as a curate in Alexandria before becoming the bishop’s chaplain in 1994, rector of a parish in 2002, dean of St. Mark’s Pro-Cathedral in 2009, principal of the Alexandria School of Theology in 2012, and area bishop of North Africa in the Diocese of Egypt in 2017. Bishop Samy earned a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from Cairo University (1985), a diploma in theology from University of Wales (1991), and an MA and Th.D. in theology from the University of Birmingham (1998 and 2002).

As a youth at Church of the Good Shepherd, Giza, Bishop Samy experienced a change of heart through study of Scripture and service in the children and youth ministry of the parish. As a leader to the youth meeting from 1985-88, he felt called to ordained ministry and began his theological studies. Bishop Samy is married to Madlaine, who is a science teacher and partner in ministry. They have two boys, Rafik who lives in Canada, and Ramy who graduated from Alexandria University in medicine.

The Rev. Marguerite (Rita) A.H. Steadman

Rita Steadman is a priest of the Diocese of Maine where she has served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Bangor, for over 12 years. She is wife to Eric Steadman and together they are raising two teenagers, Sophia and Cuthbert. Before coming to Maine, she was an assistant at Christ Church, Georgetown, in the Diocese of Washington for 10 years where she served both as priest and (for seven years) as deacon. She is passionate about the diaconate and its importance to the life of the Church. She was originally ordained to the diaconate from the Diocese of New York and was the first woman sponsored by St. Mary the Virgin, Times Square. She is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary (’97) and recently has served there as president of the alumni council. Before seminary, she was sponsored by the Joint Working Committee of the Episcopal and Russian Orthodox Churches to live and work in Russian Orthodox parishes in Russia immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. She supported the development of parish outreach (previously illegal), including starting Moscow’s first volunteer-supported soup kitchen. She is a graduate of Brown University (’91) where she studied History and Russian Language and Literature.

The Rev. Canon E. Mark Stevenson

Mark Stevenson serves as canon to the presiding bishop for ministry within the Episcopal Church. He is the principal liaison between Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the House of Bishops, the various dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and many of the church’s governing bodies and management structures.

Before being called to this role in September 2018, Canon Stevenson was director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, and a member of the staff of the presiding bishop. As director he led a dedicated team in executing a national program of refugee resettlement and related ministries in partnership with the federal government, affiliated local resettlement programs, and a developing network of communities and ecumenical organizations across the country. Previously he served as domestic poverty missioner for the Episcopal Church, coordinating churchwide efforts in ministries of poverty alleviation.

Before beginning his work on the denominational staff, he served as canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Louisiana from August 2005 until September 2013. After Hurricane Katrina, Canon Stevenson worked closely with the diocese and local, regional, national and international leaders and groups to engage in effective relief ministry.

Since receiving his Master of Divinity degree from Nashotah House Seminary in 2000, Canon Stevenson has served as rector of two parishes: the Church of the Annunciation in the heart of New Orleans, and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida. During his time at both churches, his focus was on developing ministries with youth and revitalizing ministries of stewardship, Christian education and community outreach. Canon Stevenson and his wife, Joy, live in Hamilton, New Jersey.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. George Sumner

George Sumner is the 7th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. He has served in cross-cultural ministry in Navajoland and has a doctorate in theology from Yale. Bishop Sumner is married to Stephanie Hodgkins and is father to Marta (27) and Sam (19).

He was principal of Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, from 1999-2015. His books include The First and the Last (2004), Unwearied Praises (2004), co-written with Jeff Greenman, Being Salt (2007), and a commentary on the book of Daniel for Brazos Press (2013). He is currently working on a book about sin. Bishop Sumner’s pastimes include playing squash and cheering on the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots.

Dr. Muthuraj Swamy

Muthuraj Swamy is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, Cambridge, UK, and Project Manager of Theological Education for Mission in the Anglican Communion, based in London. He earned a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Religious Studies and formerly served as dean of theology and dean of postgraduate studies at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India. He is a member of the Church of South India and worked with interreligious organizations in India for several years promoting conflict resolution and peace building programs. In 2017, he did a three-month sabbatical at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and is now a visiting fellow at St. John’s College, Durham. Muthuraj is the author of The Problem with Interreligious Dialogue: Plurality, Conflict and Elitism in Hindu-Christian-Muslim Relationships (Bloomsbury, 2016) and Reconciliation: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2019 (SPCK, 2018). He co-edited Christian Engagement for Social Change: The Role of Theological Education (Christian World Imprints, 2018), and is co-editor of three volumes in advance of the Lambeth Conference 2020 based on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s three priorities: Walking Together (Reconciliation), Witnessing Together (Evangelism & Witness), and Listening Together (Prayer), all forthcoming from the Anglican Communion Office.

The Rev. Kino Germaine Lockheart Vitet

Kino Vitet was born in Saint Lucia, West Indies. He grew up in Saint Lucia and Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1999 from Lehigh University; a M.Sc. in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000; and a M.A. in Economics from Fordham University in 2002. He worked for many years at the Port Authority of NY&NJ in economics, infrastructure, and planning before receiving a M.Div. from Yale University in 2011 and a Diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School that same year. He was ordained to the diaconate on June 11, 2011 and ordained to the priesthood on February 2, 2012 by the Rt. Rev. William Love of Albany, NY. He served as a deacon and associate at St. Mark’s Church from 2011 to 2012 and as Priest-in-Charge at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Queens Village from 2012 to 2015. He is currently the rector of the Church of St. Mark in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Wandera

Joseph Wandera is bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Mumias, Kenya. His PhD in Religious Studies is from the University of Cape Town. Prior to his election, Bishop Joseph taught for several years at St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya, a leading ecumenical university, where he taught courses in Religious Studies and Mission and also co-founded and coordinated the Centre for Christian Muslim Relations in Eastleigh (CCMRE). Bishop Joseph has been involved in various committees of the Anglican Communion, including Theological Education in the Anglican Communion (TEAC).

Dr. Christopher Wells

Christopher Wells is executive director and publisher of the Living Church Foundation, overseeing all of its publishing and teaching initiatives, fundraising, and staff. Christopher completed doctoral studies in historical theology at the University of Notre Dame and served as a lay leader in the Diocese of Northern Indiana before coming to the Living Church in 2009. He earned a BA at St. Olaf College and MAR at Yale Divinity School.

He is affiliate professor of theology at the General Theological Seminary and Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses on Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Anglican ecclesiology. He has published articles on Aquinas and ecclesiology in various journals, and since 2011 has served as theological consultant to the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the U.S. (ARC-USA).

Christopher is a member of Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, and enjoys reading, running, gastronomy, Notre Dame football, and all the arts.

The Rt. Rev. Jo Bailey Wells

Jo Bailey Wells has been Bishop of Dorking in the Church of England’s Diocese of Guildford since 2016. She is an Old Testament scholar who has previously held posts at Cambridge and Duke Universities, teaching at the interface between church and academy and seeking to nurture young leaders as priest-scholars. She was the (founding) director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke Divinity School (2005-12), working across some of the boundaries of the North American Anglican world as well as teaching regularly in the Episcopal Church of Sudan. On returning to the United Kingdom, she served as chaplain to Archbishop Justin Welby.

The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams

Rowan Williams retired in 2020 to Wales, after stepping down as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, having served for ten years as Archbishop of Canterbury and before that as Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales. He has written many books on theology and its encounters with spirituality, literature and philosophy, as well as some commentaries on current affairs, and is also Chair of the international development agency, Christian Aid.

The Rev. Clint Wilson

Clint Wilson is rector of St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. Before his present role, Clint served Episcopal parishes in Nashville, TN and Denton, TX, alongside various diocesan and ecumenical roles. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Friends of the Anglican Centre in Rome. Clint is married to his college sweetheart, Theresa, and together they have a son and a dog (both require many treats!). They are passionate about Church unity, leadership development, making disciples, and the reconciling power of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Very Rev. Dr. Paul F.M. Zahl

Paul F.M. Zahl is a retired Episcopal priest living in Central Florida. He has been rector of parishes in Westchester Co., N.Y.; Charleston, S.C.; Birmingham, AL (where he was Dean of the Cathedral); and Chevy Chase, MD. He was also Dean and President of Trinity (Episcopal) School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. His academic degrees are from Harvard College, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Tuebingen. He has written 11 books. Paul and his wife Mary have three grown sons, all of whom are engaged in full-time Christian ministry.