08144
February 22, 2008

Educators honor MacKichan Walker

New Jersey church educator acclaimed for her strong advocacy

by John Sniffen
Presbyterian News Service

The Rev. Joyce MacKichan Walker

SAN DIEGO, CA — More than 1,000 Presbyterian church educators from the United States and Canada gathered here Feb. 13–16 for the annual Association of Presbyterian Church Educators conference despite un-California-like rainstorms and cool weather that sent conferees scurrying between sessions.

The four-day event culminated with a dinner honoring the educator of the year, two lifetime achievement award winners and five scholarship recipients.

The Rev. Joyce MacKichan Walker, director of Christian education and minister of education at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ, received the 2008 Associate of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) Educator of the Year award.

During the awards ceremony, it was noted that MacKichan Walker is “a strong advocate for educators and the educational ministry, whether encouraging a new teacher or supporting an experienced educator.” 

She has served Nassau Presbyterian for nearly 20 years. Last year she was ordained as a minister of the Word and Sacrament by New Brunswick Presbytery, but she continues to advocate for the ordination of church educators by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Efforts to have the General Assembly approve such an ordained office have so far been unsuccessful.

In addition to her congregational work, MacKichan Walker teaches educator certification courses for the PC(USA), and has served on the denomination’s certification council and workgroup on the status of Christian educators.  She is a 1979 graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.

She is also known for her writing, including the director’s guide for the Storyteller Series; suggestions for leaders for the 2007–08 Horizon’s Bible Study; and movie guides for The Thoughtful Christian.

The church educators gathered here also honored two recipients of APCE’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Loretta Gratias-Bremer, a semi-retired church educator and elder from Countryside, IL; and Rita Odom, a recently retired church educator and elder from Dallas, TX.

Gratias-Bremer grew up in Iowa, fascinated by the stories of visiting Presbyterian missionaries. After earning a Christian education degree from the University of Dubuque and a master’s degree from National-Louis University, she served five Presbyterian congregations in  Illinois, Nebraska and Michigan during her career. She also served on numerous General Assembly, synod and presbytery task forces and committees, and worked with the LOGOS ministry writing team for “LOGOS at Home.”

In semi-retirement, Gratias-Bremer does consulting and leads retreats for churches and church clusters.

Odom helped direct Christian education programs at First Presbyterian, Westminster Presbyterian and Preston Hollow Presbyterian churches during her career. She has written curriculum for the PC(USA), Grace Presbytery and summer camps at Mo-Ranch Presbyterian Conference Center.

Odom is working on curriculum for toddlers (Wee Believe) for 2009, and serves on the board of the Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services.

Five educators were named as recipients of E. Valaria Murphy Scholarships.  They are Tan Tiani Budiman, director of Christian education and youth director at Central Presbyterian Church, Waco, TX; Neema Cyrus-Franklin, director of youth ministries for Greater Atlanta Presbytery; Doris Evans, Christian education assistant for First Presbyterian Church of East Cleveland, OH; Asheley Herzer, a junior at Austin College in Sherman, TX;  and Jane Troncoso, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Port Jefferson, NY.

The scholarships honor the memory of E. Valaria Murphy, the first APCE member to receive a Life Acheivement Award and a pioneer for minorities in church education.  She developed a church school at Maryhill, PA, for Baltimore Presbytery. Beginning with two children and their parents, in one year the school grew to 1,400 members.

Over the four days of the conference, participants met daily for worship and instruction. In addition to a wide variety of workshops, they met in daily plenary sessions to listen to Rodger Nishioka, associate professor of Christian education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. He led the educators through a lively four-part presentation on Romans 12:2 — “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

He used a combination of Scripture, scholarly citation, personal anecdotes and clips from contemporary movies to illustrate the need to teach for transformation, to renew minds and hearts and bodies, and discern God's will for the present and future of Christ’s church.

Gail Anderson Ricciuti, associate professor of homiletics at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY, was conference worship leader, and singer/songwriter Chip Andrus, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Harrison, AR, led the music.

The Association of Presbyterian Church Educators is a professional association for the advancement of education in the church and committed to “the on-going witness of our faith in the gospel.” It has more than 1,500 members working in Presbyterian and Reformed congregations throughout the United States and Canada. For more information go to the APCE Web site.

John Sniffen is associate editor of Presbyterians Today magazine.