Founa I. Augustin Badet

Founa I. Augustin Badet serves as Director of Haitian Ministries, part of the District Executive Leadership Team at the Atlantic Southeast District Church of the Brethren. She is invested in tangible ways within her community as the pastor of Jesus Lounge Ministry, and is the president and founder of Women of Impossibilities. Currently, Founa also serves as Palm Beach County Council PTA, VP of Leadership.

Born and raised in Haiti, Founa migrated to the U.S. 24 years ago and owns a thriving translation business, Founa’s, Inc. Founa is wife to Herman and mother to Valencia, Josias and Loudyn.

Ryan Braught

Ryan Braught is the Pastor/Church Planter of Veritas. Along with his wife and kids he founded Veritas in 2009. He is the husband of Kim, and father to Kaiden and Trinity. Ryan has a BS in Telecommunications from Kutztown University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Evangelical Theological Seminary. Besides his work with Veritas, Ryan loves to read, listen to music, snowboard, and spend time with his family.

Joshua Brockway

Joshua Brockway has served as the Director for spiritual formation for the Church of the Brethren since 2010. His work includes oversight for the Spiritual Directors Network and the Ethics for Congregations polity. He writes frequently for a range of denominational publications and leads workshops and renewal events on prayer, discipleship, and Brethren identity.

Joshua received his Master of Arts from Bethany Theological Seminary and completed his Masters of Divinity at Candler School of Theology. He finished his PhD in Church History at The Catholic University of America having written on the intersections of prayer, liturgy, and asceticism in the writings of John Cassian.

Dennis Edwards

Dr. Dennis Edwards has long been inspired with a hunger to understand scripture. Growing up in New York City, Edwards attended a storefront church whose pastor was an earnest, faithful, and dedicated spiritual leader. This example continued to inspire Edwards throughout college. Even after attending seminary, his desire to better understand scripture continued. Edwards says, “I pursued my PhD largely in an effort to quench my thirst for enlightenment and understanding of God’s Word.”

Ordained through the Evangelical Covenant Church, Edwards brings a deep understanding of spiritual leadership to North Park University. He also shares his diverse experiences as a church planter and pastor in Brooklyn, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C. with his students.

Dr. Edwards currently serves as Vice President for Church Relations and Dean of North Park Theological Seminary.

Dr. Edwards was our speaker at the 2017 Discipleship Ministries Dinner, and is the author of several books, including:

• Might from the Margins – The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice
• What is the Bible and how Do We Understand it?
• The Story of God Bible Commentary – 1 Peter

Read Dr. Dennis Edwards’ full bio here

Andy Hamilton

Andy Hamilton serves as District Executive Minister for the Southeastern District Church of the Brethren. He is the husband of Laura Hamilton, to whom he has been married for more than 35 years and has two adult children. Andy has been an ordained Church of the Brethren pastor for more than 20 years during which time he has served in leadership at both the district (Southeastern, Atlantic Northeast & Northern Ohio) and the denominational levels (Mission and Ministry Board). He and Laura are co-founders of Tender Shepherd: A Ministry of Soul-care. Andy holds degrees from Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Oh (M.Div., 1998), the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (M.Phil., 2003) and Evangelical Theological Seminary, Myerstown, Pa (Th.D., 2022,).

Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey

Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey is a co-pastor with her spouse, Tim, at the Oakton Church of the Brethren (VA) and serves as the Coordinator of English Language Ministry Training Programs for the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. She will graduate with her Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Church Leadership Excellence this May. She is the mother of two beautiful children and three furbabies.

Martin Hutchison

Martin Hutchison has been the pastor at Community of Joy church in Salisbury Md since 1999. He is the founder of the Camden Community Garden and is the city of Salisbury’s Secretary of Community Gardens. He serves as one of the founding Commissioners of the city’s Kindness Commission. He works part time for United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore as the Community Impact Associate. He has worked with unsheltered people for 16 years and has served as a mentor to numerous young boys. He is a 2022 Jefferson Award winner. The 2021 Salisbury Independent Person of the year. He has been married to Sharon for 34 years and they have two grown daughters. In his spare time, he loves to garden raise chickens and bees, and do woodworking.

Nathan Polzin

Nathan Polzin was recently hired as the Executive Director of Discipleship and Leadership Formation for the Church of the Brethren. Nathan will begin that job on April 10, 2023.

From 2009-2017 Nathan served as the Michigan District’s executive minister. From 2007 to present, he has been instrumental in planting and pastoring The Church in Drive, a congregation serving Saginaw, Michigan, and Saginaw Valley State University students. He also currently serves as the pastor of the Midland (Mich.) Church of the Brethren. In the past, he has served congregations in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and Hagerstown, Indiana. He also provides individual and group coaching, team building, training, and consulting services through Polzin Coaching and Consulting.

Nathan is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, and of Bethany Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity.

Samuel Sarpiya

Samuel Sarpiya is the Executive Director at the Center for Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation in Rockford, Illinois. Previously he served as Moderator of the Church of the Brethren. He is currently based in Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Sarpiya regularly engages in peacemaking around the globe. He trained Nigerian Security Agencies to use peaceful strategies to engage with the radical Islamist group Boko Haram, trained religious and political leaders in South Africa in nonviolent methods, and the police department in Chicagoland and Ohio on community transformation techniques to address the challenges of racial profiling within police departments. Dr. Sarpiya is available for mediation training and conflict transformation consultation services, and nonviolence training.

Carol Yeazell

A call from God to connect with Spanish speaking people had Carol Yeazell living over four years in Puerto Rico, later involved in projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Spain numerous times.

Carol was the Administrator of a mission near Tampa, FL, helping Mexican farm workers. She was on staff with the CLT for 12 years, and anytime there was a need to assist Spanish churches she was assigned.

Carol and her husband began Jesu Cristo El Camino in Hendersonville, North Carolina and she later served as an Associate Pastor for 12 years.

Un llamado de Dios para conectarme con personas de habla hispana me hizo vivir más de cuatro años en Puerto Rico, luego involucrado en proyectos en México, Guatemala, Honduras, República Dominicana y España en numerosas ocasiones.

Yo era el administrador de una misión cerca de Tampa, FL que ayudaba a los trabajadores agrícolas mexicanos.

En el personal del CLT durante 12 años y cada vez que había una necesidad de ayudar a las iglesias españolas, me asignaban.

Mi esposo y yo comenzamos Jesu Cristo El Camino en Hendersonville, Carolina del Norte y luego servimos como pastor asociado durante 12 años.