Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett: June 11, 2023

Rev. Barrett earned her Doctor of Ministry at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, and just completed 24 years as Senior Pastor at Pleasantville Church in suburban Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, this 750-member congregation greatly expanded its programmatic offerings to serve a wide range of age groups and constituencies. Hilary has been coming to Bay View with her husband, Rob Scarrow, for 35 years. Their son, Sam Scarrow, participated in Bay View’s recreation program and other activities on campus growing up.

Byron Borger: June 18 – 22, 2023

Before opening the Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Byron worked in college ministry for the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach), with Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in McKeesport, PA, as well as being an Associate Director of the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh. He and his wife Beth, opened Hearts & Minds, an independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, in 1982, and besides managing the small-town shop, they have served congregations, denominations, and organizations as retreat or conference booksellers.

Byron has spoken extensively about relating Christian faith to society at Christian colleges, church retreats, and events. He has written for several print and on-line journals, including Comment, Capitol Commentary, and Sojourners. The Borger’s have set up large book displays at conferences for the C.S. Lewis Institute, CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts), the Wee Kirk small church events, The Redeemer Center for Faith and Work, Makoto Fujimura’s IAM gatherings, Q, Evangelicals for Social Action, and the CCOs annual Jubilee Conference, although most days they labor with their team as small businesses retailers.

Borger has edited a book for college graduates called Serious Dreams: Big Ideas for the Rest of Your Life (Square Halo Books.)  and reviews books regularly at BookNotes, the Hearts & Minds blog/newsletter. (www.heartsandmindsbooks.com.)

Rev. Scott Hutchinson: June 25 – 29, 2023

The agape life of Jesus has sung a love song to Scott Hutchinson as long as he can remember.  The Rev. Scott Hutchinson is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, in his 32^nd year of serving as a local church pastor with congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania.  Scott’s life and ministry embrace the transforming power of forgiveness, a commitment to peace-building, and tending the soul wounds of war.

Hutchinson’s formal education includes degrees in Divinity, Counseling and Human Relations, and Social Work, with additional schooling in Trauma Healing and Family Therapy.  Scott worked for thirteen years in counseling and community mental health settings before becoming a pastor, was a UCC mission partner in accompaniment with churches in El Salvador, and has served as a prison chaplain.

Scott has hosted multiple classes and workshops in The Transforming Power of Forgiveness in community settings, retreat centers, seminaries, and faith communities.  He has worked with multiple CPE cohorts, exploring dimensions of forgiveness and its application in their pastoral work and spiritual growth.  Scott has taught and consulted with congregations experiencing deep brokenness and division, and with those hungry to explore new experiences of covenant.  Another significant focus of ministry has been in tending the soul wounds of war borne by veterans, their families, and communities.

The Rev. Hutchinson is the proprietor of The Forgiveness Lab, co-founder of the COMPASS Healing Circle, and author of the book Living Scriptures.

Debie Thomas: July 2 – 6, 2023

Debie Thomas is the author of Into the Mess and Other Jesus Stories (Cascade Books, 2022), and a columnist and contributing editor for The Christian Century. She serves as the Minister of Lifelong Formation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, California, and leads retreats and workshops on scripture, Christian formation, and writing as spiritual practice. Her published work includes personal essays, book reviews, sermons, and reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary.

Thomas holds a Masters in English Literature from Brown University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Ohio State University.

You can learn more about Debie at www.debiethomas.com.

Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett: July 9, 2023

Rev. Barrett earned her Doctor of Ministry at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, and just completed 24 years as Senior Pastor at Pleasantville Church in suburban Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, this 750-member congregation greatly expanded its programmatic offerings to serve a wide range of age groups and constituencies. Hilary has been coming to Bay View with her husband, Rob Scarrow, for 35 years. Their son, Sam Scarrow, participated in Bay View’s recreation program and other activities on campus growing up.

American Experience 2023

Information coming soon!

Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore: July 16 – 20, 2023

An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Joy Jittaun Moore, is Professor of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. An “Ecclesial Storyteller” she seeks to encourage theologically framed, biblically attentive, and socially compelling interpretations of Christian Scripture in order to understand the critical issues influencing community formation in contemporary culture (all that means is she tells community-forming stories from the Bible as a follower of Christ!).

Moore has focused on cross-racial ministry in urban, rural, and suburban congregations.  Her  last parish, an African American congregation, served as a Help Center in Flint, Michigan during the Water Crisis.  As a pastor, she has called local congregations to recognize their vocation of glorifying God as a peaceable community—practicing hope, hospitality, and honesty.

A native of Chicago, her desire to teach led her to earn a BA in Education and Mathematics from National-Louis University and an MDiv from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary before completing her PhD at Brunel University/London School of Theology in England.  Professor Moore is the immediate past-president of the Wesleyan Theological Society.

Dr. Joy established the William R. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary and served as Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at Duke Divinity School. She has written for Sojourners magazine, Christian Century, Good News, and Working Preacher. She can be heard weekly on the Sermon Brainwave podcast.

Rev. Scott Chrostek: July 23 – 27, 2023

Rev. Scott Chrostek is the Executive Pastor of Ministries and Programs at Resurrection, a United Methodist Church with six locations in the Kansas City area.  Before taking on this churchwide leadership role, Scott was responsible for launching the Downtown location in December of 2009 which grew from 9 individuals to over 1000 adults in weekly worship attendance. Resurrection Downtown began as a mobile start-up, and grew to include two sites: one a former bar and concert venue located between a tattoo parlor and strip club and two a city block that gave rise to the first new church building in downtown KC in over 80 years where they continue to grow today as one of the few downtown United Methodist churches growing in an urban area across the country.

Before life in the church, Scott spent five years working in the fields of finance and investments both in Michigan and on the east coast.  In 2012, Scott released his first book, Pursuit, which outlines the seven dimensions of living a missional life. Scott’s second book, The Misfit Mission was published through Abingdon Press and shares inspiring stories from all sorts of people, and often funny, poignant tales from his ministry in urban Kansas City.

Rev. Sarah Campbell: July 30 – August 3, 2023

The Rev. Sarah Campbell is Team Lead Minister for Mayflower United Church of Christ in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  A graduate of Macalester College and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, Rev. Campbell served churches in Grand Rapids, MI, and Bemidji, MN, and worked as a campus minister and a community organizer before coming to Mayflower in 2005.

Under Campbell’s leadership, Mayflower has embraced a clear mission for “God’s dream of justice,” partnering in the building of Creekside Commons workforce housing; transforming the church’s pre-school to an all-day early childhood center for mixed-income families; forging a powerful community organizing relationship with ISAIAH – a multi-racial, state-wide, nonpartisan coalition of faith communities fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.

Gary D. Schmidt: August 6 – 10, 2023

Gary Schmidt is a prolific author of children’s literature and young adult fiction.

His newest books are The Labors of Hercules Beal (2023 HarperCollins), chronicling the attempt by a middle school boy to deal with grief through following the steps of the mythic Hercules, and A Little Bit Super (2023), co-edited with Leah Henderson, a collection of stories about middle school kids with a sort of minor super powers.

He has received two John Newbery Honor Awards which recognize “the most distinguished contribution[s] to American literature for children” from the American Library Association, the first in 2005 for his novel Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and the second in 2008 for his novel Wednesday Wars.  Recent novels include stories of hope, challenges and adventure for the young and include these novels published by Houghton Mifflin: Orbiting Jupiter (2015), Pay Attention, Carter Jones (2019); Just Like That (2021).

Schmidt also contributed to the Star Wars anthology From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars (2017) in writing the only chapter from Yoda’s point of view.

Gary has co-edited two volumes on religiously-themed fiction called The Emmaus Readers and has written university press books on the American writer Hannah Adams, the history of American children’s books, and the medieval image of the mouth of hell.

Schmidt received his undergraduate degree in English from Gordon College, and a MA in English and his PhD in medieval literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He joined the faculty in the Calvin College English department in 1985, and has additionally taught at the MFA program at Hamline University, at Robert Handlon State Prison in Ionia County, and with Whale Rock, a mentoring organization for writers of children’s literature.

Gary lives on an almost 200-year-old farm in Alto, Michigan, where he splits wood, plants gardens, and writes.

Rev. Dr. Bob Hundley: August 13 – 17, 2023

Rev. Dr. Robert Hundley (Bob) has served as a United Methodist pastor for 42 years, retiring in the summer of 2022 after serving nine years as the Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  A native of Flint, Michigan, Bob holds two degrees in music from Michigan State University; the second was a Masters in Choral Conducting with Dr. Charles K. Smith.

Bob’s theological training includes a Master’s in Christian Education; Master of Divinity; and a Doctor of Ministry from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan with Dr. George Brown as his primary professor.  It was with Dr. Brown and the faculty at Western that the convergence of pastoral ministry, adult education, volunteerism and music-making became a reality.

In 2017, Bob was the recipient of a Lily Foundation grant to engage in a four-month study leave to begin research that will lead to a book as his first project in retirement, with a title projected to be; “Pastoral Leadership Lessons Learned from a Conductor’s Podium.”  The art of leadership, the art of creative music-making, and the art of spiritual growth practices within ‘the ensemble’ called the congregation, is a life-long interest and passion of Dr. Bob’s.

Rev. Dr. Sid Hall, III: August 20, 2023

Rev. Dr. Sid Hall, III, is a writer, teacher, activist, and ordained minister.

Rev. Hall served for 33 years as the lead minister of Trinity Church in Austin, Texas, a congregation co-affiliated with the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. Over his 44 years of ministry, he has served in Indiana, Texas, and most recently was the Interim Minister at Wananalua Congregational Church in Hana, Hawaii. He has been a leader in the Reconciling Ministries Network in the UMC, Creation Spirituality Communities, and currently serves on the national board of Equity for Women in the Church.

Dr. Hall is the author of “Christian Antisemitism and Paul’s Theology” and the co-author of “Three Mystics Walk into a Tavern: A Once and Future Meeting of Rumi, Meister Eckhart, and Moses de León in Medieval Venice.” Sid holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Indianapolis, a seminary degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and also doctorate from SMU.

Sid grew up in Bay View and felt his call to ministry in Bay View. In the summer of 2022, he was employed by Bay View to guide the Worship & Religious Life Program in a strategic planning process. He will have similar responsibilities in 2023 with the Music & Performing Arts program.

Rev. Ryan Donahoe: August 27, 2023

The Rev. Ryan Donahoe is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Petoskey (PC/USA). He is in his seventh year serving this congregation, where they strive to put their faith in motion seven days a week by being actively involved in their community, and all around the world.

He recently led First Presbyterian Church of Petoskey in a renovation of the church facility to make it more accessible, and inviting, for all people.  The church facility hosts gatherings for AA meetings, community events, a weekly Buddhist sangha, and two weekly free community lunches. Donahoe believes that the Church must be actively engaged in its community, and must be at the leading edge of serving those in need. Passionate about providing humanitarian aid to Cuba, he has led nine trips in the last six years to provide medical aid and hope to the people of Cuba.

He has also been at the forefront of interfaith dialogue in Northern Michigan. Donahoe co-founded Northern Michigan Interfaith Common Ground and is leading a monthly “Gathering” of people from all spiritual backgrounds to share stories, experience spiritual practices, and create community. He also was instrumental in creating “My Oasis Center”, a spirituality center in Northern Michigan.

The Rev. Donahoe believes that true faith results from exploring, questioning, and examining what it means to be created in the image of a loving God, and that the central aspect of faith is to be in relationship, both with the Divine, and with one another.

Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett: September 3, 2023

Rev. Barrett earned her Doctor of Ministry at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, and just completed 24 years as Senior Pastor at Pleasantville Church in suburban Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, this 750-member congregation greatly expanded its programmatic offerings to serve a wide range of age groups and constituencies. Hilary has been coming to Bay View with her husband, Rob Scarrow, for 35 years. Their son, Sam Scarrow, participated in Bay View’s recreation program and other activities on campus growing up.