The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Pratt is a pastoral counselor with 30 years of experience working with men and women facing a wide range of stresses and tragedies. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist. […] Read on...
Brenda and Samia are not historians, politicians, psychologists or philosophers. Brenda and Samia are two women from radically different professions, backgrounds, cultures, ideologies and beliefs who share the frustration of unresolved conflict between their […] Read on...
The Rev. Dr. Daniel L. Buttry is one of the world’s leading peacemakers. He made history as the first full-time, global peace trainer and negotiator employed by a mainline denomination: American Baptist Churches (ABC), which counts the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as its most famous pastor. He works where the world is hurting […] Read on...
David Crumm is known nationwide as a top journalist covering religion, spirituality and cross-cultural issues. A global correspondent In nearly 40 years of journalism, Crumm has reported from the U.S., the Middle East, Rome, Canterbury and Asia, compiling a body of work that has been honored with a long list of awards and fellowships. Among […] Read on...
Professional Life & Qualifications David P. Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. Raised in Virginia, he earned his Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and Mary (1984), Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1987) and […] Read on...
Debra Darvick understands the importance of celebrating our faith at home. Her inspiring and sometimes funny columns on finding inspiration in daily life have appeared in Good Housekeeping, Newsweek and Real Simple as well as some of the nation’s top Jewish publications: Forward, Moment, Hadassah and Reform Judaism magazine. Strengthening the Jewish Community Debra proves the […] Read on...
Detroit Public Television’s Pre-School U: a program for parents and caregivers is a community outreach project designed to give parents and caregivers information, strategies, and skills to support the development of children before they enter kindergarten. Through the use of video-based vignettes, Pre-School-U offers parents and caregivers simple ways to promote early learning and literacy in children […] Read on...
The Rev. Dr. Edward N. McNulty is one of the nation’s leading faith-and-film writers, publishing in magazines, books and the Internet for more than 40 years. Now a retired Presbyterian minister, he has served churches in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. He published the first of his 11 books in 1976 after seeing […] Read on...
Who is this woman inspiring so many? To understand the inspirational power of Faith Fowler’s work as a storyteller, a pastor, a community developer and a world-class entrepreneur—you first have to understand that, for Faith, it’s all about building a community. Faith Fowler was born and raised in Detroit. She earned degrees from Albion College, […] Read on...
Among cancer thrivers nationwide, Heather Jose is an inspiration as a writer, speaker and columnist for Breast Cancer Wellness magazine. She’s a leading advocate of taking charge of your battle with cancer and enlisting all forms of assistance—including family and friends, nutrition and exercise, prayer and meditation and, of course, the best of medical care. […] Read on...
Jack Kresnak capped a 38-year career as a reporter and editor at the Detroit Free Press in December 2007 with a 14-part narrative serial about a murdered foster child named Ricky Holland – the longest series the newspaper had ever published. A month earlier, Kresnak was recognized by the Michigan Supreme Court with a unanimous […] Read on...
Jane Wells understands the best connections between popular culture and faith. Exploring these connections can light up your life, energize your congregation’s small groups and bring men and women through the doors of your church for the first time. As a longtime journalist and an expert on media marketing, Jane Wells helps readers understand what’s […] Read on...
Jeanine Patten-Coble was a high school history teacher and professional educational trainer for 15 years before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Her own battle with breast cancer inspired the creation of Little Pink Houses of Hope–a nonprofit organization that provides breast cancer survivors and their families a free week long, fun-filled vacation with […] Read on...
Joe Grimm is known in newsrooms nationwide as the long-time Ask the Recruiter columnist for Poynter, the leading website for news about journalism. He also is known as a leading advocate for diversity, the man behind innovative projects to share accurate information about groups including Latinos and Hispanics, Arab Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans. […] Read on...
John E. Harnish is a United Methodist pastor whose 43-year ministry has circled the globe, including seven years as the associate general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. While in that role, he was instrumental in the implementation of the 1996 ordering of ministry and he was involved in the planting […] Read on...
Ken Wilson is founding pastor of Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, a multicultural congregation. He is known nationwide for his work in evangelical environmental initiatives and fostering contemplative prayer. Ken is author of Empowered Evangelicals (with Rich Nathan), Jesus Brand Spirituality, and, most recently, Mystically Wired. Read on...
Kurt J. Kolka is an award-winning journalist for a Michigan newspaper. He also is the creator of the comic super hero The Cardinal, a costumed crime-fighter who cares about the lives in his university town as much as Kurt and his wife Diane care about their community in Michigan. Diane Schunk Kolka has been a […] Read on...
Laurie Haller is currently serving as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Michigan. Laurie grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania as a Mennonite and has degrees from Wittenberg University, Yale University School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School. She was a director of music in a large United […] Read on...
After 15 years as a journalist for national media in New York, Washington, D.C., and Detroit, Lynne Meredith Golodner created Your People LLC to provide marketing, public relations and business development for entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profits. The Detroit-based business specializes in building business through storytelling and relationships-building. An adjunct professor at University of Detroit-Mercy, Lynne […] Read on...
Led by editor and teacher Joe Grimm, classes of students from the Michigan State University School of Journalism publish socially and culturally conscious guides and books. Joe Grimm has been working in cross-cultural communication for 25 years, beginning as the ombudsman and newsroom recruiter at the Detroit Free Press. How it Started: The New Bullying […] Read on...
Najah Bazzy is known to health-care professionals across the U.S. as an expert in cross-cultural care of patients. An experienced nurse as well as a practicing Muslim and active Arab-American, Bazzy has talked to medical schools, hospital staffs and conferences about the importance of responding to the cultural differences in America’s ever-more-diverse communities. Her ReadTheSpirit […] Read on...
Rabbi, Comedian, Author Sure. But this might take a while, is how Bob Alper responds when the passenger flying next to him asks what he does. Ordained in 1972, he’s a rabbi who earned a doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served two large congregations, and since 1986 has performed as a stand-up comic […] Read on...
Dr. Robert Pasick holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. For the past 30 years, as an organizational psychologist and executive coach, he has helped CEOs and their executive teams to profit during challenging circumstances. The author of five books, he has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show and NPR. He Coaches CEOs & Now Is Sharing Tips […] Read on...
The Rev. Dr. Rodger Murchison is a pastor and a scholar who has studied faith and grief at universities including Princeton and Oxford, where he occasionally returns to lecture about his own ongoing work in the field. Until his recent retirement, Dr. Murchison served for many years at a church in August, Georgia, where he conducted […] Read on...
Rodney Curtis is the Spiritual Wanderer. That’s the title of his first book and explains his appeal: He’s an ordinary person like you and me. He’s a father, a husband, a pet lover and a guy who simply hopes to flop out of bed, find a frozen coffee to sip and start his day. But, […] Read on...
Suzy Farbman has entertained millions as a writer for newspapers and popular magazines. Oprah introduced Suzy to Americans in a new role—as an author sharing her hard-earned wisdom about saving a troubled marriage. That was Suzy’s first book, Back from Betrayal. Suddenly, readers nationwide were seeking Suzy’s advice about relationships. Yet, at the height of […] Read on...
The Bib to Backpack Learning Series Join us in giving children a great start! Remember: Education begins at home—before school. Research shows that the years between bib and backpack make all the difference for school readiness and lifelong success. So, let’s make those years count! Making early years matter is our goal at United Way […] Read on...
Too often in the heat of conflict, men stop talking. That’s what happened during one global crisis when four courageous women from different religious backgrounds decided they could make a difference by forming a new cross-cultural network of friends. Even as world leaders refused to talk and other community leaders were polarized, these women pledged […] Read on...
Warren Petoskey is an elder of the Waganakising Odawa and Minneconjou Lakotah nations. He is a writer, artisan, musician and dancer—and lectures on the infamous history of Indian boarding schools. He and his wife Barbara, whose ancestors survived the Trail of Tears, live in Michigan. Warren’s passion as a writer and teacher is to convey […] Read on...
Dr. Wayne Baker is an author and sociologist on the senior faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He is also Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan and Faculty Associate at the Institute for Social Research. Dr. Baker has published over sixty academic articles and five books, including America’s Crisis […] Read on...
