Carey Akin

Rev. Carey Akin is a graduate of Asbury Seminary and has been serving full-time in ministry since 1990. As a youth and college minister, as well as contemporary worship pastor he has lead mission teams from inner-city Atlanta to Kenya, Africa. His passion for missions has called him to a wide variety of missions experiences, (Appalachian Mountains, Katrina Relief, Arizona Indian Reservation, Mexico, France, Spain, Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, etc.) from building projects, to evangelism and teaching pastors in third-world countries. Currently he serves as the Pastor of Mission at Mt. Bethel UMC in Marietta, GA.

Workshop: Do's and Don't's of Short-Term Missions Trips

Ari Arfaras

Ari served as a missionary in the Russian Far East with The Mission Society for almost fourteen years, teaching Christian ethics and morals in the public schools initially but spending the bulk of her time ministering to orphans. She considers herself a Floridian but has relocated to Norcross to join the home office staff, assisting in the training and preparation of new missionaries.

Workshop: Covenant Relationships Roundtable Discussion

Roman Bagdasarov

Roman is an ordained Elder in the Russian United Methodist Church. He is a graduate of the United Methodist Seminary in Moscow and is currently the pastor of Christ The Lord United Methodist Church in Otradny, Russia. Along with his church work, Roman is very active in the community working with handicapped children and the homeless.

Workshop: Covenant Relationships with Missionaries

Julia Crim

Graduating from Candler School of Theology in 1985, Julia began her ministry serving on the leadership team of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute of the World Methodist Council. Since that time she has served several North Georgia churches, including a new church she founded in Newnan, Georgia in 2000. As a fellow of the Beeson International Center for Biblical Preaching and Church Leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary, she earned her doctorate degree in the area of evangelism. She also serves as the North Georgia Conference Chair for Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) where she combines her passion for evangelism with her heart for missions. Julia is married to Richard and they have two children, Jason and Christina.

Workshop: Connecting the Dots: How All This Mission Stuff Fits Together in North Georgia

Laura Eason

Rev. Laura Eason is an ordained United Methodist Deacon who has over 30 years of experience in youth ministry.  She is a graduate of both the University of Alabama and Scarritt College, and holds double certification in Christian Education and youth ministry.  She is currently serving as the executive pastor at Northside UMC in Atlanta, but has served Auburn UMC (Auburn, AL), Vestavia Hills UMC (Birmingham, AL) Trinity UMC (Gainesville, FL) and Highland Park UMC (Dallas, TX).  During her time in ministry she has had the opportunity to lead over 35 international mission trips and over 50 local/regional trips.

Workshop: Special Challenges for Leading Youth Mission Trips

Jim Ellison

Dr. Jim Ellison is the senior pastor of the Atlanta First UMC in downtown Atlanta. Under Jim’s leadership at Atlanta First, urban ministry has become the church’s main focus and after four decades of decline, the church has grown substantially by modeling Christ to the city. Jim will tell you that his calling and opportunity to lead a downtown church has given him a new passion for Kingdom work.

Workshop: Revitalizing Your Congregation with Urban Ministry

Mary Hughes Gaudreau, LPC

Rev. Mary Gaudreau is a consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) domestic Emergency Services Office. As an ordained United Methodist Deacon and Licensed Professional Counselor based in Oklahoma, her focus with UMCOR is primarily in the areas of disaster spiritual and emotional care and congregational crisis intervention.

Rev. Gaudreau has more than twenty years experience in church staff, conference staff, clinical counseling and disaster response settings. She has worked with survivors and congregations affected by numerous disasters in and beyond Oklahoma including the 1995 Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing, the massive 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak, numerous Atlantic and Gulf Coast hurricanes and other disasters. Mary is the designer of the national UMCOR “Care Team” program as well as other disaster spiritual and emotional care curricula. She provides leadership in several state and national committees that determine best practices for offering spiritual and emotional care following disasters and serves as the chairperson of the Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD).

Workshop: The Ministry of Caring: Emotional and Spiritual Care Following Disasters

Donna Goff

Donna is a graduate of Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky with a degree in Bible and Biblical Languages. (1982) She also attended Asbury Theological Seminary and obtained her Masters in Biblical Literature and Languages. (1985) In August of 1985 she went to Kenya, East Africa to work with World Gospel Missions at the Kenya Highlands Bible College. She served in Kenya for 10 years as professor of Old Testament Studies. During her furlough in 1991, she obtained a Masters in Counseling at the University of South Alabama in Mobile Alabama and returned to Kenya to also teach pastoral counseling.

Donna has served on the ministry staff at McEachern Memorial UMC in Powder Springs Georgia for eight years and is currently Pastor of Missions. Her training is in education and counseling, and has a strong commitment to missions. She is currently serving on the Conference Disaster Relief Committee, Cobb Disaster Recovery Board, Conference Safe Sanctuary Board, Executive Board of Deacons.

Workshop: Making Your Partnership Work

Tim Holt

Tim has been serving as Director of Missions at Roswell United Methodist Church for six years. Prior to coming to Roswell he served in the Dominican Republic for 13 years, the last four with World Team. Tim has a passion to see churches grow in mission to see themselves as empowered ministers charged with and empowered to expand the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. He resides in Woodstock with his wife Carmen and two daughters, Joyce (9) and Grace (4).

Workshop: "Ready, Fire, Aim" Won't Work: Getting Strategic and Intentional

Jeff Jernigan

Jeff serves as leader of the North Georgia Conference Missions/Global Ministries team. He is a layperson from McEachern Memorial UMC and in his tent making job is an executive in the commercial construction industry.

Jeff’s passion is to see churches become externally focused and achieve an effective Evangelism Return on Investment. He is the North Georgia Conference advocate for GBGM’s In Mission Together Ministry, and has served as a delegate to the 2008 General Conference from North Georgia. In addition, Jeff serves on the faculty for the International Leadership Institute (ILI) for Eastern European and Nigeria National Conferences. He is also a board member of the Wesley Community Centers, Tom Atkins Evangelical Association, and Glencastle Constructors.

Workshop: Connecting the Dots: How All This Mission Stuff Fits Together in North Georgia

Millie L. Kim

Millie is a graduate of Wheeler High School, Emory College, and Candler School of Theology and is an elder in the North Georgia Conference. From Her Wesley Fellowship days at Emory until now she has participated and led numerous mission trips within the United States and throughout the world. From 2004-2007, she served as GBGM Missionary to Mongolia and founded Gerelt United Methodist Church in UlaanBaatar, Mongolia. Currently, she is serving the Lord as the pastor at Bascomb United Methodist Church in Woodstock.

Workshop: Covenant Relationships with Missionaries

Jim Lowry

Jim is a native of Atlanta, born and raised in Decatur, GA. He loves his wife, his girls, his grandchildren, his church and most of all, the Lord. He is an ardent supporter of the Atlanta Braves, United Methodist Men, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission and the Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Movement

Jim has been a church planter and has served and grown several large churches in North Georgia. He currently serves as District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Marietta District. He also serves as chair of UMVIM in North Georgia and of the board of MUST and Action Ministries.

Jim attended Asbury College. He graduated with a B.A. in 1967. Met Miss Diane Kilbourne while attending Asbury College and they married in 1967. Diane and Jim have two daughters, and two wonderful grandchildren.

Jim received a Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1970, a Masters of Theology from Duke University in 1971 and a Doctorate of Ministry in 1987 from Asbury Theological Seminary.

He has preached revivals in Kentucky, Maryland, and Georgia. He has served in missions and preached in Korea, Mexico, Guyana, Panama, India, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Poland, Belize, Mainland China, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Estonia, Cuba, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Ghana, and St. Croix. He has also visited mission fields of Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand and Russia.

Workshop: Different Strategies for Funding the Mission Ministry of your Church

Rev. David Montanye

David serves as the Social Justice Education Coordinator for Rural & Migrant Ministries, Inc., an interfaith non-profit organization serving rural and migrant people in the Hudson River Valley and in upstate New York. During his 30 years as a United Methodist Minister, he has served in executive positions with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the General Board of Global Ministries, Church World Service, and the Virginia Council of Churches. He has also pastored congregations in Garnerville, NY and Branchville, NJ.

Beginning in 1994, David has worked with a variety of small colleges and non-profits to help them further develop their financial resources. He has consulted with organizations such Bacone College in Muskogee, OK., Vellore Medical College in India, as well as Kentucky Refugee Ministries in Louisville, KY. and the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Poughkeepsie, NY. His experience in grant writing has included submitting proposals to a wide range of potential funders – from individuals and family foundations, denominations and judicatories and local, state, and federal governments.

David received a B.A. from American University in 1975, a Masters of Divinity from Drew University in 1979 and also a Doctor of Ministry from Drew in 2007. His doctoral dissertation is entitled: A Theology of Abundance: Fundraising in a Multi-cultural Community.

Workshop: Grant Writing: Where to Start, Where to Look, Best Practices, How to Do It?

Bryce Norton

Bryce Norton has a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary with a focus on cross cultural studies. He is currently in the process of completing his doctorate of ministry degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. Bryce serves as the minister of global missions at Mount Pisgah UMC. Mount Pisgah UMC sends over 300 people on twenty-five different mission teams each year. The three global priorities of Mount Pisgah UMC global missions are 1) supporting children in need, 2) equipping leaders who disciple the nations, and 3) loving the persecuted church.

Workshops: Making the Most of Your Faith Growth Opportunity and Oops…I Didn’t Think of That

Gideon Robi

Gideon currently serves as the Executive Director of The Kenya Project, a 501(c) 3 organization working in Kenya to provide opportunities for Christians to be in ministry to the children of Kenya. Gideon is a board member of the Kenya Christian fellowship in America, an organization that works to unite Kenyans residing in the USA. He is a graduate of Moffat College of Bible with a diploma in Bible and Theology, Beulah Heights Bible College with a BA in Bible and Theology, Luther Rice Seminary Master of Divinity and Clark Atlanta University Masters of Library Science. Gideon attends Church at Mountain Park United Methodist Church in Stone Mountain, GA, and is a licensed Preacher with the Africa Inland Church Kenya. He resides in Lilburn with his wife Jerioth and two sons Jeremiah 13 and Jonathan 8. Gideon grew up in Kenya and has lived in the USA since 1995.

Workshop: Covenant Relationships with Missionaries

Chuck Shackelton

Chuck Shackelton serves as Missions Coordinator for McKendree United Methodist Church and previously was Director of Missions at Mt. Bethel UMC in Marietta. Chuck also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Leadership Institute. He also served with The Mission Society where he assisted churches in conducting annual mission celebrations. His passion is to help the process of taking the Gospel to the world.

Chuck began his international focus with the Peace Corps in the Philippines and Korea. He also lived in Hong Kong and Mexico City while working for The Coca-Cola Company. He has been a part of many short term mission trips and ILI leadership training conferences. Chuck has worked with Global Focus in helping merge their program together with the Methodist Church and beyond.  “Celebrating mission accomplishments is a key part of expanding the call to serve and mission events significantly contribute to taking the cause of Christ across the street and to the ends of the earth”.

Chuck serves on the North Georgia Missions and Outreach Committee. He is married to Mei Ling and they have three grown children and 4 grandchildren. They were members at Mt. Bethel for nearly twenty years and they have been at McKendree for two years.

Workshop: Missions Celebration Event: What is It, How Do We Do It

Stephen Soulen

He has degrees from Baylor University and Emory University, Candler School of Theology. He has served churches in Texas and Georgia. The last six years he served as Missions pastor at Peachtree City where he led short-term missions teams throughout the United States and internationally to Mozambique, South Africa, Ukraine, Brazil, Liberia, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Currently, he is pastor of 1st UMC of Manchester and serves as Vice Chair of the Outreach Team.

He is married to Rev. Melanie Stanley-Soulen who is pastor of Allen-Lee/Luthersville churches and a pastoral psychotherapist in private practice. They have two grown sons, David and Stan.

Workshop: Seven Bridges

Elliot Stotler

Elliott Stotler is Director of Urban Ministries at Atlanta First and is responsible for coordinating and implementing outreach projects in the city. Elliott also works year round with groups throughout the country partnering them with local urban ministries sponsored by Atlanta First. Elliott’s passion for urban ministry helps fuel the vision of Atlanta First and has contributed to the church’s recent Kingdom impact in the city.

Workshop: Revitalizing Your Congregation With Urban Ministry

Winston Worrell

Winston Worrell serves as Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, a ministry of the World Methodist Council and Emory University.  With a doctorate in evangelism from Emory University and a masters degree in media communications from Georgia State University, he organizes international evangelism seminars and teaches worldwide church leaders in evangelism, mission and faith-sharing.  He has served in pastoral positions in the United States and as circuit superintendent minister in the Caribbean.  He preaches worldwide, and for several years in the past he has hosted UMVIM mission trips.  He is married, and he and his wife have one son.

Workshop: Blending Mission and Evangelism on Mission Trips