Keynote Speakers
The Rt. Rev. Eugene T. Sutton
Bishop of Maryland
Prior to his election, Bishop Sutton was canon pastor of Washington National Cathedral, and director of the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. A frequent leader of retreats and conferences on prayer, preaching, spirituality and mission, he directed the cathedral’s national and local programs in building spiritual community through pilgrimages, gatherings and courses.
In addition to his ministry in parishes, he has taught homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, New Brunswick Theological Seminary and General Theological Seminary. He also served as assistant to the bishop in the Diocese of New Jersey. The author of several articles on spirituality and preaching, he is a contributor to the book The Diversity of Centering Prayer.
Brian D. McLaren
Brian D. McLaren is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, pastor, and networker among innovative Christian leaders, thinkers, and activists. He is a frequent guest on television, radio, and news media programs. He has appeared on many broadcasts including Larry King Live, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, and Nightline. His work has also been covered in Time (where he was listed as one of American's 25 most influential evangelicals), Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Washington Post, and many other print media.
In his latest book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope, McLaren asks two essential questions: What are the world's top crises, and what do the life and message of Jesus say to those global crises?
Brian serves as a board chair for Sojourners/Call to Renewal (sojo.net), and is a founding member of Red Letter Christians, a group of communicators seeking to broaden and deepen the dialogue about faith and public life. He is also a board member for "Orientacion Cristiana," and formerly served on the boards of International Teams (www.iteams.org) in Chicago, Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle (mhgs.edu), and Off The Map (off-the-map.org).
The Rev. Philip Roderick
Philip Roderick is an Anglican priest, percussionist, educator and author, working in and beyond the Diocese of Oxford. Born and bred in South Wales, his first remembered experience of “the beauty behind the beauty” came as a 13 year old, whilst he was stretched out on the edge of the cliffs in Llantwit Major, looking over the Bristol Channel. Some fifteen years later, when studying Celtic Christianity, Philip discovered that this cliff path was in the immediate environs of the great teaching monastery of Saint Illtud form the fourteenth century. The spirit of place, resonant with the prayers of the saints: Such interconnectedness of ancient and contemporary wisdom, and the love of the liminal places of land, sea and sky continue to allure and fascinate him.
For the past twenty five years he has celebrated the spiritual journey with drum and chant. More recently, he has discovered the extraordinarily ambient Hang Drum, recorded “Sheer Sound”, his first CD, and will share this healing music at the conference.
Philip’s work over the years as a trainer in theology and spirituality for laity and clergy, his love of the great outdoors, together with a touch of pioneering spirit let Philip towards the vision for the founding in 1992 of The Quiet Garden Movement, now an international ministry of hospitality and prayer which he directs. In 2004, Philip again “stepped out in faith” to found and lead Contemplative Fire. This extended “community of Christ at the edge”, now seeing itself in different dioceses, is itself part of the burgeoning network, authorized by Archbishop Rowan Williams of “fresh expressions of church.” Most recently, Phillip’s book and CD package “Beloved: Henri Nouwen in Conversation” has just been published by Eerdmans.
More about Philip Roderick:
The Quiet Garden Movement
Contemplative Fire
Terry Hershey
Terry Hershey has served as a Protestant minister, and is now a writer and landscape designer on Vashon Island. Hershey writes about being intoxicated with this world. Terry's eighth book, Sacred Necessities for people who love live (Ave Maria), celebrates life by hearing the music, not just playing the right notes. In 1994 Terry founded Cotswold Garden & Design, designing gardens that emphasize imagination and the element of surprise. His gardens and books have been featured in Pacific Northwest Magazine (Seattle Times), Seattle Homes and Lifestyle, and the Tacoma News Tribune. He speaks throughout the United States and Canada on relationships and spirituality and gardening.
Terry is a captivating storyteller. These are stories about ordinary gifts of grace, the value of idleness, the art of "spending" the afternoon, the gift of seeing our world with new eyes, the demanding marriage of loving and losing, and of living life passionately with no holds barred. To hear Terry is not just to gain information. It is an experience. And everywhere Terry speaks, the feedback is unanimous, "Terry Hershey was truly humorous and enlightening all in one. He gave us permission to be embraced by grace. He was truly a highlight of our year!" Alan Loy McGinnis, best-selling author of The Friendship Factor, says, "Terry Hershey is the real thing. Warm, humorous and right on target with issues that allow us to focus our lives on the few things that matter." So . . . Open the gate to the garden of your soul. Learn to be present. Cultivate appreciation for the ordinary gifts of grace, the value of solitude, the art of listening, and the healing power of nature. Terry Hershey's stories will lead you to nurture your soul and renew your sense of what it means to live with passion, purpose and grace.
Plenary and Workshop Speakers
Kim Coble
Maryland Executive Director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Kim Coble joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in 1992 as the Senior Scientist in the Foundation’s Virginia office, where she provided scientific review on regulatory issues and lobbied for water quality legislation. In 1996, she moved to Maryland and became the Senior Scientist in the Foundation’s Maryland Office and eventually served as Assistant Director.
In June 2003, Kim was named CBF’s Maryland Executive Director, where she directs policy and manages a diverse team of scientists, land use specialists, lawyers, grassroots coordinators and volunteers to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
James A. "Jim" Duke, Ph.D., served as an Economic Botanist with the USDA for 32 years. Now Jim spends time as a Distinguished Lecturer in the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, MD. In addition to teaching he continues his work of compiling data on medicinal plants and updating several of his books. He is refining his phytomedicinal database www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ still maintained at the USDA in Beltsville, Maryland.
Dr. Duke was elected distinguished alumnus by the University of North Carolina in 2001. He received the Rachael Carson Conservation Award for conservation via the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) in 1998, the American Herbalists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, in August 1999, recognition in July 2000 by the Society of Economic Botany as a Distinguished Economic Botanist, and, in spring of 2001, he was inducted into the Natural Health Hall of Fame. In June of 2004, he received an Honorary Degree of Master of Science in Herbal Medicine from Tai Sophia Institute.
Tom Stoner
Tom is co-founder, with his wife Kitty of The TKF Foundation a private grant-making foundation whose purpose is to create "Open Spaces, Sacred Places". The mission of the foundation is to provide the opportunity for a deeper human experience by supporting the creation of public greenspace that offers a temporary place of sanctuary, encourages reflection, provides solace, and engenders peace.
It was their belief that a natural green space in an urban setting can provide a spiritual place to find refuge, to slow down, to find oneself, to reconnect with one’s spirituality and to provide peace. From this idea and with this hope, TKF was formed.
Jon Traunfeld
Jon Traunfeld has over 30 years of agricultural and gardening experience. In 1989 he became Urban Gardening Coordinator for Maryland Cooperative Extension in Baltimore City where he helped develop community gardens and trained and supervised Master Gardeners. In 1994 Jon became the Regional Specialist in Fruits and Vegetables and State Master Gardener Coordinator at the Home and Garden Information Center in Ellicott City. He was appointed Center Director in 2007. Jon’s current focus is developing small scale and organic food gardening techniques. His lofty goal is that every Maryland household grows some of its own food.
