Contributors
Listed in the order in which they appear in the collection. Biographies are in the writers’ own words.
The Reverend Lindsey Altvater Clifton is the Co-Pastor of Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in High Point, NC. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd who enjoys life’s simple pleasures: hammocks, a good book, laughing until it hurts, bike rides, growing flowers, and writing liturgy. A lifelong North Carolinian, Lindsey is an alumna of Elon University (BA; English Education, 2009) and Wake Forest University (M.Div., 2016). Lindsey’s faith journey has been rather ecumenical, so she has served as a lay leader and staff person in a few denominational traditions. She also taught high school English for four years before going to divinity school. Lindsey is passionate about intergenerational ministry and community engagement, and she finds joy in helping folks of all ages connect to the life of the church at Forest Hills and beyond its walls.
Andrea Simmonds has a B.A. in Media Communication Studies from Young Harris College in Young Harris, GA. She also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston Salem, NC. She has served as a chaplain resident and currently serves as the Palliative Care Chaplain Fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC. She also serves as the Youth Minister at Parkway United Church of Christ. She is originally from Gainesville, GA, but grew up in the mountains of Georgia in a town called Suches. She currently resides in Winston Salem, NC with her two chihuahuas, Harley and Bear.
Faith-based innovator Duane Hudson Reid is a pastor, author, poet and performer. He is the co-host of ON THE BLOC with Duane and Sam – a men’s show featuring candid conversation on Instagram Live (@ontheblocwithduaneandsam) and author of Righteous Anger: Outcries for Justice – a collection of prose and poetic musing set in spoken word pieces. Duane has a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from North Carolina A&T State University. An avid community servant and runner, he resides in New Jersey with his wife and children.
The Reverend Nicole Newton serves as the Associate Pastor for Children & Youth at First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, NC. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity and a Master of Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She is the mom of two wild and wonderful daughters and the wife of the most patient husband known to humanity. In her free time, she enjoys growing flowers, cooking for large crowds, traveling the world, and having silly dance parties in the kitchen.
The Reverend Erica Saunders (she/her/hers) is pastor of Peace Community Church in Oberlin, Ohio. She holds the Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University. Erica’s passions include preaching, the study of Christian origins, and lame puns. You can usually find her in one of Oberlin’s coffee shops, a Lorain County Metro Park, or watching Netflix.
The Reverend Christina Cataldo (‘05) served as a medical chaplain in hospice before being called as pastor and teacher of Winthrop Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, a small, vital congregation in Winthrop, Maine. She and her wife, a geology professor, live in an old farmhouse with five cats and one nervous dog. The chickens and guinea fowl keep an eye on the yard. In this time of COVID-19, well, really, most of the time, Pastor Chrissy wants to figure out what it means to love God and love our neighbors in this particular moment, in this particular place.
The Reverend Jasmyn C. Graham, a native of Cordova, South Carolina, is the youngest daughter of Ms. Linda M. Graham. She is sister to two older siblings, brother, Tyrus V. and sister, Jacquitta, and a proud aunt of two nephews and one niece with whom she loves to spend time with–Tyrus Jalen Graham and Josiah Graham Huggins and Zoey Ava-Rose Tyler. Rev. Graham is a 2012 graduate of Morris College, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education, and a 2017 graduate of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, having earned a Master of Divinity degree. In April 2014, she was licensed for ministry at the St. John Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Winston–Salem, North Carolina, under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Omar L. Dykes. Within the church she has served as a preacher, Bible study teacher, congregational care minister, youth minister, and worship planner. Outside of the church, she has clinical pastoral education experience having served as a hospital chaplain for one year at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston–Salem, North Carolina. Rev. Graham is currently Campus Pastor/Director for Wesley Foundation of Virginia State University.
The Reverend Patrick Cardwell is an ordained minister and 2016 alumnus of Wake Forest Divinity School. He currently lives in Greensboro, NC, serving as Pastor of Lindley Park Baptist Church and Homebound Minister at First Baptist Church of Greensboro. When he isn’t writing sermons or making pastoral visits, you can find him with a cup of coffee, at a local sporting event, or spending time with his partner, Lauren.
The Reverend Jon Watt is the pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church in Jenks, Oklahoma, where he has served for the last seven years. When he is not writing or serving on a Presbytery Committee, Jon enjoys cooking for his family, working in the garden, and coaching his daughter’s basketball team, as well as other pastors and executives seeking personal growth and development.
The Reverend Canon Cameron Robinson is a priest in the Anglican Church of North America. He is a full-time educator in the public school and views that space as the most critical mission field in the country. As an English teacher, he teaches the ability to articulate experience through the pen. As a priest, his greatest desire is to help people connect their lived experience to the centuries of theological research, bringing muted voices to the conversation that shapes the future of theology as a field. He catalogs his own journey on his blog: www.arthurcameronblog.com
Pastor Analyse Triolo (she/her/hers) grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2015 and her Master of Arts in Ministry at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2016. She is a member of Proclaim (a program of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries), a professional organization for publicly identified LGBTQIA+ rostered ministers and seminarians in the Lutheran church. Pastor Analyse serves as the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Bellerose, New York, located at the center of New York City’s COVID-19 crisis.
Sabrina Nichole Gilchrist is an author, public speaker, Clinical Mental Health Counselor, ordained Christian minister, and aspiring crochet queen. She earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Winston-Salem State University and the dual Master of Arts (Counseling) and Master of Divinity degrees from Wake Forest University. She serves the Charlotte community through her work with Right Moves For Youth and works in private counseling practice with Reconciliation Counseling and Consulting, PLLC. She also teaches aspiring helping professionals at Queens University of Charlotte. Finally, Sabrina is an Associate Minister at Life of Worship Ministries (Kings Mountain, NC; Pastors: Ricky and Shirley Beatty).
The Reverend Dr. Greg Dover is the pastor of Augusta Heights Baptist Church in Greenville, SC, where he has served since 2015. He is a graduate of Furman University (B.A., 2009), the Divinity School of Wake Forest University (M.Div., 2009), and Drew University (D.Min., 2015). Greg has served as chair of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Ministries Council (2017-18) and was recently selected to be a Riley Fellow in the Diversity Leadership Initiative of the Richard W. Riley Institute of Furman University (2019). He is married to Suzy, and they have two children, Yates (8) and Lennon (6).
Jessica Chapman is an alum of Wake Forest University School of Divinity and currently attends Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, CA pursuing her PhD in Practical Theology. She is an advocate for cultural compassion among healthcare professionals and hopes to promote healthcare justice within the American healthcare system. Jessica is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and serves as a clinical chaplain with both VITAS Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente Orange County. Jessica takes pride in being an interfaith chaplain who uses interfaith and ecumenical methods to care for diverse populations.
The Reverend Darrell R. Hamilton, II is a graduate of Wake Forest School of Divinity where he attained his Master of Divinity degree May 2017. Darrell is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, and in 2012 received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Central Oklahoma. Darrell serves as Pastor for Formation and Outreach at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain and Director of the Urban Pastoral Ministry Program at City Mission Boston.
The Reverend Jenna Sullivan is an ordained Baptist preacher, minister, writer, and yoga instructor originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. She loves to seek wisdom and style tips from her grandmother and is constantly learning how to be a grown-up without losing wonder, joy, and play.
The Reverend Chelsea Brooke Yarborough was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2012, she graduated from Elon University and then went on to receive her Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2015. Rev. Yarborough is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Homiletics and Liturgics at Vanderbilt University. Her research centers on expanding the genre of preaching through non-pulpit preachers, interrogating whiteness in multicultural worship, and pedagogical development for theological education. She is an ordained minister, a poet, an enneagram enthusiast, and a lover of leadership development. Chelsea’s motto is “live to love and love to live each day” and is excited to continue her journey of cultivating and engaging curiosity in all that she pursues.
The Reverend Kenneth A. Pettigrew is the Chief Operating Officer of the Winston-Salem Urban League, supporting the organization’s work of advocating for civil rights, employment opportunities, economic opportunities, affordable housing, health and wellness, voting rights, food security by managing its operations, programming, and community and civic engagement. Before joining the Winston-Salem Urban League, Kenneth served as United Way of Forsyth County’s first Coordinator of Faith-Based Community Engagement and staff lead for the Place Matters Initiative. Kenneth is an ordained minister in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) and has served two churches in Winston-Salem, NC as lead pastor or associate. He has given numerous presentations on missional realignment, worship and community engagement, and preventing toxic charity. He serves on multiple community boards and is an active member of the NAACP and the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity. He is a music graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and holds a Master of Divinity from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
The Reverend Laura Mayo is the Senior Minister of Covenant Church: an ecumenical, liberal, Baptist congregation in Houston, TX. She is a graduate of Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee and Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Laura is active in Houston interfaith work and is regularly published in the Belief section of the Houston Chronicle and Baptist News Global and has been interviewed several times on Houston Public Media’s “Houston Matters” radio show. Laura and her partner, Nicholas Stepp, have two sons, Owen & Grayson, who bring them such joy. Laura, Nick, Owen, and Grayson enjoy sailing, camping, projects, and cooking together.
The Reverend Franklyn C. Pottorff is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and currently serves as the Pastor for Congregational Life and Stewardship at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Before that he served as a solo pastor in eastern Kentucky. He matriculated at Franklin College, studying editorial journalism and religion, before attending Wake Div. He is now enrolled in a doctoral program at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Frank and his spouse, Abby, feel fortunate (most days) to be parents to Charlie and Ollie.
John and Katie Callaway are Co-Pastors of First Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia. John was born and raised in Boiling Springs, SC. He completed an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in education at Clemson University and then attended the Wake Forest University School of Divinity and completed a Master of Divinity degree. Having worked in and alongside churches across the Southeast preaching, teaching, and leading music, John feels called to help others recognize the “burning bushes” in their lives and to help them grow along their faith journeys. John enjoys hiking, reading, playing music, and walking with his wife, Katie, daughter, Sophie, and dog, Lily.
Jesse Sorrell graduated from Kenyon College and received his MDiv with a concentration in Religious Leadership in Food, Health, and Ecology from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He went on to provide spiritual care in trauma and palliative care hospital settings while he discerns ordination with the United Church of Christ. He writes poetry, creative nonfiction, and sometimes fiction to explore human experience related to the body, earth and cosmic form. He and his partner, Matt, and their cat, Milo, live and create in Chapel Hill, NC.
Sophia Russell Hall is a native of North Carolina. She is a licensed minister. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Winston Salem State University, where she majored in Business Administration. She earned a Master of Healthcare Administration degree, also from Winston Salem State University, and a Master of Divinity degree from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Sophia completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Care Education (CPE) at UNC-Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. Additionally, she has completed internships at Repairers of the Breach with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, NC Council of Churches in Raleigh, NC, and United Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church in Winston Salem, NC. Sophia currently works as the Executive Director of a local non-profit. Sophia has always had a heart for teaching and serving which has been displayed through her various roles and activities throughout the years. Sophia has worked as a Coordinator of a Mobile Health Clinic and a professor of Healthcare Management and Health Science courses. Min. Russell Hall is ALSO blissfully married to Mr. David J. Hall and is expecting their first child this year.
