A Forum for Discussion Between The Women

Ruth Aldana Velazquez – 915/545-5434
Ruth Velazquez, daughter of immigrant parents, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Soon after her acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, Ruth felt a deep commitment to labor within the Latino community in Chicago. While in her teens she was elected to be the vice-president of the interdenominational city-wide youth group, “Juventud Latina para Cristo” (Latin Youth for Christ). The first college graduate in her family, Ruth holds degrees from Moody Bible Institute and Governors State University. She has taught in the local church and professionally in the public school system. Her teaching experience spans from the inner-city (with Afro-American, Latino and Anglo communities) in Chicago, Illinois, to the inner city of El Paso, Texas. Ruth, married to a United Methodist pastor, has a ministry of her own. Her leadership was recognized in the Hispanic ministry within the Northern Illinois Conference. She was the co-director of the only Hispanic Family Camp on the Jurisdictional level (North Central, 1967-1994) in the United Methodist Church. Ruth continues to be active in the UMC, both at the local and national level. She and her husband, Jose, have two sons and four grandchildren.

Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. – 202/289-4182
Janice Crouse is a life-long United Methodist from a long line of life-long United Methodists; her father was an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church for 35 years and her mother has been a United Methodist ordained elder for nearly two decades. Janice and her husband are members of the First United Methodist Church in Laurel, MD. Janice has served her church at the local level in numerous capacities (board, worship committee, COSROW, youth counselor, Sunday School teacher and on various task forces on violence against women. Dr. Crouse, Senior Fellow, Concerned Women for America (CWA), is a recognized authority on domestic issues, the United Nations, cultural and women’s concerns. She is frequently a guest lecturer on college campuses—including most recently Princeton, Harvard, Tulane, Erskine, Asbury and Georgetown—and at United Nations conventions like the World Congress of Families III in Mexico City and the commemoration of the International Year of the Family in Kuala, Lumpur. She is the author of “Gaining Ground: A Profile of American Women in the Twentieth Century.” Her opinion editorials and columns have appears in major newspapers across the nation as well as in journals and magazines.

Carolyn P. Elias – 501/525-2944
Carolyn Elias, a life-long United Methodist, lives in Hot Springs, Arkansas with her husband Barney. They are the parents of two daughters and two grandchildren. The Elias’ attend the First United Methodist Church in Hot Springs. Carolyn has served on the Salvation Army Board for 13 years, and the United Way Board for 12 years. She has been lay member to annual conference for 30 years and has served in various local church leadership positions, including UMW offices. At the conference level she has filled positions as Older Adult Coordinator, Council on Ministries member and Chairman, Episcopacy Committee. She was a lay delegate to General Conference in 2000 and again in 2004. Carolyn is a lifetime member of the Good News Board of Directors and a founding member of the RENEW Network.

Katy Kiser – 972/416-5171
Katy Kiser is a life-long United Methodist whose roots in the Methodist Church go back at least four generations. Land from her family’s original Texas Land Grant was donated to build one of the earliest Methodist Churches in Texas (Salem Methodist Church in Milam County). Katy has served many years in the North Texas Conference as a lay delegate to annual conference. Currently she is on the Dallas Denton District Nominating Committee and the North Texas Conference Nominating Committee. She serves as her church representative to the Dallas Methodist Hospital Women’s Auxiliary. Katy is former president of her local UMW group and former chairperson of the Missions Committee. She is currently a member of the Church Council and Staff Parish Relations Committee. In addition to her involvement in the church, Katy does free-lance writing. She is a regular press representative for the RENEW Network to various events. Katy holds a performance degree in piano pedagogy from the University of Texas and teaches classical piano in her private studio. She and her husband Larry have been married 34 years and have two daughters.

Elizabeth (Liza) B. Kittle – 706/738-9727
Liza Kittle is a life-long member of Trinity on the Hill UMC, Augusta, Georgia, where she has been an active member of the UMW for over 15 years holding various offices including that of President. She previously served as Women’s Ministry Coordinator for Women of the Vine Women’s Ministry at Trinity. She has been a lay delegate to the North Georgia Annual Conference. Liza completed her studies at the University of Georgia in pre-med and worked in various positions in the medical profession prior to taking up a profession as a stay-at-home mom to four children, ages 10-17. Her husband, Bill, is a local physician. Characterizing herself as a radical feminist in her young adult years, Liza experienced a complete transformation of her heart and life in her early 30s and has a powerful testimony of forgiveness and redemption through a relationship with Jesus Christ

RENEW Network Taskforce Member/Press Coordinator
Rev. Karen Booth – 302/945-9650
Rev. Karen Booth is the Executive Director of Transforming Congregations, an Exodus Affiliate Ministry in the United Methodist Church. She is married to Rev. Randy Booth. Karen holds a BA in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh and an MDiv from Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey. She entered ordained ministry in 1991 and was pastor of churches in Delaware and Maryland prior to her present position with Transforming Ministries. Karen’s service beyond the local church includes leadership at the district and annual conference levels, i.e., mentor for ministerial candidates and new pastors; instructor at district Lay Speaker Academies; service on annual conference Commission on Religion and Race, the Commission on the Status and Role of Women and the Council on Finance and Administrations. Karen was the past convener of the Northeast Jurisdiction Evangelical Connection and has been a workshop leader and speaker at numerous United Methodist renewal group events. She is currently writing a book for Bristol House Ltd.: Women at the Well: Overcoming Female Sexual Sin.

RENEW Network Taskforce Member/Chaplain
Rev. Kris Key – 706/738-8822
The Rev. Kris Key is Minister of Discipleship, Women’s Ministries at Trinity on the Hill UMC in Augusta, Georgia. Kris holds a BS in Accounting from Illinois State University and an Associate in Christian Education through the Board of Higher Education and Ministry. She is a Deacon in Full Connection through United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio. Kris served as a Youth Minister at Calvary UMC, Normal, Illinois and at Lakewood UMC in Houston, Texas. She was on staff at First UMC, Houston, Texas, as Youth Minister/Children & Family Ministry under then Senior Pastor, Rev. Bill Hinson.
Kris grew up in a Christian home in central Illinois with two loving parents and five siblings. Both of her grandmothers were active in UMW predecessor organizations, fostering within Kris’ heart a ministry to and with women. Kris is married to the Rev. Daniel J. Key, and is the mother to two sons.

RENEW Network Taskforce Member/Usher
Sharon Lodovic – 830/624-0194
Sharon is a fourth generation United Methodist. She recalls her grandmother talking about the women’s mission group of which she was a member. Sharon was a member of and circle leader of the WSCS at her home church in the early 70s in San Antonio, Texas. For 23 years, Sharon and her husband, Jim, were members at First UMC, Carrollton, Texas, where they served as chairpersons of the Social Concerns Commission. Sharon was chairwoman of a local pro-life seminar, served several years on the Misison Commission and did some short-term missionary work in Costa Rica. Due to relocation, they are now attending First UMC in New Braunfels, Texas. Sharon has become active on the Missions and Evangelism Commissions, she attended and taught Disciple Bible Studies, and more recently, has become a coordinator for the ALPHA program. Sharon views her greatest accomplishment to be the raising of three Christian children and three Christian grandchildren (with the other two being too young to make a decision for Christ).

The Women’s Division Panel Members
click below for biography information link
http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/forum/WD_delegation.cfm

Kyung Za Yim, presently the president of the Women’s Division and the first Korean-American elected to the position
Genie Bank, former president of the Division from 2000-2004
Carolyn Johnson, president of the Women’s Division from 1992-96 and interim director of African American Studies and Research Center at Purdue University
Joyce Sohl, former chief executive of the Division who also served as treasurer of the Division
Lois Dauway, assistant general secretary of the section on Christian Social Responsibility, the social justice office of the Division
Jan Love, current chief executive with experience as a professor, as a delegate to the World Council of Churches, and as a board member of the United Methodist Commission of Interfaith/Interreligious Concerns.