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TEACHERS OF THE HIVE
Teachers
Amy Nobles Dolan
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Amy Nobles Dolan is a spiritual director, yoga instructor, and co-author of the book, Faith with a Twist.
You can find out more about Amy on her website:
Kristen Wheeler
You might find me sipping hot chocolate at Cafe Beignet on Royal Street, pants covered in powdered sugar, while writing about what I see in the French Quarter. I might be sitting on a bench in Jackson Square with my sketchbook drawing St. Louis Cathedral, or standing on a streetcar heading to the Garden District waiting to wander around Lafayette Cemetery and the local neighborhoods exploring with my camera. I may be out with my husband perusing local flea markets and antique stores for some unique finds to add to our quaint bohemian cottage in the woods of the northshore of Louisiana. But most times I am sitting on the old wicker swing of my lazy southern porch tending to my plants, a hot cup of lemon mint tea in hand, a cat on my lap, a basset hound at my feet, and reading a good book.
Casey Perkins-Lawrence
Casey Perkins-Lawrence is a Spiritual Life Coach ~ connecting with people on the journey ~ creating lives of wellbeing & love through transformational spiritual practice!
Originally from Southwest Georgia, in 2019 Casey moved with his husband, Gabriel, to the mountains of Tennessee, where both are working on master’s degrees at The School of Theology - The University of the South - Sewanee.
Casey has been teaching yoga and training teachers for more than a decade. He is a Certified Holistic Coach and was recently trained as a Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator. Casey incorporates each of these elements in his work and is always exploring new ways of connecting with Spirit and with Self through sacred ritual and spiritual practice.
You can Connect with Casey at www.caseyconnects.xyz & on Instagram @caseyconnects.
Rebecca Wicker
Rev. Rebecca Wicker serves as the Associate Pastor for Outreach and Evangelism at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Charleston, SC. She is a 2017 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). Rebecca grew up in the lowcountry of South Carolina, but has lived and worked in North Carolina, Virginia, Malaysia, as well as Philadelphia, PA. She has a passion for liturgy and worship as well as community building. Rebecca likes to consider where worship and everyday life intersect. She also loves running, playing soccer, and geeking out over Doctor Who and Settlers of Catan.
Callie Swanlund
The Rev. Callie Swanlund is an Episcopal priest serving in Philadelphia, helping others Find their Spark, and building a creative ministry. She leads individuals and groups in the work of Dr. Brené Brown as a Certified Daring Way Facilitator. Callie is a creator and dreamer who has created a virtual and traveling space—The Epiphany Space—for others to discover and use their creative gifts, and learn the digital tools to tell their story. Find out more at CallieSwanlund.com and follow her Wholehearted Weekly movement through @callieswanlund on social media.
Kristen Ostendorf
Kristen Ostendorf is a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. She recently graduated from the General Theological Seminary with a Master’s of Divinity degree. She has worked as an educator, primarily as a high school history teacher, for about 15 years, and a newspaper reporter and copy editor before that. Born in St. Louis, Kristen came to the East Coast to follow her career in journalism after she graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with dual degrees in journalism and sociology. She earned her master’s degree in social studies education from Rutgers University in 2004 and has taught in a variety of environments. Most recently, she taught American and global history at a Quaker school in the Philadelphia area, where she is raising her two children.
Kristen currently serves at St. Christopher’s Church, Gladwyne, where she works with children and families, outreach, and creation care efforts. She also works with The Clare Project, which serves those who are unhoused and facing addiction in Philadelphia, as a mendicant street outreach pastoral care provider. Kristen has been active in a variety of ministries, including healing prayers, lay Eucharistic ministry and helping coordinate online prayer services during the pandemic. In addition, she has engaged in anti-racism work, facilitating workshops for the diocese, her church, educators and the wider community on the topic of white privilege.
She spends her downtime with her kids, her fiance, or walking, reading, running, and hiking. Kristen looks for ways to lean into silence in the busyness of life.
Ellyn Siftar
Ellyn Siftar has been wondering about God and nature since as far back as her memory reaches: sometimes in apple trees, other times around a camp fire, and sometimes with music. Inside or outside, with church friends or scientists, awe and wonder for the world around her (both seen and unseen) connects her to source.
When she is not running around trying keep up with her four children and husband in urban Pennsylvania, she can be found hiking, making art, or reading in a tree.
Oluwatomisin Oredein
Dr. Oluwatomisin Oredein (she/her) joined Brite Divinity School in 2019 as Assistant Professor in Black Religious Traditions, Constructive Theology and Ethics. She also serves as Director of the Black Church Studies Program. Dr. Oredein was previously Visiting Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Memphis Theological Seminary. While there she taught classes such as “Womanist Theology and Ethics,” “Introduction to Christian Ethics,” “Theopoetics: Race, Gender, and Performance in Popular Art,” and “The Salvation of Words: Practical Theology and Black Women’s Poetry. She is in the process of completing a book which is tentatively titled, Mercy, Me: The Theo-Feminism of Mercy Amba Oduyoye. In addition, Dr. Oredein has contributed several articles to academic and professional journals, chapters and essays in edited volumes, and has published several pieces of poetry. She is already taking leadership in the academy and guild by providing lectures and presentations at meetings and has participated in workshops at the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Religion and Theology. Dr. Oredein is a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church, USA.
Carla E. Roland Guzmán
Rev. Roland (any pronoun) is a Puerto Rican, queer, gender-non-conforming Priest working in NYC. Since 2004, they have served at St. Matthew & St. Timothy’s—a bilingual, multicultural, and inclusive outreach- and community-focused congregation; since 2019 as an Affiliate Faculty in Church History at General Theological Seminary. In February 2020 they published Unmasking Latinx Ministry for Episcopalians: An Anglican Approach (CPI). Since 2016, they have coordinated Faith, Family, Equality: The Latinx Roundtable (fefamiliaigualdad.org) out of the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (clgs.org), which promotes understanding, acceptance, and affirmation of Latinx LGBTQ+ persons and their families. They were profiled in NBC Out’s #Pride30 (June 2018). Rev. Roland is committed to the full inclusion of Latinx and LGBTQ+ persons and communities in all aspects of the Episcopal Church.
Alicia Divers, M.A.
A spiritual guide and Contemplative Activist based in New York City. With an enriching blend of trauma-informed somatics and spiritual direction, Alicia champions personal wholeness and harnesses individual gifts for service and activism. She founded Somatic Spirituality, a spiritual direction practice that provides a somatic approach to Spiritual Direction and enneagram clients.
Alicia's professional journey spans over fifteen years in pastoral and organizational leadership. She is the Pastor of Community and Mission at Good Shepherd New York, a Christian ecumenical church in Chelsea, Manhattan.
A certified practitioner in the Narrative Enneagram Tradition, Alicia discovered her affinity for the field of somatics during her training. This personal intrigue, coupled with the significant impact on her clients, guided her further into the realm of Somatics. She completed an Attachment Therapy Certificate through Embody Lab, mastering the somatic process of Inner Relationship Focusing.
Academically, Alicia holds a Master's degree in both Intercultural Studies and Spiritual Direction, contributing to her comprehensive approach to spirituality and healing.
To learn more about Alicia Divers, visit www.somatic-spirituality.com
The Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker
The Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker is an Old Testament scholar who holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Yale University. Currently the Biblical Scholar in Residence at Marble Collegiate Church and a Visiting Scholar at Union Theological Seminary, she has taught at both seminaries and colleges (including Yale Divinity School, Colby College, and General Theological Seminary). She has published many scholarly articles and eight books, including, most recently, Eve Isn't Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions.
Teachers & Hive Board Members
Adriene Thorne
The Rev. Adriene Thorne (shey/they) is the Senior Minister of The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, NY. Adriene received her Master of Divinity degree from The Pacific School of Religion and completed post-graduate studies in pastoral care and counseling at The Blanton-Peale Institute. Adriene’s background in the performing arts includes performance credits with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Metropolitan Opera, and the world-famous Radio City Rockettes. When she’s not parenting, pastoring, creating, or mentoring, Adriene is probably on the squash court or in the dance studio fantasizing about what is newly possible.
The Hive Board Member
April Stace
April Stace is on the faculty of The General Theological Seminary, where she teaches courses in community care and the arts. She earned her Ph.D. at The Catholic University of America in 2014, and has served as a pastor in both large and small parishes. She is ordained as a priest in The Episcopal Church.
April has a background in music and was a professional harpist for most of her adult life, releasing 4 albums with her harp/bass/drums band, Harp 46, three of which spent time in the top ten on the World/New Age radio charts. Her background in the arts informs just about everything she does, including her most recent book, a memoir about her years as a queer, recently-divorced and nearly-broke hospital chaplain entitled White Knuckle Love: A Memoir of Holding. Her previous books, Secular Music, Sacred Space (Lexington Press, 2017) and Crossing Boundaries, Redefining Faith (Wipf and Stock, 2016) received positive reviews and have been used in seminary classrooms.
April lives in New York with her super-queer spouse, Lou (they/them), and her super-insightful son, Luke. She founded a coaching and consulting practice with Lou in 2020, focused on the needs of women and LGBTQ-identified clergy and artists. She’s also an aspiring banjo player and finds a lot of joy in long weekend bike rides.
The Hive Board Member
The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining
Hillary currently serves as the first woman Rector of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Gladwyne, PA. She teaches both on The Hive as well as seminary classes and is a sought after retreat leader. As a writer, Raining has published in both academia and ecclesia. She is the author of Joy in Confession and co-author with Amy Dolan of Faith with a Twist. She holds a B.A. with honors in Religion and Psychology from Moravian College, a Masters of Divinity from Yale and the Institute of Sacred Music and is a graduate from Drew University with a Doctorate in Ministry. Raining is also a yoga teacher, bee keeper, and environmentalist.
To learn more about Hillary, visit her personal website here.
The Hive Board Member
Jeehei Park
Dr. Jeehei Park is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Seminary of the Southwest. Prior to joining Southwest, Jeehei taught at General Theological Seminary. She holds a Master of Divinity (concentration in New Testament and Early Christianity) from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD in Christianity in Antiquity from Fordham University. Her work has been recognized with several awards and fellowships including the Forum for Theological Exploration dissertation fellowship and the Louisville Institute postdoctoral fellowship. Jeehei, a Korean immigrant, has spent her adult life in the United States. As a person living at "home away from home," she explores the complexity and multiplicity of identity with particular focus on the rhetorics of citizenship, migration, and travel in the New Testament and early Christian literature. She is the author of All Citizens of Christ: A Cosmopolitan Reading of Unity and Diversity in Paul’s Letters, which is forthcoming with Brill.
The Hive Board Member
Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
Lydia Kelsey Bucklin (she/her) serves as Canon to the Ordinary for Discipleship & Vitality in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. She was formed from a young age in baptismal, collaborative ministry and currently works with communities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to discover fresh, creative ways of being church in the world.
The Hive Board Member
Lea Schweitz
Lea (she/her) is a lifelong Midwesterner who calls Oak Park home along with her musician/composer husband, Kurt, two wildly inspiring kids, and a cat named Goose. She is the co-founder of Nature120, a non-profit organization that provides nature play and airway therapy for children on Chicago’s west side and in the western suburbs, Director of Children’s Ministries with Urban Village Church, an outdoor educator with The Children’s School in Oak Park, and the Visiting Theologian at The Upper House at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Previously, she was a tenured professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science. She loves playful theology, inclusive life-giving faith formation, prairies, puns of all kinds, and the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of kids and justice-building communities.
The Hive Board Member
The Rev. Dr. Lisa Weaver
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The Reverend Dr. Lisa M. Weaver, a native New Yorker, is assistant professor of worship at Columbia Theological Seminary, in Decatur, Georgia. The focus of her research and teaching is also her life’s passion: the worship life of the Christian church. The fruit of her research and teaching in this area is employed far beyond the classroom. Outside of Columbia Theological Seminary, Dr. Weaver serves as a board member on the worship grants advisory board for Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, serves as a member of an ecumenical and interdisciplinary consultation for Ecumenical Protocols for In Person Worship, and works as a liturgical consultant. As a liturgical consultant, Dr. Weaver assists worshiping communities and church leaders “in serving this present age” by helping them to reimagine worship in more theological and inclusive ways. In this capacity, she also works with churches to examine and analyze their worship practices and makes theological and pedagogical recommendations for strengthening those practices. The convergence of Dr. Weaver’s liturgical expertise and her deep love and appreciation for church music were well employed when she served as a theological consultant on the hymnal One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: An African American Ecumenical Hymnal and in her three essays found in Singing Our Savior’s Story: A Congregational Song Supplement for the Christian Year, Hymn Texts since 1990 (GIA Publications).
Dr. Weaver also does specialized ministry in the area of father-daughter relationships. This ministry work is called Healing Jephthahs’ Daughters: Healing the Wounds of the FatherDaughter Relationship. In this work, she journeys with women in exploring the landscape and the effects of unhealthy paternal relationships and guides and supports them as they move towards freedom, healing, and wholeness. (www.healingjephthahsdaughters.com)
Dr. Weaver was nurtured in the Christian faith and the Gospel ministry at Trinity Baptist Church in the Bronx, New York, by the late Pastor Nathaniel Tyler-Lloyd. After his death, she served as assistant pastor under Pastor Naomi Tyler-Lloyd. During her 24-year 2 tenure at Trinity Baptist Church, Dr. Weaver served as dean of the Trinity Bible Institute, advisor to and Sunday school teacher for the Deaf Awareness ministry, a choir member, a Sunday school teacher, Bible instructor for the stewardship ministry, and the discipleship (catechetical) instructor for new members.
Dr. Weaver has earned a bachelor of arts and masters degrees from Bernard M. Baruch College C.U.N.Y., Columbia University Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, and a doctor of philosophy degree from The Catholic University of America. Ministry has taken Dr. Weaver beyond the boundaries of the United States. Internationally, she has served as a preacher, teacher, seminar convener, seminar and workshop leader, Bible study leader, panelist, and most recently as a member of a liturgy consultation team. She is grateful to have traveled to and done ministry in Ghana, South Africa, Beijing, Hong Kong, Brazil, and several other countries.
The Hive Board Member