| Before entering the General Assembly
offices as area coordinator Julia Ann was assigned in 1983 as
mission co-worker to CELEP (Latin American Evangelical Center
for Pastoral Studies). CELEP, with its continental office in San
José, Costa Rica, was an international body that trained
pastors and lay leaders. The Christian leaders trained by CELEP
were for the most part unable to get a formal theological education
either for lack of money or for lack of the required education
needed to attend an institution of higher learning. Concerned
about the theological preparation of these Latin American leaders
who were facing a societal situation of turmoil in the 1970s and
the 1980s, CELEP welcomed PC(USA) mission personnel to Central
America as “Peace Associates.” Julia Ann was one of
these. Julia Ann’s ministry with CELEP was to work for reconciliation
and understanding between groups of North American Christians
and groups of Latin American Christians. She helped them to learn
about the context in which each lived, to reflect together about
what their faith demanded of them collectively and individually
within their very different contexts, and to be in prayer and
solidarity with one another.
Her experience in Costa Rica was life-changing for Julia Ann.
“I came to know the history and the hardships of the people
of the region,” she writes. “I witnessed the struggle
of the people to survive in war and in peace. I witnessed their
struggle to accept and forgive despite hardships and injustice.
This witness has become a part of my journey. We struggle together:
even though we’re divided by culture and unique perspectives,
we are united by faith as we accompany one another in life and
death, in joy and sadness."
Born in Houston, Texas, Julia Ann received a BA in physical education
and a masters' in education from the University of Texas at Austin.
She taught school for ten years in Texas in grades kindergarten
through high school.
Julia Ann is the mother of three adult children, the grandmother
of four, two of whom live in Costa Rica. She is a member of Crescent
Hill Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
Birthday: February 23 |
