AMBS alumni and faculty to present at Mennonite Church USA’s Follow Jesus 2025

Published: June 17, 2025

These AMBS alumni and faculty members are scheduled to present at Mennonite Church USA’s Follow Jesus 2025 convention, to be held July 8–12 in Greensboro, North Carolina:

Tuesday, July 8: Women in Leadership Summit

• Katerina (Friesen) Gea (MDiv 2016) will be one of the worship leaders.
• Joanne Gallardo (MDiv 2010), Cyneatha Millsaps (MDiv 2008) and Sara Wenger Shenk (former President) will be part of an eight-person panel.

July 8–12

• All week, the worship band will be led by Randall Koehler, current student.

Workshops

Wednesday, July 9

• 10:15 a.m., “Making Friends with Missional,” by Michele Hershberger (MA 2000)
• 11:15 a.m., “Shutting Up to Hear God: The Why and How of Silence,” by Michele Hershberger (MA 2000)
• 11:15 a.m., “Cozying Up to Conflict,” by Doug Luginbill (MDiv 1997; DMin student)
• 2:30 p.m., “Seven Things to Unveil about Revelation,” by Michele Hershberger (MA 2000)
• 2:30 p.m., “War Tax Resistance as Public Witness,” co-led by H.A. Penner (MDiv 1975)
• 3:30 p.m., “What Are We Doing Here Anyway?” by Eric Frey Martin (MDiv 2020)
• 3:30 p.m., “Resilient Roots: Nurturing a Faith that Lasts,” by Joyce Peachey Lind (MDiv 2022)

Thursday, July 10

• 10:15 a.m., “What You Do Next Matters,” by Eric Frey Martin (MDiv 2020)
• 11:15 a.m., “Can You Be a Rich Christian?” by Lyle Miller (MDiv 2014)
• 11:15 a.m., “Finding Peace in the Old Testament,” by Wilma Bailey (MDiv 1979)
• 2:30 p.m., “Restitutio Divina: Embodied Biblical Reflection,” by Leah Thomas (Teaching Faculty)
• 2:30 p.m., “Eco-Anabaptism at 499: The Gospel of All Creatures,” by Douglas Day Kaufman (MDiv 1994)
• 2:30 p.m., “How to Navigate When Abuse Has Been Exposed,” by Nancy Kauffmann (MDiv 1982)
• 3:30 p.m., “Reading the Bible As If Our Lives Depend On It,” by Naomi Wenger (MA 2016)

Friday, July 11

• 10:15 a.m., “What Is An Anabaptist Christian? Refreshed,” by Joe Sawatzky (MDiv 2005; Core Adjunct Faculty)
• 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., “Why the Bible Matters for Confronting Christian Nationalism,” by Drew Strait (Teaching Faculty)
• 11:15 a.m., “Necessary Conversations: Let’s Talk About Money,” by Lyle Miller (MDiv 2014)
• 11:15 a.m., “Empowering Children and Youth to Be Safe,” by Samuel Voth Schrag (MDiv 2007)
• 11:15 a.m., “Prophetic Peacemaking: Community Mediation In South Africa,” by Sibonokuhle Ncube (MDiv 2023)
• 2:30 p.m., “Seeing Power As God Sees It,” by Dorothy Jean Weaver (MDiv 1977)
• 2:30 p.m., “Is the Church A Safe Space for All?” by Nancy Kauffmann (MDiv 1982)
• 2:30 p.m., “Join Trees for Environmental Justice,” by Steve Thomas (MDiv 1989)
• 3:30 p.m., “Finding Ourselves In God’s Story,” by Michele Hershberger (MA 2000)
• 3:30 p.m., “Navigating the Health Coverage World,” by Duncan Smith (MDiv 1990)
• 3:30 p.m., “N.O.T.I.C.E. When Boundaries Are Challenged,” by Ben Graber (Certificate 2023; current student)
• 3:30 p.m., “Mennonites and Grassroots Organizing,” by Sarah (Thompson) Nahar (MDiv 2011)
• 3:30 p.m., “Raising Our Voices Through Climate Advocacy,” by Douglas Day Kaufman (MDiv 1994)

If we’ve missed naming any AMBS alumni, please let us know by contacting Janeen Bertsche Johnson, Alumni Director.

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