Contributors

Born in Taiwan, raised in Montreal, Ricki felt called to live incarnationally in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and pursue grassroots organizing and church planting. She has a passion for discerning with and equipping people to develop leaders who transform their neighborhoods for the common good. Ricki holds a M.Div through Fuller Seminary.

Dallas Flippin is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jackson, Michigan, a church that launched a restaurant style dinner ministry named Café Connection. After growing up in a toxic church environment, he feels called to develop safe churches where people can be real with who they are and who they are becoming. He…

Nikki Taylor is an urban church planter and bi-vocational Pastor at the Yellow Door House, a community centric house church in Greensboro, NC. With over eight years of experience serving non-profits in the areas of Human Resources, Risk Management and Volunteer Coordinating she is committed to healthy hiring practices, trauma-informed human resource policies and volunteer/staff…

The Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller serves as Executive Director and Founder of Pastors for NC Children, an ecumenical ministry that mobilizes faith communities to advocate for public education. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her spouse and two children in the Wake County Public Schools. She grew up in Winston-Salem before graduating from Meredith College….

Darla deFrance is pastor at Columbia City Church of Hope in Seattle, Washington.

Hallie Knox is a freelance writer with a deep love of words and story. Aside from her writing and editing work, Hallie spent a few years as an elementary school literacy and special education teacher, and continues to serve part-time as an educator for a fully outdoor forest kindergarten on the side. A “missionary kid”…

Emily Dalen is a pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Treynor, Iowa just across the river from Omaha, NE. Before graduating from Luther Seminary in 2022, she served three churches over 20 years in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry. She is particularly passionate about bringing intergenerational groups together to learn and grow.

Shani E. McIlwain is a ruling elder at Faith Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, Moderator {2022-23) of National Capital Presbytery (PCUSA), and a 2023 Seeds Project Fellow. Hilarious and transparent are two words that describe Shani as a speaker. Known for her candid personal stories she weaves her “messy” moments of life into practical teaching…

Rory Philstrom is the Dungeon Master Pastor and has been exploring the intersections between tabletop roleplaying games and following Jesus for the last eight years. He leads retreats for clergy and church workers, organizes a local Dungeons & Dragons Youth Group, and works within the gaming community to promote justice, generosity, and love. He seeks…

Samantha Louise is a leadership cultivator and the founder of Brave Girl International guiding girls and young women to become natural born leaders. She is a beginning farmer, an author, a Minnesota Teacher of the Year, and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership with a unique approach to leadership and learning through hands-on experiences…

Gwen Arneson lives on the Arneson family farm in Cottonwood, Minnesota with her husband, Kevin. She has a heart for service to the Church and has been very active in a variety of callings over the years. Family time with their three adult children and spouses along with four grandchildren fill cups of joy to…

Rev. Minna Bothwell is pastor of Capitol Hill Lutheran Church, Des Moines, Iowa.

The Rev. Judy Ganz, author of “Compassionate Giving,” served The Moravian Church as a missionary, nurse, pastor and director of the Board of World Mission in North America.

Rebecca Sullivan is pastor of Lakeview Lutheran Church in Maplewood, Minnesota. She brings a love of connecting people and ideas from her former career as a librarian. When not leading worship, Bible studies, and other church activities, Rebecca can be found exploring her local public library, spending time with her family, or searching for a…

Reverend Cath Gebers has been in the non-profit and church world for two decades. She has a heart for justice and understands the gospel through this lens, impacting how she implements her call to ministry. She currently works with the United Methodist Church student ministry at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Cath was a 2021…