Scroll down to see nominees for the Board of Directors, Ministerial Committee, Missional Church Committee, and Camp Friedenswald Board of Directors
Position: Board of Directors, President-elect
Congregation: Open Table Mennonite Fellowship, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Pastor/doula
Pastor Karla Minter is a spiritual director, contemplative retreat leader, biblical storyteller, pastor, and refiner. She integrates spiritual direction into leadership, discernment, pastoring as accompaniment, the contemplative way, and presence in all aspects of life. After attending Open Table Mennonite Fellowship since 2013, Karla accepted the call to pastor the congregation in 2022. She and her husband, Bill, live in New Paris, Indiana, and have two married children. Karla enjoys walking, biking, cross-country skiing, reading, and quilting. Her greatest joy is to sit at a table with someone and ask, “How is it going?”
Position: Board of Directors, Secretary
Congregation: Silverwood Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Pastor
Three words to describe Clayton: curious, foodie, and compassionate. He will play almost any board game, and often lose, but is fine with that if we can have fun together. Clayton was recently married to Dragan Radović but they are still navigating the US immigration system to get him here permanently. The best way to connect with Clayton is around good food and conversation.
Position: Board of Directors, Treasurer
Congregation: Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Occupation: General Contractor
I served our congregation as treasurer for many years until last year.
Appalachia Build and MDS are places I participate/serve.
I was a congregational delegate to CDC in our first year in the conference.
Position: Ministerial Committee
Congregation: Mennonite Church of Normal, Normal, Illinois
Occupation: Pastor
My work includes both pastoral care and outreach, and that inward-outward tension feels right to me. I am deeply blessed by our congregation and it is a joy to regularly find opportunities to partner with a great community of justice-oriented Christian and interfaith clergy in Bloomington-Normal. I have found the owrk of the Ministerial Committee to be meaningful and stimulating. I am happy that my wife, Jess, and our children, Junia (4) and Oliver (1) come along with me for conference annual meetings.
Position: Ministerial Committee
Congregation: Silverwood Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Retired
Position: Missional Church Committee
Congregation: Emmanuel Mennonite Church, Gainesville, Florida
Occupation: Pastor/Professor
Position: Missional Church Committee
Congregation: First Mennonite Church, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois
Occupation: President & CEO of Faith in Place
Position: Missional Church Committee
Congregation: Shalom Mennonite Congregation, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Occupation: Pastor
I was born in Colombia, South America, and have been married to Patricia Uruena for 39 years. We have two sons, Daniel and Juan, one daughter, Andrea, and one granddaughter, Sol Carolina. I served in various ministries in the Mennonite Church in Colombia at the National level. I also served with the Mennonite Mission network for 15 years in Ecuador. I was a visiting scholar at AMBS during 2010-2011. I have a PhD in theology and Religious Studies from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands).
Krista has been on the pastoral team at Shalom Mennonite in Harrisonburg, VA for a little over three years. The focus of her ministry is in pastoral and community care. Early on in her tenure at Shalom, Krista benefited from a year-long cohort offered by the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative, and since then she’s been involved in the formation of a climate team at Shalom. Of late, she’s been grateful for opportunities to be involved in Harrisonburg’s local Mennonite Action chapter.
Krista lives with her husband and two young daughters on a small farm and homestead just outside of Harrisonburg. Most of her non-pastoring time is dedicated to the joys and challenges of tending to children and to land.
Position: Camp Friedenswald Board
Congregation: Milwaukee Mennonite Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Occupation: Associate Professor (linguistics), English Department, Marquette University
I love all things language and I love running in Milwaukee and on Wisconsin’s amazing Ice Age Trail. Our family has been a part of CDC since grad school days at Columbus Mennonite. Never thought we’d be part of starting a church, but here we are now and Milwaukee Mennonite is 18 years old! Lori teaches middle school English in Milwaukee and our children are teaching (Lydia in Goshen), nursing (Sarah in South Bend), and acting (Simon in Chicago).
Position: Camp Friedenswald Board
Congregation: Columbus Mennonite Church, Columbus, Ohio
Occupation: REALTOR® and Co-Owner of The Coffee Mess (small batch coffee roaster)
I grew up in Sugarcreek, OH and graduated from Bluffton College in 1997. I am married to Megan Stauffer-Miller, who is also from the Sugarcreek area and graduated from Bluffton in 1999. We have two children, Lydia (17) and Isaac (14). We’ve attended Columbus Mennonite since 2008. I have been involved in several commissions at CMC and am currently a member of the Facilities Commission. I have worked in real estate full-time since 2010 and have recently purchased, and operate, a local coffee company called The Coffee Mess with two business partners.
Position: Camp Friedenswald Board
Congregation: Eighth Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana
Occupation: Mennonite Mission Network, Regional Director for Africa and Europe
