Search for Associate General Minister – Love of Church

Cean James is the Senior Pastor of Salt & Light, an interdenominational, intergenerational congregation worshiping and working in Southwest Philadelphia and Mt. Airy. In 2005, Pastor James planted Grace Christian Fellowship (GCF) as a nondenominational church to serve the poorest, sickest, and least educated section of Philadelphia: Southwest Philadelphia. GCF united with the United Church of Christ in 2012 and also planted a satellite congregation in Mt. Airy, that same year.

Rev. James completed his undergraduate studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a BS in biology and received his Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. Pastor James has also done doctoral work at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson is the General Minister and President and CEO of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Thompson is the first woman and first woman of African descent to serve as leader of the denomination. Prior to this call, Rev. Thompson served in the national setting of the United Church of Christ for 14 years – two years as Minister for Racial Justice, eight years as Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations and four years as the Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive for Global Ministries. She was elected as AGM in 2019. Her passion for justice and equity moved her work on behalf of the UCC into a global context, affording the opportunity to participate globally in efforts to reduce the marginalization experienced by African descendant peoples and other communities globally.

Rev. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College in New York, a Master’s in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC, and a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also studied Public Policy at Duke University and earned her Doctorate in Ministry at Seattle University. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Heidelberg University.

Bret Bicoy is a member of Hope Church in Door County, Wisconsin. He was born in ‘Aiea, Hawai’i and graduated from ‘Iolani School, but yearned to see more of America. So, Bret set off on an adventure which began at Tufts University in New England and eventually took him to all 50 states in the union. Along the way he was blessed to meet his bright, lovely, and charming wife Cari who is a third-grade teacher at a Title I school in Green Bay. Professionally, Bret has served for two decades as President & CEO of the Door County Community Foundation and writes a regular column on community and philanthropy in the Peninsula Pulse newspaper. As a volunteer, he served three terms as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ, is one of the founders of the United Church of Christ Foundation of Wisconsin and is a long-time Rotarian. Bret was also twice elected to the Green Bay City Council, the first person of color to ever sit on the Council and was named a Fellow of the Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C. for his work promoting philanthropy in diverse communities. He and his wife have six adult children, four of whom are (or soon will be) married, but none of whom have yet seen the wisdom of providing grandchildren for Bret and Cari to enjoy.

Courtney Dobbins is a current Doctor of Pharmacy candidate at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She works as a Pharmacy Intern and a Peer Coach and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Courtney grew up at the United Church of Christ in Longmont, CO where she was inspired to be involved with youth trips and summer camps. Her favorite place to be is LaForet, the UCC camp owned by the Rocky Mountain Conference. Courtney has served four years on the Rocky Mountain Conference Board of Directors – two as the Youth Representative and two as the Finance Committee Chair. Now, Courtney enjoys teaching Sunday School to the middle school aged group and counseling summer camps at LaForet!

Rev. Dr. Davena L. Creer-Jones is the Conference Minister for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Davena began as Associate Conference Minister in November 2015. She is a longtime member of Pilgrim Community Church (UCC), San Francisco, with her husband who is a deacon in the congregation. A graduate of Pacific School of Religion, Davena recently received her D.Min from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Her dissertation project was “Resources for Churches Around Intimate Partner Violence.”

A.T. Ortíz is the Associate Pastor at Glenside UCC and serves as a founding co-chair of the Racial Justice Initiative of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. A bi-vocational minister, A.T. has been an associate pastor for 20 years. She has worked on behalf of socio- economic justice with a variety of communities and community-based organizations throughout her career. She is the Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion, and Community Life at Bryn Mawr College. Prior to her work at Bryn Mawr, A.T. spent 17 years on the leadership team of a local nonprofit organization in Philadelphia where she worked closely with low-income, first generation to college students and their families as they navigated the challenges of preparing for and completing college.

A.T. holds a specialized Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and an M.A. in Holistic Spirituality from Chestnut Hill College. She earned her B.A. in English, B.S. in Psychology, and graduated with an emphasis in Ethnic Studies from Santa Clara University.