Speakers

Dr. Reta Halteman Finger
Phillip Gulley
Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott
Dr. Alena Amato Ruggerio
Rev. Elder Nancy L. Wilson

Dr. Reta Halteman Finger
New Testament Professor, Messiah College

A Jesus Supper For Every Body

Many misconceptions surround the celebration of the Lord's Supper--from limiting it to a solemn vertical contact with Christ--to the fear of judgment if one partakes unworthily.

We will examine Paul's concerns in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, finding new communal and inclusive meanings, where women are central figures.

About Dr. Finger

Reta Halteman Finger, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Messiah College, Grantham, PA, has been a member of EEWC since 1978. As a frequent speaker/teacher at conferences, attendees look forward to Reta's keen insight and unique ability to relate the Bible to today's issues.

She is a former Editor of Daughters of Sarah has authored or co-authored numerous books including, Of Widows And Meals: Communal Meals In The Book Of Acts and Roman House Churches For Today. Reta received her doctorate in 1998 in the Joint Program of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Northwestern University. She lives in Harrisonburg, VA. Reta has two sons and three grandchildren.

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Phillip Gulley, Author and Speaker

Making Room at Our Table

About Mr. Gulley

Phillip Gulley grew up in Indiana, where he still lives with his wife and two sons. He serves as a Quaker pastor of Fairfield Friends Meeting near Indianapolis. As he experienced the pain and joy of his parishioners, Gulley began to hear a small but insistent voice speaking to him of God's boundless love and extravagant grace, calling him to a new understanding of divine will and human destiny.

His books, If Grace is True and If God Is Love: Rediscovering Grace in an Ungracious World, (coauthored with James Mulholland), share this journey.

Gulley is also author of the popular Harmony series which describe the fictional exploits of Quaker Pastor Sam Gardner, offering lessons of wisdom and love on the Christian journey.

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Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott
Renowned Author

But Will There Be Enough?
Counting the Costs of Sharing Wisdom's Table

Reflections concerning the nature of the table to which Sophia invites us; the inevitable tensions between appropriate boundaries and inclusive welcoming; attitudes of scarcity/greed versus attitudes of abundance/gratitude; and assessments of how global needs could actually be met not only in the "sweet bye and bye" but here and now on Planet Earth.

About Dr. Mollenkott

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, English professor emeritus, William Patterson University, is a founding member of EEWC. A frequent speaker at conferences, Virginia's perspectives always stimulate listeners to stretch and grow on their spiritual journeys.

She is the author or co-author of 13 books, including Is The Homosexual My Neighbor? A Positive Christian View; Women, Men, and the Bible; The Divine Feminine: Biblical Imagery of God as Female and Omnigender. Virginia is a winner of the 2002 Lambda Literary Award.

She was a member of the translation committee for the New International Version of the Bible (1970 - 1978) and of An Inclusive Language Lectionary (National Council of Churches). Virginia, who has one son and three granddaughters, earned her B.A. from Bob Jones University, her M.A. from Temple University, and her Ph.D. from New York University. Her partner is Judith Suzannah Tilton.

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Dr. Alena Amato Ruggerio
Professor and Author

Theapalooza: The Rhetorical Turn in the Third Wave of Biblical Feminism

When our mothers admonished us to "mind our language at the table," they probably never imagined that they might be handing us the key to the next generation of progressive Christian activism. The young biblical feminists of the Third Wave and beyond believe that the work of Christian feminism is not just theological, it is also rhetorical. An understanding of the mechanisms behind the power of words and a playful approach to the English lexicon provide us with new ways to extend Wisdom's invitation for all people to join together at the table of inclusion and peace.

About Dr. Ruggerio

Dr. Alena Amato Ruggerio is an Associate Professor of Communication and Interim Director of Women's Studies at Southern Oregon University. Her work at the intersection of rhetorical theory and criticism, Christianity, and third wave feminism has appeared in Christian Century, The Other Side, Feminist Media Studies, and Eerdman's Encyclopedia of Religion.

Alena's teaching specialties include courses in Women Transforming Language (feminist rhetorical theories), Texts of Truth (rhetorical approaches to interpreting sacred texts), Evaluation of Public Communication (rhetorical criticism), persuasion, argumentation and debate, and advanced public speaking.

She earned her Ph.D., as well as the Lieber Memorial Outstanding Associate Instructor Award, from Indiana University, Bloomington.

She has served as EEWC's Coordinator, Secretary, Council representative, and conference planning committee member. Currently she is the assistant to the editor of Christian Feminism Today. She resides in the mountains of southwestern Oregon with her husband Bradley and their two astonishingly adorable cats.

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Rev. Elder Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches

About Rev. Elder Wilson

Rev. Wilson was elected to the position of Moderator of MCC in 2005, following the retirement of the Founder of MCC, Rev. Elder Troy Perry. Her office is in Sarasota, Florida. She was elected Elder of MCC of 1976 and served as Vice-Moderator from 1993 to 2001.

Rev. Wilson served as Clerk of the Board of Elders for ten years; and became MCC's first Chief Ecumenical Officer, a post she held for 23 years. She has been the official delegate of MCC to the World Council of Churches General Assemblies in Canberra, Australia (1991); Harare, Zimbabwe (1998) and Porto Alegre, Brazil (2006).

Her published works include: Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible (Alamo Press); with Fr. Malcolm Boyd, Amazing Grace; and her prayers and poems are included in Race and Prayer edited by Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton (Morehouse Press). She is a popular preacher and speaker; has been honored with the first "Lazarus Award" from the Presbyterian Church and was invited to preach at the Earl Lectures at Pacific School of Religion in 2002.

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