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George Daniels has served the American Baptists in ministry for 40 years. He has had the privilege of serving in a variety of settings that ranged from a staff position in an inner city church to a pastorate in a rural church, and as area minister for the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region and Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. Following retirement in 2000 George served as Interim Executive Minister for the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire. Being committed to missions locally, nationally and internationally, George has traveled to the mission field in Southeast Asia, Alaska, and Prague. Over the years George has been part of mission work projects at Bacone College, Rainbow Acres, Kodiak and Cordova, AK and In Puerto Rico, as well as in inner city settings in Camden, New Jersey and Detroit, Michigan. |
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James Dunn was Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs based in Washington, DC, for 18 years. Upon his retirement in 1999, he began his service as Visiting Professor of Christianity and Public Policy at Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C. In 1999, he was awarded the Associated Baptist Press’ Religious Freedom Award. Broadcast. Journalist Bill Moyers presented the award, which honors individuals who have championed the principle of religious liberty. James has served as President of Bread for the World and Chair of the Ethics Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. He has appeared on all the major network television news programs and has co-authored a number of books. James is famous for his passionate witness to the Baptist way of serving Jesus Christ. |
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Dan Fountain, M.D. served with his wife Miriam as American Baptist medical missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1960 until 1996. Through their efforts and those of the Baptist Community of Western Congo, the Vanga Hospital grew into a 400 bed teaching hospital, with a nurses training school, family medicine residency, a rural health zone of 50 health centers serving a quarter of a million people, a church-based community health program reaching over 300 villages, and a whole-person care ministry to persons with HIV. Dr. Fountain currently directs the Gliobal Health Training Program of the Peeke School of Christian Mission at King College in Bristol TN. He also serves on the overseas teaching faculty of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and is a founding board member of Project MedSend. |
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Donald Gaines has served in American Baptist ordained ministry in various capacities. He pastored churches in Kansas and Nebraska, served as a Coordinator of Refugee Resettlement in Nebraska, and served as Minister of Mission Support for the American Baptist Churches of Nebraska from 1995 to 2003. He is currently serving as Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lincoln. Among his many elective positions, he has been President of the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region and President of the Clay Center, Kansas Rotary Club. Don has been active in the Ministers Council, in Clay County Task Force on Aging, and in Clay Center Ministers. Central Baptist Seminary has honored him as Alumnus of the Year, and AB Men of Nebraska designated him Clergyperson of the Year. |
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Lou George served most of his ministry in New England. After pastorates in Massachusetts, Maine and Pennsylvania, he was called in 1979 to serve as northeast area minister for the American Baptist Churches of Maine. In 1992 he was called to serve as region executive minister for the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire. He retired from that position in January 2001. While serving as an area minister in Maine, he was also an adjunct professor in Baptist history and polity at the Bangor Theological Seminary. While serving in Vermont and New Hampshire, he was president of the New Hampshire Council of Churches and the Vermont Ecumenical Society. In retirement Lou has taken on the role of interim pastor in two churches and is president of the Concord, NH Community Concert Association, an association that brings world-known artists to Concord for four major concerts each year. |
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Willie Hall served as Pastor of Sunnyside Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, from 1995 until retirement in 2003. Prior to that time, he worked for Seven-Up Bottling Company, moving from driver salesman trainee in 1963 through a variety of positions to Consultant of Community Affairs when he retired in 1994. He has served his community as President of a number of organizations including: American Baptist Churches of LA, Ministers Council of LA, Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce, LA Chapter of the Association of Market Developers, Newton Police Boosters Association, Greater Crenshaw Revitalization Agency and Crenshaw Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Among his other leadership roles and affiliations, Willie counts Volunteers of America, Western States Black Research Center, LA Baptist Children’s Home, LA City Schools’ Adopt a School Program, Urban League, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. For all of his labors, he has received numerous awards and recognitions. |
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Sarah Hallstrand marked the beginning of a new adventure on January 1, 2002, as she began retirement with her husband, John, in the beautiful lake and mountain region of East Tennessee. She grew up in the South and The United Methodist Church but chose to become an American Baptist in upstate New York in 1973. She was ordained in 1976 at First Baptist Church of Syracuse, NY. From this position of Associate Minister she moved to serve as the Pastor of Oneida Baptist Church of Oneida, NY. However, the heart of her American Baptist ministry was the 21 years she served as a Representative for MMBB in the Midwest. In retirement, she has served as the interim pastor of a small church in the mountains of East Tennessee. On May 1, she will become Interim Regional Executive Minister of Indianapolis. Her interests, and sometimes passions, include golf which can be played year round now, hiking, and volunteering with such local projects as starting a teen center for the youth of Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Her volunteer work reaches beyond home to include several ABC interests such as this important ministry of The Jerusalem Council Process. |
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Paul Kondy is a retired ABC Pastor living near Arthur, Nebraska. He is currently serving in the Volunteer in Mission Program as pastor-to-pastor to American Baptist Churches of western Nebraska. Many years of his ministry were served in three two-point parishes in South Dakota and Nebraska. After leaving western Nebraska, he joined the staff of American Baptist Churches of the Central Region, serving as Western Area Minister in Kansas. His last pastorate was in the First Baptist Church of Pierre, South Dakota. In retirement, he has returned to Arthur, Nebraska, where he worked for the Haythorn Land and Cattle Co. and the HX Bar Ranch. Currently in summer months, he helps put up hay for Morrell Haying Company. Paul is greatly admired for his relational skills and his contagious sense of humor. |
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Millie Myren began her work life teaching junior high school English and Social Studies for four years. In 1978, she began work with the Chicago Baptist Association in a multi-faceted role and ultimately retired in 2000 as Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago. During those years, she was an invaluable resource to the American Baptist Churches through dedication of her leadership gifts in countless capacities. She presently serves as Moderator for Morgan Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, and sits on the Ordination Commission of Metro Chicago. Among the many activities for which Millie finds time in her busy life is for service on the board of the Baptist Theological Union, singing in the St. Xavier University Chorale, and tape recording books for the blind. |
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Richard Peterson pastored two First Baptist Churches in Iowa from 1959 to 1972. He served as Administrator of Maple Crest Care Center, American Baptist Homes of the Midwest in Omaha, Nebraska, from1972 to 1996. In 2000, he served briefly as Interim Executive Minister for the American Baptist Churches of Nebraska. Since then he has worked as a Volunteer in Mission in Nebraska. His special projects include service as a trainer of eight administrators of American Baptist Homes of the Midwest. He has also led a special training project to help Maple Crest staff be more caring and has implemented a computer network system at Maple Crest. Richard’s passion for learning and growth has involved him in an average of 35 hours of workshop training every year since 1972. |
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Bob Santilli has been an American Baptist Pastor since his ordination in 1965. After serving congregations in Brooklyn and Queens, he served the First Baptist Church of Mt. Holly, New Jersey, as Senior Pastor from 1975-2002. Since taking an "early retirement" in 2002, he has been working as a full-time volunteer on the staff of International Ministries, ABC as Special Assistant to the Executive Director for Prayer and Pastoral Care. In addition, he is serving as Interim Pastor of Hatboro Baptist Church in Pennsylvania. Bob is also actively involved in the Pastors Prayer Summit and helps facilitate four-day prayer retreats for pastors and spouses across the nation. He has a heart for bringing groups together before the Lord. |
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Dayle Scott founded Belmont Baptist Church in Belmont, California, and pastored there from 1957 to 1966. He then moved to pastor First Baptist Church, Eureka, California, until 1972. For the next 18 years, he served as Minister of Educational Ministries on the staff of the American Baptist Churches of the West. His next move was to Educational Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, where he was Director of Guidance and Recruitment for Ministry and Manager of Financial Aid. From 1996 to 2003, he worked at the American Baptist Seminary of the West as Instructor of Religious Education, Dean of Students and Assistant to the President. Dayle is a consummate educator with enormous gifts to teach the good news of Jesus Christ. |
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James A. Scott retired in 2000 after serving as pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in downtown Newark, NJ for 37 years. Jim went to Bethany after having worked with the old ABC Home Mission Societies in urban ministries. With God's help, the church was multicultural, with members from 21 different countries, involved members of all social classes -- from affluent suburbs to low-income housing projects, was mission-minded and contributed between 14-17% of income annually for witness to others, and gave money to establish the first multi-racial church in post-apartheid Johannesburg, South Africa. The church had a "sister" church in Cuba and gave at least one scholarship to educate a young pastor in Russia. Jim was president of American Baptist Churches and a black missionary convention, Lott Carey. He lives in Vermont. |
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Francine Stark is Staff Minister at Third Baptist Church of Chicago, a four thousand member African American congregation, where the Rev. Dr. Alan V. Ragland is Senior Pastor. Her responsibilities include leadership development, pastoral liaison for the development and implementation of ministries and programs, preaching and teaching, and pastoral counseling. Francine is an ordained American Baptist Churches clergywoman and has the endorsement of the ABC Committee on Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors. She is the ABC General Board representative for American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago. Along with her Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, she has a background in nursing, mental health, alcohol and chemical dependency treatment, and pastoral care of survivors of childhood sexual abuse and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. |
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George Tooze served as associate pastor 1964 - 1977 First Baptist Church of Beverly, Massachusetts; senior minister, First Baptist Church of Malden, Massachusetts 1977 – 1983; and as senior minister, First Baptist Church, Indianapolis 1983 - 2003. After 40 years of ministry he retired in 2004. George currently serves as president of the Ministers and Missionaries Board; as a member of the General Board; as a member of the General Board Executive Committee; as a member of the Mission, Vision Planning Team; as a member of the Nominating Committee, ABC/USA; as a member of the Franklin College Board of Trustees (Executive Committee, Chair Trusteeship Committee, Physical Facilities Committee, President's Committee, Enrollment Management Committee.); as a member of the Board of the American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis. In the past he has served on the board of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. Has done considerable work on the life of Emily Chubbuck Judson, and is currently about half way through transcribing her letters, with 700 finished to date. |
Please hold all these respected leaders in prayer as they commit to the challenge of helping us together to listen to God and to one another.
The Jerusalem Council design and training have been the work of Ellen Morseth.
Ellen Morseth, BVM, is a Spiritual Leadership Consultant. Her ministry is focused on the integration of spirituality in church and religious community decision-making. She has previously served as Pastoral Administrator of parishes in Montana, in leadership roles in her religious congregation, the Sisters of Charity, BVM, as Coordinator of Leadership Development for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and on the staff of Worshipful-Work: Center for Transforming Religious Leadership. Ellen is co-author of Selecting Church Leaders, A Practice in Spiritual Discernment (2002), author of Ritual & The Arts in Spiritual Discernment (2002), and author of Call To Leadership: Transforming The Local Church (1993).