If you are preparing slides for an REA2018 presentation, please include our shared slide as your first and last slide. This shared slide will let people know the wifi password and encourage them to give you and REA feedback about your presentation. We make the slide available as a PDF or a JPEG so you can use whichever is best for your presentation.
The 2018 Business Meeting will be held following the reception on Friday later afternoon. Please make sure you have read the reports listed here, because we will be using a consent agenda for the first time. As you will see from the Business Meeting Agenda, currently the following items are on the consent agenda (and are included in that page):
A consent agenda is a process whereby items which generally do not elicit much conversation are presented to the membership in advance of the meeting. Then, at the meeting itself, these items are clustered together in a format that makes clear that they are on the consent agenda. The chair of the meeting inquires of the membership if there are any items they would like moved from the consent agenda to the regular agenda, thus allowing for discussion of them. Any member may ask for something to be moved, and one request is all that is necessary for that movement. Any items remaining on the consent agenda are adopted in whole as they are presented.
This is a mechanism that makes it possible to move through items more quickly, thus creating more room for substantial discussion of items that truly require discussion.
Here is the slate of nominees offered by the nominations committee, placed here in advance of the business meeting:
Vice-President, Program Chair Elect
Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee joined Iliff as Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty on July 1, 2017. Her theological and scholarly pursuit is fueled by a commitment to social justice and works hard to embody her commitment in her leadership and pedagogical practices. She also considers herself as a feminist communitarian educator as she values transparent communications and processes, consensus building, ongoing assessments of individual and communal needs, creating space for the least visible, delegating and stepping back for others, and setting boundaries with care. Prior to accepting the position at Iliff, Rev. Dr. Lee served as Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Education, and Spiritual Formation at Pacific School of Religion, and a Core Doctoral Faculty member at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She started at PSR in 2002 and was the first woman of color tenured faculty. Rev. Dr. Lee is also an ordained United Methodist elder. In addition to being an editorial board member of Religious Education, Journal of Feminist Studies and Religion, and International Journal of Practical Theology, she is also a board member of Religious Education Association and PANAAWTM (Pacific, Asian, North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry), and a member of American Academy of Religion’s Teaching and Learning Committee, Women and Religion program and Transformative Pedagogy group.
Chair, RE in Public Life & Global Communities
Dr. Christine Hong, Columbia Theological Seminary. Dr. Hong’s research interest includes Asian American studies, child and adolescent behavior and development and immigrant communities, church history, post-colonial studies, and systematic theology. She holds the PhD from the Claremont School of Theology; a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary; an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary; a BA from The University of Washington. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Member, RE in Public Life and Global Communities (3 years)
Rabbi Dr Michael Shire is Chief Academic Officer and Dean of the Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education at Hebrew College in Boston. He has a BA(Hons) degree in Hebrew Literature and Jewish History from University College London and Master’s degrees from Leo Baeck College and Hebrew Union College. He has a PhD from Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles and was ordained at Leo Baeck College in London. Formerly the Vice-Principal of Leo Baeck College in London, he relocated to the United States in 2011 to Hebrew College in Boston. His research interests lie in the field of children’s spirituality in which he is widely published and he established the ‘Torah Godly Play’ Community of Practice. He has also published four books of creative liturgy in association with the medieval illuminations collections of the British Library and Bodleian library at Oxford University. He is the past chairman of the Association of Higher Education Institutions for Jewish Education.
Member, RE in Public Life and Global Communities (3 years)
Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart, Ph.D is a playful womanist scholar-activist. She serves as Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Director of STREAM Youth Theology Institute at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. As the Director of the STREAM Youth Theology Institute she has the pleasure of journeying with high school students as they explore ways in which they live out their faith in the world. As both educator and director she actively advocates and uses the body as a locus for doing theology through engaged and embodied pedagogical practices. She is also the current President of ARC: Arts | Religion | Culture, which is a collaborative community for those who cultivate embodied and just ways of knowing and being through artistic and spiritual practices in order to promote the just flourishing of all creation.
B.A. Claflin University (Orangeburg, SC)
M.Div. Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington DC)
M.A. Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
Ph.D. Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Chair, Advancement Committee
Dr. Jose Irizarry, Vice President of Education, Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Church.
Irizarry joined the Board from Villanova University, where he was Associate Professor of Theological and Religious Education. In addition to ministerial positions, he has held classroom and administration posts in several institutions of higher learning, including the Seminario Evangelico of Puerto Rico, San Juan; Cambridge College, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; and Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California. He has served the PC(USA) in numerous volunteer posts, most recently on the Committee on Theological Education. After earning a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of Puerto Rico, Irizarry went on to attain a Master of Divinity in ministry studies from McCormick Theology Seminary and a doctorate from Northwestern University in religion, society, and personality sciences. He holds several professional certificates, including in fundraising and program evaluation.
Member, Advancement Committee (3 years)
Dr. Tamara Henry serves as Assistant Professor of Religious Education at New York Theological Seminary, where she also directs the Master of Arts in Religious Education and the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree programs. An urban youth ministry practitioner for the past fifteen years and also a licensed minister of American Baptist churches USA, Dr. Henry frequents as an itinerant preacher/speaker and youth and young adult ministry consultant for religious and educational organizations, both locally and across the nation. Her role calls her to oversee the design and implementation of successful training models for others working within youth and young adult ministry. Dr. Henry received a Bachelor of Arts in American Government (Georgetown University), a Masters of Social Work (Fordham University, School of Social Service) and a Masters of Arts in Religious Education and PhD in Religious Education (Fordham University, School of Religion). Her research and writing interests center on the intersection between youth popular culture, religion and liberative pedagogical practice within youth and young adult ministry.
Member, Advancement Committee (3 years)
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Davis is the Executive Minister at the First Presbyterian Church in the city of New York where she oversees communications and programs related to teaching/learning, discipleship/community, and pastoral care. She is an avid biker, reader, and writer. Barbara lives in Brooklyn with her two daughters, two cats and dog. She is a graduate of Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania, where she majored in religion and a graduate of Union Theological Seminary (M.Div., ’96), New York City. She completed her doctorate at Fordham University in religious education. During that time she served on the REA board as the student representative from 2014-2016.
Chair, Proposal Selection Committee (3 years)
Dr. Hosffman Ospino, PhD is an Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry where he is also Director of Graduate Programs in Hispanic Ministry. He served as the principal investigator for the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry(2014) and co-investigator for the National Survey of Catholic Schools Serving Hispanic Families (2015). He is currently advancing a national study on Latino Catholic vocations. He has authored/edited 13 books and nearly a hundred academic and general essays. He has received several national awards from academic and ministerial organizations in recognition for his work as well as for his writings. He presently serves as an officer of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) and of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS). He has been a member of the Religious Education Association (REA) for a about a decade and a half. Presently he is one of the co-chairs the REA’s HORIZONS in Religious Education Editorial Board.
Student Representative to the Board (2 years)
Gina Robinson grew up on her great grandfather’s farm in rural Georgia, where hard work and education served as the primary vehicle for multi-generational success. She earned a BA in both political science and African American studies from Emory College followed by a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Gina spent a year at Yale Divinity School to research the varying implications of colorism on the identity development of black girls who have interacted with the hashtags #teamlightskin and #teamdarkskin on social media platforms. Gina developed a practical theological response that promotes virtues, such as self-love and sisterhood. Her current research interests include the spiritual lives of African American girls, particularly nurturing their identity development through Womanist epistemological and emancipatory pedagogical methods. Gina is a licensed Baptist minister, who currently serves as a Youth and Young Adult Minister at St. John AME in Aurora, IL. When she is not reading, writing or researching, Gina enjoys playing and watching sports, cooking, traveling, hanging out with family and friends, and learning acoustic guitar.
Member, RE in Faith Communities (3 years)
The Rev. Dr. Dawn Alitz Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning at Luther Seminary
Dawn’s expertise is in the area of adult faith formation, coaching, and program coordination. She has over twenty years of experience in congregational leadership in both mission-start and established congregations. In addition, she is well-known within the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and ecumenical circles for her work with adaptive leadership, mentoring and coaching other pastors, developing online learning opportunities, and collaborating with various networks of educational and synodical professionals. Dawn’s role as Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning places her in a unique position to design, pilot, and build out new business models for theological education, lifelong learning, and congregational leadership support.
Member, RE in Academic Disciplines and Institutions (3 years)
Dr, Joung Chul Lee, PSR – Visiting Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, Education, and Spiritual Formation at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) as a Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Lee is a committed educator and theologian whose passion lies in liberation through education. His specialty is philosophical and theological reflection on religious practice and its relation to formation and transformation. His research and teaching interests encompass the subjects of self, identity, faith, and religion. He specializes in theories, histories, and practices of ecumenical and inter-religious education; social change and peace-building; educational ministry and theology; engaged and decolonized spirituality; and conversations between practical theology and contemporary philosophies. Critical pedagogy, process/poststructuralist thoughts, and interreligious living are central to his study and life. Dr. Lee completed his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Yonsei University in South Korea, where he is originally from. He then completed an MDiv at Emory University, a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his PhD at Claremont School of Theology.
Member, RE in Academic Disciplines and Institutions (3 years)
Dr. Almeda M. Wright is the Assistant Professor of Religious Education at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on African American religion, adolescent spiritual development, and the intersections of religion and public life. She has written The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans (Oxford University Press, 2018) and coedited a book with Mary Elizabeth Moore, Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World. Almeda studied at Harvard University Divinity School (M.Div.), where she concentrated on Religion & Culture and History of Biblical Interpretation; Simmons College (M.A. in Teaching); and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. in Electrical Engineering). She completed her doctoral studies at Emory University, where she received fellowships from the Fund for Theological Education and the Louisville Institute. Almeda is an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches and has served on the ministerial staff of various churches, including Union Baptist Church (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Victory United Church of Christ (Stone Mountain, Georgia).
Member, Harper/Wornom Committee (4 years)
Dr. Joshua Lunde-Whitler serves as Executive Co-Director of the Walker Center, an education and retreat center and residential complex for faith communities in Newton, Massachusetts. There he works with an intentional community of graduate students focused on interreligious leadership, partners with multiple organizations to provide transformative educational experiences, and is developing innovative and practically-oriented workshops and retreats for faith leaders. This past summer, he completed his PhD in Theology and Education at Boston College. His current research focuses on educating in faith that fosters the evolution of identity and meaning-making through the lifespan, as understood through the lens of narrativity—and how this can help create a more just and compassionate world.
The Association of Leaders in Lifelong Learning for Ministry (ALLLM), a related learning organization to REA, is pleased to announce that Diana Butler Bass will be the featured speaker on Thursday evening, just prior to the beginning of the REA annual meeting. Her comments will address topics of interest to ALLLM and REA member alike: the preparation and ongoing development of leaders for the church now and in the future. Bass is a well-known independent scholar, speaker and author specializing in American religion and culture. REA members may attend this event for the cost of the meal, but must sign up and pay via the annual meeting registration form to do so.
In alignment with the 2018 conference theme, “Beyond White Normativity: Creating Brave Spaces,” the 2018 conference will commence with a pre-conference excursion to one of the brave spaces established in September 2016, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The excursion will include careful observations of the D.C culture as we travel from the Hyatt Regency Reston (1800 Presidents Street, Reston, Virginia, 20190) to the museum (located at 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.) via the Metro rail. Participants will purchase subway passes at the entry station for $5.35. Entrance to the museum is free. You will have over 4 hours to explore more than 36,000 artifacts at the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. Following the museum experience participants may stay downtown for dinner, or return to the conference hotel. This special “Beyond White Normativity” excursion will be limited to the first 30 people who sign up. To sign up go to https://religiouseducation.net/rea2018/schedule/. Log into Sched and choose this pre-conference on your own schedule.
(by our program chair, Kathy Winings)
The Annual Meeting allows each of us to engage the theme from multiple perspectives and to take time to reflect on the challenges of white normativity and how we are impacted by it. One of the best opportunities available to help that reflection process is the National Museum of African American History and Culture located on the beautiful Mall in the heart of Washington, DC. Since the museum’s opening on September 24, 2016, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have visited this amazing museum. Three floors present the harsh history of African Americans from the very beginnings of the slave trade in Africa and the Caribbean up to the present discussion of whiteness and contemporary challenges of discrimination.
In addition, the other floors inspire visitors with a look at the rich contributions of African Americans in art and music, sports, film and television, culture, politics, government and religion. Throughout the museum, hundreds of inspiring stories are told through the lens of historical exhibits and digital technology. The whole experience touches each of our senses. Each visitor cannot help but be pulled in to the vast heart wrenching and beautifully inspiring history of the African American people. One does not have to be American to appreciate the stories presented in the museum. It is certainly well worth one’s time to take advantage of this great opportunity as a way to jump-start their conference experience.
When I visited the museum, I was not sure what to expect, other than the fact that it was part of the renowned Smithsonian and my students in Maryland thought it was awesome. When I was on my way back to campus on the Metro, my mind and my heart were still processing the experience. There were exhibits that moved me to tears and there were exhibits that awed me. More importantly, the museum experience helped take my reflection process to another level. The visuals, the content and everything else worked together to stimulate each of my senses, deepening my experience.
I really encourage participants to the conference to take the time to register for the pre-conference tour of the museum. The added benefit of being able to meet with the curator of the Religion section, Dr. Eric Williams, is an added opportunity. He travels extensively for the museum, speaking to a wide range of organizations and schools about this incredible addition to the Smithsonian. Sign up now for the excursion to reserve your ticket.
Registration for REA2018 is now open and early-bird pricing is in effect until mid-September. Register now!
Please note that we have extended the deadline for responding to our Call for Proposals to May 15th.
I wanted to share this response from Monique van Dijk-Groeneboer and Ina ter Avest to my blog post of this past November. …Kathy
In her blog Kathy Winings writes: “Unfortunately we have no models within the larger arena to guide us in moving beyond white normativity.” In our pre-REA meeting in Utrecht, March 7-9, we (Michal Opatrny Natascha Kienstra Ozlem Atay, Duncan Wielzen, Julia Ipgrave, Silke Leonhard, Peter Schreiner, Cok Bakker, Monique Van Dijk-Groeneboer, Ina ter Avest) discovered that – although there are no guidelines available – we could learn from each others’ failures to move beyond white normativity. Reframing our question (from: best practices, to: poor practices) moved us beyond powerlessness, since we learned from each other what definitely would NOT help us any further.
Plans continue for our next annual meeting to be held November 2-4 at the Hyatt Regency Reston near Washington, DC. We now have two versions of a flyer that you can download and print, or send to friends and colleagues electronically.
This is a great way to start a conversation about our organization, and invite people to join us for the meeting.
