President- Elect NG Announces Theme for 
November 2-4, 2001 Annual Meeting:  
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN AN AGE OF GLOBALIZATION

The world at the turn of the twenty‑first century is increasingly one of 'free' world markets with destructive results on the environment, unprecedented advances in information and related technologies, large scale migration of peoples as a consequence of the movement of labor, the homogenization of culture, and transnational corporations and citizenship.  How do these realities challenge the way we as teachers and researchers of religious education engage in our work in what we teach, with whom we teach, and how we teach? Members of APRRE are invited to consider these and related questions of "globalization from above" and the alternative of "globalization from below" as we prepare to share our questions and our experience and insights in Minneapolis this November.

Report on the APRRE Annual Meeting
Atlanta November, 2000

There were numerous comments made during the meeting praising the quality of the papers being read (published in the Proceedings) and of the plenary sessions (some of which will be published in Religious Education).  There was also high praise for the quality service of the Westin Hotel.

There were 136 members in attendance (just slightly below our ten-year average of 142), plus an additional 41 registrants from REA.

During the General Business Meeting, Bill Lord was honored at his retirement; and Ken Stokes was memorialized. 

The members discussed policies related to Travel Fund disbursements, and voted to continue giving priority to younger scholars and doctoral students.  Masters students planning on doctoral work may apply with a recommendation from a faculty member indicating they are on the path to the profession.

The 1999-2000 budget report which showed a surplus of $2014 was accepted. At the end of the 1999-2000 fiscal year, APRRE had $6174 in reserves, $3146 in operating funds, and $11,651 in the Travel Fund. 

The 2000-2001 budget in the amount of $35, 640, was adopted. This included extra expenses for the transition to the new Executive Secretary,

Appreciation and applause was expressed for the service of the members rotating off the APRRE Executive Committee: Tom Groome, Bill Lord, Evelyn Parker and Cate Siejk as well as for Sara Lee’s year of service as President, and for Jack Seymour’s program planning.

New APRRE Officers for 2000-2001:

The APRRE General Business Meeting at Atlanta’s Annual Meeting, elected the following persons to APRRE offices for the coming years:

 Anne Streaty Wimberly was elected Vice President and will plan the Annual Meeting for 2002.  Anne is Professor of Christian Education and Church Music at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also coordinates the Annual Parents and Youth Convocation and the Ecumenical Families Alive Project which focuses on grandparents raising grandchildren. 

Dr. Wimberly received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Ohio State University, a Master of Music Degree from Boston University, a Master of Theological Studies Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. Degree in Educational Leadership with a cognate in Gerontology from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.  Dr. Wimberly has done post-doctoral studies as Scholar-in-Residence at the Claremont School of Theology at what is now called the Clinebell Institute in Claremont, California. Anne has been a teacher in schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in Detroit, Michigan, in Newton, Massachusetts, and in Worcester, Massachusetts.  She has been a faculty member in higher education at Worcester State College in Worcester, Massachusetts, at Atlanta Metropolitan College in Atlanta, Georgia, at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and as a Visiting Professor in the Africa University Faculty of Theology as well as a community ministry facilitator in the Outreach Office of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa.  She is the author of Soul Stories:  African American Christian Education, The Church Family Sings, as well as editor and contributing author of Honoring African American Elders:  A Ministry in the Soul Community.

The newly elected members of the Executive Committee (Class of 2003):

Jerome Berryman: Jerome Berryman is Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood in Houston, Texas.  The Center is a non-profit organization devoted to teaching, research, and writing about religious education, especially using the approach he developed in his book Godly Play.  The Center is also the place where he is developing a theology of childhood for adults.    Jerome was trained at Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div., D.Min.) and Tulsa University Law School (J.D.), and has wide experience in education from his teaching, coaching, and being a chaplain at Culver Military Academy ('65-'68), to being trained as a Montessori teacher in Italy (Bergamo, '72), and serving as a teacher as well as a school's headmaster.   His experience also included working on the teams in pediatric psychiatry at Texas Children's Hospital and at Houston Child Guidance Center.  In addition he was the Canon Educator at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston from 1984 to 1994.

Mary E. Hess:  Mary began her academic work with a BA in American Studies at Yale. From there she was involved in nonprofit and state government organizations, including the National Assault Prevention Center and the Rails to Trails Conservancy. Since then she has completed an MTS in theology at Harvard, and a PHD in religion and education at Boston College. Currently she is Assistant Professor of educational leadership at Luther Seminary, in St. Paul, MN, where her research interests focus on mass mediated popular culture and its integration with religious formation/religious education. As part of that work she has also done extensive consulting on the dilemmas posed and opportunities created by the integration of electronic technologies into graduate theological education.  She is a core member of the International Study Commission on Media, Religion, and Culture, and enjoys reading feminist science fiction in her spare time. Mary and her partner Eric parent two children, Alex who is 8 years old and struggles with the challenges of cerebral palsy, and Nathaniel who is 3, and already fluent with a computer mouse.

Lucinda Huffaker:  Lucinda Huffaker received her PHD from Iliff/Univ of Denver and is currently Associate Director of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion and Managing Editor of the journal Teaching Theology and Religion.  At the Wabash Center, which is funded by Lilly Endowment, she develops and implements workshops and consultations on teaching for faculty members in seminaries and theological schools and in religion departments in colleges and universities.  She also administers grants awarded to individual faculty members and institutions for projects to enhance teaching and learning.  She has taught psychology of religion, pastoral care, and religious education and has written on feminist developmental theory (“Creative Dwelling: Empathy and Clarity in Self and God”) and has coauthored a book on cognitive structural development, Viewpoints: Faith Perspectives and Christian Nurture.  She is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church, USA.  

Bill Lord Appointed Secretary to the Executive Committee

Since Randy Litchfield has been serving as Executive Committee Secretary, when he assumes responsibilities as Executive Secretary, William Lord will become Secretary to the Executive Committee. Bill Lord has recently retired after 15 years as Director of Continuing Education and Development at the Toronto School of Theology.  While there he also taught courses in the area of adult learning in the church and consulted with Doctor of Ministry students on the design and methodology for their research project. Currently he is consulting with congregations and judicatories on leadership for the future.

Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Marriott City Center Hotel

Members will be pleased with the site selection for the November 2-4, 2001 Annual Meeting.  Minneapolis may be cold in November, but they have found an interesting way to cope.  Downtown Minneapolis has what they call the “Skyway,” which is an enclosed walkway at the second story level, running through 56 blocks of downtown, through department stores, hotels, food courts, and so on.  So, one can walk all over town without even wearing a coat.

 The Marriott City Center is an unusual hotel.  It begins on the fifth floor (above the Skyway), where one will find the lobby.  From the fifth floor up, it is a triangular glass building, and many of the meeting rooms have a view out over the buildings of downtown.  Perhaps whis will place an extra responsibility on speakers to hold the attention of their audience! 

Since November is an off-peak time for Minneapolis, we have been able to secure a good room rate of $99 (compared with a rack rate of $260.)

 The March APRRE Newsletter will include news of the scholarly and professional activities of current (paid-up) members.   Let me know what you are up to.  What have you published in the last year or are about to publish?  What are you working on (that you want others to know about)?  What professional activities do you wish your colleagues to know about?  Promotions, honors?

Please send your news to the Executive Secretary by e-mail (cfmelchert@desupernet.net) or by fax (717-295-4740) or by postal mail to:  APRRE, 950 Marietta Ave.,  Lancaster, PA  17603 (USA) by March 1, 2001.

Obituary: 

We have just learned of the untimely death on July 10, 2000 of Dr. Keith Chism, Professor of Christian Education at Defiance College, Ohio.  He was 39.