Facets & Faces of Forma

Meet Patrick Christopher Kangrga (he/him/his), whose start in ministry was through the Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) in the dioceses of Maryland and Massachusetts. For two years he had the opportunity to “try on” youth ministry and found it to be “the most challenging and craziest thing I ever did. I absolutely loved it.” Born and raised in Arkansas, he has lived and worked in ministry in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, and Mississippi. He currently resides in Jackson, MS where he ministers with 6^th-12^th graders as Director of Youth Ministries at St. James’ Episcopal Church. Most of his free time is spent with his partner, Laura, their dog, Sunday, and recent rescue cat, Jackson.

Patrick didn’t grow up going to church and didn’t really participate in a faith community until his young adult years. However, an early memory that sticks with him is from late in elementary school or middle school when he attended a neighborhood friend’s church around Christmas time when everyone sang “Go Tell It On the Mountain” around a piano.

During his second year with ESC in 2014, his host site supported the cost of his attending his first Forma conference. Since then, Forma “has given me a network of colleagues who I look to for inspiration and trust and whom I respect immensely – not to mention a group of people whose friendship and partnership I find invaluable.” Patrick has been an integral part of Forma in recent years as part of the conference planning team and was appointed to the Council in January 2020. His words of wisdom to anyone in the formation field: “You are not alone. You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out and connect to people. Reach out and connect with lay people and colleagues in your congregation. Reach out and connect with other ministers of all kinds and orders in your city and diocese or region. And reach out to the wider network of ministers available to you through the whole of your denomination. For me, Forma has been the best place to do that and the start to being able to find connections and networks other ways as well.”

At the moment Patrick is listening to a lot of Christmas music, including Mariah Carey’s “Joy to the World,” and one or possibly a dozen too many Hallmark movies. When the world is not in the midst of a pandemic, Patrick loves to travel domestically and internationally. Asked what his claim to fame might be, he shared that he learned to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef. But then came this caveat: “Honestly, I don’t know that I want a ‘claim to fame.’ Don’t get me wrong, I want to live a unique and adventurous life. I am ambitious in my work and ministry. If people remember anything about me after my time on this world, I hope that it is that I was a loving and faithful person, I constantly strived to be better, and I failed miserably at it – but I got up each day and tried again and prayed to God for help. I hope I would be seen as one who was a fierce advocate for youth and other people, as well as a half-decent manifestation of God’s love. I really think that would suffice. But it’s also really hard work. The hardest work I know. “

Meet Kathy Hood Culmer (she/her/hers), a Christian educator with a “ministry of words” that includes writing, teaching, and storytelling. She enjoys helping others to see, discover, feel, experience, and further their wondering about God, life, and the world. A former English teacher, she grew into her ministry gradually. It was a result of her own wondering and desire to know, to show, and to grow, especially about God. She shares, “I have so many questions. My journey has been one of trying to find those answers while bringing others along with me. I have had this teacher thing in me for as long as I can remember, including a voice that I was meant to do something useful. It was only later that I discovered the different ways I could use my voice in helping others to experience God and God’s word in different ways. Whether teaching, writing, or storytelling, my desire has been to make God more accessible. I hope to alleviate some of the barriers that relegate scripture to the long ago and far away, making it more relevant to us in the here and now.” Forma is so pleased that Kathy will be offering a virtual workshop at Forma21, sharing her biblical storytelling skills.

With a D.Min. in biblical storytelling from Union Theological Seminary, she previously was an English teacher with degrees from Spelman College (BA) and the University of South Florida (M.A.). Born in Griffin, GA she now lives in Kingwood, TX with her husband, who swept her away from the Baptist church to the Episcopal Church when they got married. During this pandemic, for fun she plays phone games, talks on the phone, and has video calls with her new granddaughter. Born just before the Covid shutdown, her birth has led to family Zoom calls that give Kathy great joy. Kathy is looking forward to getting back to traveling, eating out, and shopping when the pandemic is over.

Kathy has been a member of Forma since it was known as NAECED (National Association of Episcopal Christian Directors) since the early 2000s. She notes, “Membership has provided me with resources, connections with other Christian educators, the opportunity to both attend and present workshops, and the opportunity to exchange ideas for ministry. I have been especially grateful for resources provided during the pandemic.” She offers this advice to Christian formation folks: “A good teacher, preacher, or storyteller (at their best) makes you think, makes you feel, and inspires you … either to want to know more or to do more. They do not have, nor do they strive to provide all the answers, but generate enough curiosity that their students will be inspired to go in search of answers on their own.”

As a biblical storyteller, one piece of scripture that speaks to her heart is the parable of the lost son. “He was loved and welcomed home in spite of …” Kathy looks forward to each day to see what God is going to do with the day, do with her, or do with whatever is going on in the world. Forma21 looks forward to hearing more from Kathy!

Meet Chris Yaw (he, him, his) who always seems to have a smile on his face. New ideas wake him up in the middle of the night and he looks forward to each day to whatever surprises await him. You may already be familiar with Chris as the founder of ChurchNext, an online education company which produces many learning experiences for individuals and congregations, including Forma’s free program, This is NOT Sunday School. Born in Detroit, he is the rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield, MI (since 2007) and serves in many roles in the Detroit-metro community: president of Oakland Housing, an $11 million non-profit that provides middle-income families with better housing; a trustee for the Diocese of Michigan which oversees $30 million of diocesan investments; dean in the McGehee Deanery; and convenor of a local interfaith group called “Lift Up Southfield!”

After discerning a call to the priesthood, Chris attended Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA where he discovered the Episcopal Church. He says he’s been a member of Forma “forever” and the organization has given him community, contact, inspiration, and hope for a renewed and healthy church. Chris was a Forma board member and made the transition to what is now the Forma Council. His words of wisdom to anyone involved in Christian formation (especially those new to this vocation) is to “seek the Lord first. Never allow the dance with the institution to take you from your first love.”

When Chris isn’t pastoring in his congregation or creating new programming for ChurchNext, you’ll find him with his wife and young children, running, or reading. The books in his current stack include Sapiens by Yuval Harari, Slavery By Another Name by Douglas Blackmon, Rediscovering Life by Anthony DeMello, and American Prison by Shane Bauer. If you’re so inclined, check out the video “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz; look closely to see Chris riding a Harley!

Meet Jamie Martin Currie (she/her/hers), a seventh generation Texan who grew up in Houston and its suburbs before attending University of North Texas in Denton. As soon as she graduated with a degree in theater and dance, she moved to Manhattan to study at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. There she performed in numerous off-Broadway musicals, and starred in an “Unsolved Mysteries “episode that was nominated for an Emmy.

Jamie’s first memory of church is wearing a required white doily on her head, her mother serving as the Sunday school musician, and older sisters working in the nursery. Jamie has deep Episcopal roots: her grandparents were married at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston and the cross on top of Palmer Memorial, Houston is in honor of her grandfather.

While pursuing an M.S.Ed. in NYC, Jamie taught two-year-olds and their caregivers at private schools, a museum, and a reformed synagogue on the upper west side. She was church shopping when an Episcopal colleague invited her to Evensong at St. Bartholomew’s on Park and 50^th and her ministry began. After a brief tour and brunch with the new associate with four young children, she was hired to take over the nursery, run the singles group, and create a summer camp. When rector Bill Tully and associate Jay Sidebotham hired Jamie to serve as the Director of Religious Education, thankfully she stumbled upon the National Association of Episcopal Christian Education Directors (NAECED), which later became Forma. That was over twenty years ago.

In 2005 Jamie moved back to Houston to serve as the Lay Minister for Christian Education at St. Martin’s (the largest Episcopal parish in the country) where she directed three hours of year- round Sunday morning formation for toddlers through twelfth grade. She worked closely with Jerome Berryman (who created Godly Play), his wife Thea, and daughter Colleen as they led Godly Play classes every Sunday morning. In 2008, Jamie started The Family Table service at St. Martin’s, which has now grown out of two sanctuaries.

The Diocese of Texas called Jamie as the Missioner for Christian Formation in 2011 where she supported the formation ministries of 155 parishes. During that time she served as the president of Forma and after completing the Youth Certificate Program, created the children’s track. After nine years on Bishop Doyle’s staff, she is now partnering with Episcopal Relief and Development on the ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE campaign, coaching graduate students for the Center of Youth Ministry Training (CYMT), assisting parishes with a “Review and Restart” process, and loves working from home.

Meet Marvin McLennon (he/him/his), a “cradle” Episcopalian born and raised in Little Rock, AR where he grew up attending St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. After high school, he went to Hendrix College, a liberal arts school in Conway, AR where he studied communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. After graduating in 2013, he joined the Episcopal Service Corps in Baton Rouge, LA. Moving back to Little Rock in 2016, Marvin began working at Christ Episcopal Church where he is today, serving as the Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries. The favorite parts of his ministry are the surprising deep conversations that occur in youth group. Seeing the gears turn in young people’s heads and watching them connect the dots months later is very rewarding.

In his free time, you’ll find Marvin playing “Dungeons and Dragons” and other board games along with spending time with friends. He plays guitar and also nerds out over video games and comics. While he enjoys reading, he has a bad habit of starting one book and then another, and then another without finishing any of them. While currently watching season 2 of The Umbrella Academy, he claims his (unfinished?) reading stack includes How to Ruin Everything (a collection of essays by musician and poet George Watsky), The Art of Gathering by Prya Parker, and Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff.

Marvin has been a member of Forma since 2016. He shares, “Forma has been an invaluable

resource that has given me so many wonderful ideas and has helped me form so many wonderful friendships that I am grateful for. I come back from every Forma meeting feeling rejuvenated, reminding me that I am a part of a large, wonderful Episcopal family.” He encourages others who are new to their formation ministries to spend their first year building relationships with your youth, children, and their families.

Some of Marvin’s earliest memories of church include sitting with his family during worship, playing in the pews with his friends, and hearing the choir sing while watching the organ director’s hand frantically conducting just above the back wall of the altar. He regularly attended youth group as soon as he was old enough, was a member of the youth council in the Diocese of Arkansas while in high school, and during his college summers worked as a counselor at Camp Mitchell. You can understand why Marvin might say the Episcopal Church has always been a part of his life.

One of Marvin’s favorite Bible stories is from 1 Kings 19. After strong winds and an earthquake, Elijah hears God in the silence. It reminds him to strive to slow down and try to be truly present in quiet moments. One way that helps him is an app (1 Second Every Day ) he discovered in 2019 that encourages you to record one second a day. He has been doing it ever since. Continuing this practice in 2020 has helped him look back at all the special occurrences that do happen every day.

If you ever get a chance to meet Marvin in person, ask him about the cookbook he published with three college buddies – The College Guide to Smoothies. Turns out he is a wiz at combining unusual items from a campus cafeteria and turning them into pretty good smoothies.

Meet Sophfronia Scott (she/her/hers), an award-winning author and Forma member who grew up in Lorain, OH and now lives in Sandy Hook, CT where she continues to fight a losing battle against the weeds in her flower beds. She has been involved in formation for many years at Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, CT, first teaching Sunday school for children, then teaching/mentoring a group of youth through confirmation, then leading adult formation. These days her ministry involves writing about faith. With her son Tain, she co-wrote a book called This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World (Paraclete Press). And she has just completed The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton which comes out March 2021 from Broadleaf Books. “Writing allows me to reach a broader audience and in turn have a broader conversation about developing faith and experiencing God. I value that greatly.”

Sophfronia holds a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She began her career as an award-winning magazine journalist for Time, where she co-authored the groundbreaking cover story “Twentysomething,” the first study identifying the demographic group known as Generation X, and People magazine. When her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2004 Sophfronia was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards and hailed by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as “potentially one of the best writers of her generation.” She’s also the recipient of a 2020 Artist Fellowship Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

The first piece Sophfronia ever wrote about faith was a short story called “Sometimes God Wears Orange Cowboy Boots” about a woman having a crisis of faith because of a health challenge. A younger woman facing her own challenges connects with her and helps her through it. Sophfronia’s rector at the time read it and shared it with others, feeling the story could be helpful to others and that it was a way for Sophfronia to explore her own faith, encouraged her to continue writing in this vein. Sophfronia (and Tain) were workshop presenters at the 2018 Forma Conference in Charleston, SC in which they shared their stories of faith. She says, “Forma has always been a source of inspiration and ideas. It’s wonderful to have a community where people are all thinking about formation and ways of helping our congregations to grow in faith. The conference is such a fun and hopeful event.”

Sophfronia finds Isaiah 43:3-5 her favorite piece of scripture (especially verse 4: Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you,) as it has “always felt like a love letter from God. I read these words, trust that I’m beloved, and I move through the world with that support sustaining me.” Her favorite time of day is early morning. “The start of each day is full of possibility and everything speaks to that: the quality of light, the sounds of the birds, the softness of the air. It makes me want to get out there and experience it.” Learn more about Sophfronia and her other titles on her website. https://sophfronia.com

Did you know that Forma is an international and multi-denominational organization, with membership beyond the Episcopal Church? Meet Lisa Chisholm-Smith (she/her/hers), who just entered her teenage years; born on February 29, she is a leap year baby! Born in Toronto and now living in Kingston (Ontario), she works half-time as both the Anglican chaplain at Queen’s University out of St. James’ Anglican Church, Kingston (which is strategically located on the university campus) and as St. James’ Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator. She particularly enjoys coordinating The Gathering , a Sunday evening worship service with a guest speaker and discussion over supper with university/college students and young adults. In this pandemic period, Lisa has found their weekly Children’s Church via ZOOM a real delight. She also really enjoys collaborating with the new Evangelical Lutheran pastor in town for youth and campus ministry. Ordained to the diaconate in 2014, she currently serves as Vice-President on the Board of Directors of Anglican Deacons Canada (the Canadian equivalent to Association of Episcopal Deacons ).

Lisa joined Forma when it was known as the National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors (NAECED). At the time she was a lay professional with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, responsible for supporting parish leaders in children’s ministry as well as coordinating Education for Ministry for the diocese, overseeing marriage preparation, and other Christian formation responsibilities. “Discovering Forma was a godsend. It was wonderful to connect with like minded people who care passionately about Christian formation for all ages and to find out through them about so many helpful resources for my work!”

Lisa’s favorite Bible story may seem an unusual choice to many – the combined stories of the bleeding woman who reaches out to touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloak and the raising of Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter (Luke 8:40-56). When she was a child, her family did not go to church, but her paternal grandparents gave her a children’s Bible. On Saturday mornings before she and her brother were allowed to get up and watch cartoons, she would read the story of Jesus raising this young girl from the dead. She would then lie back down on her bed, close her eyes, and imagine Jesus knocking on her door, coming into her bedroom, taking her hand, and telling her to get up. In her graduate studies, Lisa delved deeply into the fine print of the purity laws in Leviticus 15 that contributed to the bleeding woman’s dire situation. Lisa’s master’s thesis compared two different feminist views of menstruation. (She and her husband and dubbed it her “bloody paper.”) This woman has become an icon for Lisa as it has for many women who have suffered through the ages from gynecological conditions. “I am inspired by her courage and the fact that Jesus went out of his way to affirm her. His calling her ‘daughter’ is a source of hope and comfort to me.”

In addition to her various ministries, Lisa enjoys walking her dog, birdwatching, travel, and photography. She likes to sing but cannot join the choir because Sunday mornings are normally filled with children, youth, or campus ministry activities. One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an opportunity to sing in the church’s “Praise Band at Home” video mash-up each week. She is also a part-time Pathfinder leader (Girl Guides—similar to Girl Scouts— ages 12-14) and enjoys paint nights and other opportunities to use her creative side.

Juniper LaNunziata (they/them) is the Director of Christian Formation at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC, where they have served for 8 years. They are an avid baker of bread, a Postcrosser, and they are raising one very spoiled cat named Stevie Nicks.

Juniper LaNunziata (pronombre elle) es Directore de Formación Cristiana en la Iglesia de San Pablo en Greenville, Carolina del Norte, donde ha trabajado durante 8 años. Es ávide pandere, Postcrosser, y está criando a un gato muy mimado llamado Stevie Nicks.

Meet April Caballero, a young-ish adult with a passion for curating relevant and meaningful experiences of Christ through liturgy and creative expression. She has been a “proud” member of Forma for a little over two years now. It has been a primary source of inspiration to her, noting that “Forma is a network of absolutely dedicated Christian practitioners, and I have come away from each conference, each Council meeting, and each interaction with a renewed sense of purpose for the work of the Church and Christian formation.” For those new to Christian formation (in any capacity), April advises that you “sleep on any decision” before committing to a new endeavor. “There is so much exciting work to be done in Christian formation, and it is tempting to offer to do it all. This can lead to over-worked and over-burdened leaders; it can take the joy out of something we thought would be exciting. By taking a pause before committing, we allow our excitement some space to mingle with the rest of our work and our lives and we can make commitments that we are truly enthusiastic about.”

Currently April is the Executive Assistant for the Office of the Bishop at the Diocese of Olympia, serving the Episcopal Church in Western Washington state. Prior to her work at the diocese, April served as the Ministry Coordinator for Church of the Apostles (COTA), a Lutheran-Episcopal Mission Station in the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, while taking on freelance design and marketing projects as well as event planning. It was here that she found the Episcopal Church; a space for her to grow as a lay leader that embraced her passion for creative liturgy.

April has the habit of sitting on her west-facing deck for one hour each evening after the workday has ended. Sometimes she reads (right now it is Terry Tempest Williams who weaves faith, family, and life/death with the natural rhythms of creation), sometimes she has a Zoom happy hour with a friend, and sometimes she just sits and watches the sun go down through the trees. While this started during the stay-at-home order, it is a practice she intends on keeping.

April holds a BA in communications and religion from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is passionate about liturgy, cetaceans, and backpacking. While loving her life in the Pacific Northwest since 2008, April will always be a Texan at heart (as you can tell). She offers her favorite piece of scripture: Simon Peter’s plea to Jesus: ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?’ (John 6:68) along with this “lovely little song” from Poor Clare.

Meet Josh Hosler, who attended his first Forma conference in 2014 and was able to return to another a couple years later. However, those two conferences were enough to help him establish face-to-face connections with many great new friends to whom he still turns for help through the Forma Facebook group. With two ordained parents, he never thought he would be a priest. His first memory of church was acting up in the worship space at a very young age with a brother, while his mother dragged her two screaming sons out! As a young adult he began helping with diocesan youth ministry as often as he could. It was through the combination of these opportunities and a sudden job loss that the Holy Spirit began tugging him toward seminary, where he earned his Masters of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary.

He was born in the east (Scranton, PA) and now lives in the northwest (Seattle) where he is the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Federal Way, Washington. He especially loves preaching, teaching, and encouraging the development of community. He shares, “When those things can include both spending time with young people and composing music, that is even more enjoyable.” This makes perfect sense because he has an undergraduate degree in music theory/composition from Olivet College in Michigan. For fun Josh maintains a series of Spotify playlists and a portal at Pop Music Anthology.

At the moment, Josh’s favorite piece of scripture is Luke 24:13-35, the road to Emmaus. During quarantine, Cleopas’s four words “But we had hoped” carry so much resonance for him. And Josh prays “that those may always lead to a situation in which our hearts are ‘burning within us.’”

During quarantine, he couldn’t be happier to be stuck with two specific people, his wife Christy and teenage daughter Sarah. They just finished watching Steven Universe and “can’t recommend this series enough, to absolutely everybody, not only for its explicit Christian connections, but also in the ways it challenges our assumptions and calls us to love in unexpected ways.”

Wallace Benton is the Associate Director of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. He has worked in formation as a parish youth minister and a lay chaplain at the University of the South (Sewanee). Wallace’s passion lies in vocation and shared storytelling. Wallace is married, has two children, and a dog named Bishop.

Wallace Benton es director asociado de Aprendizaje Permanente en el Seminario Teológico de Virginia (VTS). Ha trabajado en formación como ministro juvenil parroquial y capellán laico en la Universidad del Sur (Sewanee). La pasión de Wallace radica en la vocación y la narración compartida. Wallace está casado, tiene dos hijos y un pero llamado Bishop (Obispo).

Pattie Ames (she/her) has served as a lay professional in the Episcopal Church for over 30 years. She began serving as the Canon for Christian Formation in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in July of 2019. Her role on the Bishop’s staff is to be a resource and support to all the churches and institutions in the diocese in the areas of Children’s Ministry, Campus and Young Adult Ministry, Adult Formation, Becoming Beloved Community and Safe Church. Pattie also served as the Director of Children’s Ministries at St Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC for 21 years, St John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, VA for 4 years and Old Donation Episcopal Church in VA Beach, VA for 3 years. Pattie has been a member of Forma since its inception and is part of the formation planning team for Province 3. She is also on the Board of Trustees for Westminster-Canterbury, a large Senior Living facility in Lynchburg, VA. Pattie loves walking her dog, Riley, going to baseball games, being outside and hanging out with her friends. Pattie lives in Lynchburg, VA.