Guest Preacher

The guest preacher for the 2017 Annual Conference is Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. Bishop Moore-Koikoi was elected in 2016 and assigned to the Western Pennsylvania Conference.

Ordained an elder in 2010, the bishop served on the Baltimore-Washington Conference staff working with churches on discipleship. She later served as district superintendent for the Greater Washington Area, and most recently as superintendent of the Baltimore Metropolitan District. Read her bio.

In a September 2016 story from the Baltimore-Washington Conference, Bishop Moore-Koikoi said:

“As a woman of color, I have learned the gift of perseverance, being able to hold onto hope in the midst of oppression. Our denomination needs that. As our pews become more empty, as we experience more financial difficulties, we have to hold out hope. I’ve had to use my spiritual eyes.”
 

Bible study leader

The 2017 Annual Conference Bible study leader is Javier Viera, Dean of the Theological School and Professor of Pastoral Theology at Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ.

Viera holds a doctorate in education from Columbia University and a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale University. He earned his M.Div. at Duke and his bachelor’s at Florida Southern College.

“My academic interests are in adult learning, interfaith dialogue, ecumenical theology, and missions, with a particular concern for how Christian clergy are formed spiritually and intellectually for leadership in an increasingly complex and pluralistic world,” Viera said. “I am also interested in emerging Latin American Christianties and how the Church fulfills and adapts its mission in that dynamically and constantly evolving context.”