In the first quarter of this year, our primary focus has been expanding the capacity and ability of the Center for Congregational Health — deepening the support we offer to grow the communities we serve.
If you have been following our work, you may have noticed that we are working to establish a hub of the Center for Congregational Health in the Illinois–Wisconsin area, created in partnership with our Advocate Health team in that region. (Learn more about our Strategic Plan).
To support this growth, we continue to engage contract consultants who bring specialized expertise to our mission. We are also developing several focused projects designed to help us serve congregations with greater ease and effectiveness. None of this would be possible without the dedicated people doing the work — and we are grateful to have such a strong team.
Our Team
We continue with our full-time staff:
- Rev. Beth Kennett, Director of the Center for Congregational Health
- Rev. Dr. Charity Roberson, Senior Consultant and Administrator of our Thriving Congregations initiative
In addition to our full-time staff, we have teammates who are working with us on part-time contracts:
- Rev. Caitie Jackson has been a valued part of our team for the past year, as Communications Specialist. Caitie helps us tell our story and keeps you informed about the work we are doing.
- This year, we welcomed Rev. Dr. Michael Cheuk through a new part-time contract. Michael is helping us develop and refresh resources that have shaped the Center’s work over the years, and is playing an important role in preparing us to launch our Collaborative Board — a cornerstone of our scaling strategy.
- Rev. Dr. Andrea Dellinger Jones is working with us on a special project while serving congregations and faith communities as a consultant and coach. Her expertise and care for the communities we serve make her contributions truly invaluable.
- We are also delighted to welcome Rev. Dr. Tarsha Banister to the team. Tarsha joins us at a particularly exciting moment: we are actively developing a proposal for the Lilly Endowment Storytelling Grant, in partnership with The Porch facilitated by Brian Ammons and Gareth Higgins.
Beyond our part-time staff, we continue to draw on a wider network of contract consultants and coaches, each working to meet the distinct needs of the congregations and communities we serve.
This first year of our scaling grant is already full and fruitful. We are deeply grateful for every person who has joined this work, and we look forward to sharing more as this chapter continues to unfold. Stay connected — there is more to come.