Stephen D. Bryant is editor and publisher of Upper Room Ministries®, United Methodist clergy, and visionary behind the Companions in Christ series. His vision of small groups as important setting for spiritual formation and his experience in the contemplative life provided the inspiration in shaping Companions. He has continued to shape and co-write the subsequent resources in this series.

 

Sally Chambers was born in England but moved to Ohio at the age of 10. She received her B.S. in human development and social policy from Northwestern University and her Masters in clinical social work from Ohio State University. Chambers has been involved with youth ministry for the past 16 years and is the youth minister at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

 

Gerrit Scott Dawson is Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is married and the father of four children. Thankful that each year's rhythm includes a contribution to Weavings®, his most recent book is the forthcoming Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation.

 

Kyle Dugan is the executive director of Immeasurably More, a Christian nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas. He's a graduate of Lubbock Christian University and The Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation. Dugan enjoys hiking, fly-fishing, mountain biking and all kinds of outdoor activities.

 

Adele J. Gonzalez is the founder and president of Get-With-It, LLC, an organization committed to human and spiritual growth through the fostering of healthy relationships with self, others, the world, and God. She has been involved in Christian formation, spiritual guidance, and retreat ministry for over 35 years in the Roman Catholic Church. Adele is a national speaker and has recently published the books Anger: a Positive Energy and The Depth and Richness of the Scriptures. She is a lay associate of the Sisters of St. Francis, Stella Niagara, New York.

 

Janice Grana is former world editor of Upper Room Ministries and was integrally involved in the development of Companions in Christ. She now lives in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

  

E. Glenn Hinson retired as professor of spirituality and the John Loftis Professor of Church History at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, having taught previously at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A prolific author and frequent lecturer, Hinson is a member of the Weavings Advisory Board, teaches in the Academy for Spiritual Formation®, and has written two Upper Room Books, Love at the Heart of Things and Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership.

 

Trevor Hudson is one of God's great gifts to the ecumenical church. Like Desmond Tutu, Peter Storey, and others, his leadership in the church has been shaped in the crucible of the South African experience in recent years. Trevor is the author of A Mile in My Shoes, and a pastor deeply committed to the spiritual care of the people of Northfield Methodist Church in Benoni, just outside Johannesburg.

 

John Indermark, a native of Saint Louis, now lives in the town of Naselle in southwest Washington with his wife, Judy, and son, Jeff. John is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has served UCC, Presbyterian, and United Methodist congregations over the course of more than twenty years. His titles for Upper Room Books include Neglected Voices, Traveling the Prayer Paths of Jesus, Turn Toward Promise, Genesis of Grace, and Setting the Christmas Stage.

 

Rueben P. Job is a retired United Methodist bishop and former editor/publisher of The Upper Room. His titles for Upper Room Books include A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, A Guide to Prayer for All God's People, A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, and Spiritual Life in the Congregation.

 

Steve Matthews has served as a youth minister for 13 years and presently works for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. He has an M.Div. from Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, an M.A. in clinical psychology from Western Carolina University, and a diploma in spiritual direction from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.

 

Wynn McGregor, author of The Way of the Child, is a certified Christian Educator in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Educated at Winthrop University (B.A.) and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (M.A.), Wynn's vocational history includes vast experience with both children and leaders of children.

 

Craig Mitchell is lecturer in lay ministry studies at the Adelaide College of Divinity and Flinders University, South Australia. He has worked in youth ministry and Christian education for more than 25 years with the Uniting Church in Australia. Mitchell is the author of numerous study books for youth and articles on youth ministry. He's married and the father of three daughters.

 

Jonathan Norman is minister to/with youth at Hermitage United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee and the author of Worship Feast: 100 Readings, Rituals, Prayers and Guided Meditations. He's also the co-founder/worship leader for the InSearchOf worship community, a missional worship group rooted in contemplative styles of worship and prayer.

 

Kara Lassen Oliver is currently a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. Previously, she served as a full-time youth minister at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville and worked at the United Methodist Youth Organization while completing her M.Div. degree at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She, her husband Jeff, and their two young children live in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Gavin Richardson is youth minister at First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. During his 12 years of youth ministry, he has worked in camps and churches in the South and Northeast, sits on the board of The Edge Ministries and is co-founder of InSearchOf worship community.

 

Ciona Rouse lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a freelance writer for a number of United Methodist publications and groups. Formerly a director of The United Methodist Church's Shared Mission Focus on Young People, Rouse attends Belmont United Methodist Church and volunteers with the youth there.

 

Marjorie J. Thompson is an ordained Presbyterian minister, spiritual director, retreat leader, and director of the Pathways Center for Christian Spirituality in Nashville, Tennessee. She is the author of two books, Family The Forming Center (Upper Room Books) and Soul Feast, along with articles for Weavings and other journals.

 

Melissa Tidwell is the editor of Alive Now. She contributed to the Leader's Guide to The Way of Grace and helped to develop the prayer resource Prayers for Courage, sent to military personnel. Melissa is an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

 

Jane E. Vennard, author of The Way of Prayer is a spiritual director, retreat and workshop leader, and lecturer. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and has served for many years as adjunct faculty at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, teaching courses on prayer and spirituality.

 

Wendy M. Wright, professor of theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, is a noted writer in the field of contemporary spirituality. Her articles can be found in Weavings and other leading journals of the spiritual life. She has published several books, including a trilogy on the seasons of the Christian year for The Upper Room: The Rising, The Vigil, and The Time Between.

 

Jenny Youngman edits resources for youth and youth workers for The United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee. She has been a youth pastor, Sunday school teacher, youth group volunteer or mentor for about 10 years now and probably will be forever. Her favorite pastime is family time with her three-year-old daughter Gracie, infant son Myles and husband Mark.