2008 National Executive Council Nominees

From Episcopal Peace Fellowship (www.epfnational.org)

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2008 National Executive Council Nominees
By
Dec 12, 2007, 10:16

Nominees for EPF’s National Executive Council:

3 Year Term (2008-2010)

The Rev. Will Scott (Prov. 8), is associate pastor at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, CA. Raised by a school teacher and a social worker in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, he is drawn to intentional community, the pursuit of global justice, and the church's witness for peace. While a seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary, Will co-founded a campus chapter of the EPF and served as a convener. After graduation, Will was Associate Rector for Adult Education at St. John's Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia. He blogs occasionally at www.yearnsandgroans.blogspot.com and at the Episcopal Café.

Ms. Joy Shigaki (Prov. 2) has recently moved from Seattle to New York City. Joy has been involved extensively with local, national and international Episcopal and Anglican organizations. Among those activities she served as Sr. Warden at St. Peter’s in Seattle, was a National Church Volunteer for Mission at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as a participant in the Racial and Ethnic Exposure to Mission in Panama. Joy gave the key-note address for the EPF luncheon at Urban Caucus in 2006. She has held many leadership positions with the Japanese-American Citizen’s League (JACL), both the Seattle Chapter and the Pacific Northwest District Council. The priority issues that Joy would like to focus on include: ending the war in Iraq; racism and marginalization of the poor and advocating for fair, just public policies; training and engaging new leaders to build capacity within their own communities to better affect social change.

The Rev. Robert Two Bulls (Prov. 6) moved from the Diocese of LA a year ago to Minneapolis, MN, and currently is the Director of Indian Work for the Diocese of Minnesota. Robert also serves as Vicar of All Saints Mission in Minneapolis. He is responsible for working with all native Episcopal congregations. He is a member of the National Executive Council’s Committee on Indigenous Ministries and also a member of the Evangelical Education Society, which funds seminarians’ summer work programs. Robert has completed a one year term on the NEC and is very involved in bringing nonviolence training to native peoples. Robert is also very concerned about the Middle East and says while it is very important, it is also extremely complex and that we need more educational programs that will extend the knowledge base of Episcopalians and bring them into the arena to be active in creating peace in the Middle East.

The Very Rev. Will Wauters, n/TSSF (Prov. 8), lives in Los Angeles , CA and is the parish priest at the Church of the Epiphany in Los Angeles , CA , one of LA’s poorest communities. The parish has weekly food distribution, Health Promotion, Parish Nursing, works with an interfaith Latino HIV/AIDS program and is very involved with a community organizing project called ONE-LA. They have also been very involved with issues of immigrant rights (60% of congregation is undocumented). Will is involved in all of these projects as the sole employee of the parish. He is a member of the board of Directors of the Worker Education and Resource Center and the Los Angeles Health Collaborative. In the LA diocese Will serves on the Peace and Justice Commission, the Commission on Ministry and is the Dean of his deanery. Will has an extensive history in organizing and peacemaking. He is completing a one year term on the NEC where he has worked to create a Peace Camp model and is actively working to bring nonviolence training to the Diocese of Haiti.

Mr. Tim Yeager (Prov. 5) is a member of Grace Church in Oak Park, Illinois, where he serves as assistant organist. Tim is the Chair of the Peace & Justice Committee of the Diocese of Chicago. He is the Financial Secretary/Treasurer of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local Union 2320, which represents nearly 4,000 lawyers, support staff, social workers and other employees working in legal and human services agencies across the country. Tim has served one three term on the NEC where he has been a member of the human resources committee and an EPF representative to the Consultation. He is concerned that the Church find and use its prophetic voice to advocate for a more just and peaceful socioeconomic order, and feels that there has never been a greater need for all people of good will to join together in the struggle against poverty, violence and fear.

One Year Term

Ms. Sydney Leathers (Prov. 5) grew up in a small town in Southern Illinois which she says is a very conservative town, and her liberal views often made people look at her differently. Sydney attends St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Mt. Carmel. The decision to join this EPF was a difficult one for her because her priest advised her against it. Normally she would take his advice no questions asked, but seeing how conservative her church is, and how liberal she is, she knew she had to make the decision for herself. Sydney is incredibly excited to be involved with EPF; and says it's a wonderful opportunity that she absolutely could not pass up!