Clergy Communication

Cynthia Geppert, MD, PhD, is Chief of Consultation Psychiatry and Ethics at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System, where she specializes in the care of patients with bipolar disorder, dual diagnosis and trauma. Dr. Geppert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor and the Associate Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Geppert received her medical training at the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and completed a residency in psychiatry and a Fellowship in Clinical Ethics at the University of New Mexico and a Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the New Mexico VA. She is certified in General Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine and Psychosomatic Medicine. She holds a BA in religion from Colorado College, an MA in religious ethics from Vanderbilt University and a PhD in religious ethics with an emphasis in medical ethics from the International Reform University.

LICENSURE:
State of Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor

CERTIFICATION:
National Certified Counselor

DOCTORAL EDUCATION:
Ph.D. in Mental Health Counseling (May 2, 1998)
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Ed.S. in Counselor Education (May 2, 1994)
Mental Health Counseling Track
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
M.A. in School Psychology (August 12, 1988)
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
M.A. in Sacred Science (May 18, 1980)
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure, New York
B.A. in Comprehensive Social Sciences (May, 1974)
Carlow College
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Other formal coursework:
University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida):
Experimental Research (Summer, 1987)
Learning (Spring, 1987)
Psychopathology (Fall, 1986)

Adelphi University (Garden City, New York):

Psychological Statistics (Spring, 1985)

High School Diploma: Academic Track (June, 1964)
Langley Junior-Senior High School
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Health Insurance

HIPAA Compliance Procedures and Required Forms (Total Healthcare Compliance & Consulting) - March 22, 2003
HIPAA Compliance: Coming Into Compliance (Florida Psychological Association) - January 31, 2003

Critical Incident Stress Management:

Critical Incident Stress Management: Advanced - Revised (ICISF) 2003
Line of Duty Death: Preparing the Best for the Worst (ICISF) 2003
CISM: When Disaster Strikes (ICISF) 2002
Responding to Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Disaster: A Critical Incident Stress Management Approach (ICISF) 2002
Critical Incident Stress Management Application with Children (ICISF) 2001
Critical Incident Stress Management in the Workplace (ICISF) 2001
Psychotraumatology for Clinicians (ICISF) 2000
Basic Critical Incident Stress Management (Jeffrey Mitchell Model - ICISF) 1999
Advanced Critical Incident Stress Management (Jeffrey Mitchell Model - ICISF) 1999
Peer Support/Individual Crisis Intervention: Assisting Individuals in Crisis (Jeffrey Mitchell Model – ICISF) 1999

Religious Counseling and Spiritual Direction:

Certificate in Religious Counseling and Spiritual Direction (May, 1982)

Completed a two-year training program offered evenings by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

Private Mental Health Counseling Practice

Professional Psychiatric Associates
Tampa, Florida
(May, 1994-December, 1996)

Married to Ed Jansen

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Certified Addictions Professional
Graduate Certificate in Family and Marital Therapy, University of Maryland
University of Maryland MSW School of Social Work and Community Planning, MSW
Towson University, B.S. Psychology and Women's Studies

Professional accreditations:
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical member
National Academy of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists
Academy of Clinical Social Workers
Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work

Therapy Dogs, Inc. -- certified Pet Therapy team with border collie, Mayday, hospice care

My call to ministry began early in life, with a sense of curiosity and wonder about life, and continued with an open-hearted seeking through several spiritual paths. Though I was confirmed and active in the Episcopal Church, I was also drawn to the intimacy with God found in contemplative and monastic practice, in both Christian and zen buddhist traditions, and active in the spirituality of the 12 Step recovery programs. My life has been centered around seeking God's presence, serving his people, and learning to let the Spirit lead me; I was vowed into a Benedictine community as a lay Oblate and became a lay minister in the Roman Catholic community.

I continue to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my call to ordained ministry in the Apostolic Catholic Church.

Today I have no less wonder and a heart ever more open to those who are suffering and in need of God's grace. I have found a home for my Catholic heart, in the Apostolic Catholic Church where we look for ways to reach and serve all of God's people, seeking to fill the promise of Jesus who says over an over again, "Come... be not afraid"
to all who seek him.

Professionally, I have practiced as a psychotherapist and addictions specialist for more than 25 years, in inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in mood and addictive disorders, family therapy, women's issues, trauma resolution and spiritual development. For many years, I have provided training for professionals in these areas, and developed community-based intervention programs for adults, teens and families at risk. I currently offer spiritual retreat programs through Our Lady of Florida.

My husband Ed and I are called into ministry with the desire to work together. We work together in our private practice of clinical and pastoral counseling, and live together in Stuart with the therapy dog Mayday, and the cat named Elijah -- who could use some therapy most days out of the week!

As we develop our ministry together, we are called to reach out to those in the margins of life, literally and spiritually, those affected by abuse, illness, divorce, age, prejudice, hopelessness, victimization and those who are without a church home, including outreach to those disenfranchised seeking a sacramental church that truly welcomes them.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA in a family of five. My parents were devoted Catholics who heavily emphasized peace and social justice. Four years of study under the Vincentians and Franciscans (high school) helped to bring home to me the importance of the historical Catholic Social teachings as the core of Christ's message. Villanova University's Theology Department helped me to understand ways of articulating that core message.

I joined the Peace Corps upon graduation and spent two years in what was then the poorest country in the world, Ethiopia. There I came to understand the relationship between church and society in the Ethiopian Coptic Church where priest and people were one and where no one was denied food or shelter even in the poorest of areas. I saw a married clergy integrate Jesus into everyday life and laity exhibit the essentials of the Body of Christ. It was a humbling, unforgettable and moving experience.

I spent thirty years in the engineering field, working for a time with one of the inventors of the computer. I obtained 18 patents and several major awards and yet the "call" continued deep in my heart.

It saddened me when the Roman church failed to keep Pope John XXIII's window open and surrendered transparency. The United States Catholic Church along with some fundamentalists appeared to reject the very spirit of the New Testament, becoming secretive, judgmental and "Old Testament." They ignored Jesus' teaching (consistently enunciated by Rome through the centuries) concerning peace and justice. Most American Catholic Bishops and their laity happily continued their embrace of materialism, racism, cruelty to the poor, visionless private piety and support for endless war. The Beatitudes seemed meaningless in their realities.

I saw possibilities in Old Catholic and independent Catholic churches and chose the path that Christ made for me. I have a weekly ministry to a Nursing Home and growing parish and I work as a full-time spiritual counselor. The Spirit continues to lead and I haven't looked back. Our parish, The Old Catholic Church of the Beatitudes, reflects the Apostolic Catholic Church charism.

Ed answered the call to ordained ministry in the early 90s, leaving his position as founder and CEO of three diverse companies; real estate development, retail travel and European tour operations. Ed was ordained to the diaconate in 1996 and the priesthood in 1997. Coming out of 25 years in the business world and into the Anglican Rite, Ed's sense is that this "lateness" was in God's perfect timing. As Benedictines, he and his wife Trish follow a modified Rule and live a life with others whose spirituality is drawn to a community-based faith.

Ed received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Lael College and Graduate School. He completed a two seminary program at St Michael's Charismatic Episcopal Seminary. Ed has had the blessing of planting a church in Stuart, FL that is still in existence today. His greatest joy in life is centered around the preparation and delivery of a gospel message of God's grace and love. Many of these messages, prepared jointly with Trish, empower people to face into the battles of their everyday lives.

Master of Science in psychology
Master of Divinity in theology and pastoral care
Doctor of Theology in biblical theology
Six units of CPE
Earned a diploma in spiritual direction
A retired member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
A clinical member of Spiritual Directors International.

Glenn conducts retreats and seminars and practices spiritual direction with clients. For the past three years he has ministered full time as a chaplain with a home care team of hospice.

He was involved in innovative inner-city ministry in Atlanta, Georgia in the 60s and 70s. From 1976 to 1999 he served local churches overseas in the Caribbean and southern Africa, planting churches in both places. He established two Bible schools that are still operational. For ten years he conducted extensive training of local pastors in rural Africa (700).

Fred B. Morris is the son and grandson of Methodist pastors. He is himself a pastor of the United Methodist Church. He graduated from Cornell College in Iowa with majors in English literature and history. He has a Master of Theology degree, cum laude , from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and a Master of Arts degree in Social Science (Urban Studies) from the University of Chicago.

In the early 1960s he started a new church in the Chicago suburb of Addison, IL. During his three-year ministry there, the Good Samaritan United Methodist Church became the fastest-growing church in Northern Illinois, growing to 227 members in that period. In 1963, Fred Morris became a missionary of the United Methodist Church to Brazil, where he spent eleven years.

While in Brazil he worked closely with Roman Catholic Archbishop of Recife and Olinda, Dom Helder Camara from 1970 to 1974. During this period of time he also served as resident correspondent for Time and the Associated Press . As the result of his journalistic activities and his close association with Archbishop Câmara, who was the leading opponent of the Brazilian military, who had overthrown the democratically-elected government in 1964, he was kidnapped by the Brazilian army in 1974 and spent 17 days in their torture chambers in Recife before being expelled by presidential decree as a person "prejudicial to national interests." On his return to the United States, Time published a two-page first-person account of his experiences entitled Torture, Brazilian Style (Nov. 18, 1974). He subsequently appeared on the Today Show and more than 25 other TV talk shows in the U.S. and Canada. He testified before the U.S. Congress and lobbied for human rights in Latin America in Washington for nearly two years, and published another story in Harper, (October, 1975 "In the presence of mine enemies")

In 1976 he went to Costa Rica, where he founded and directed his own construction company. He also taught at the National University and was associate pastor at the English-language Union Church in San Jose. In 1981 he organized the Institute for Central American Studies and began publishing Mesoamerica, an alternative newsletter about Central America that became the premier publication on the region during the 1980s. He was also the resident correspondent in Costa Rica for ABC-News from 1977 to 1988.

He returned to the United States in 1988 to assume pastorates in United Methodist Churches in the Chicago area until 1995, when he returned to Brazil as Executive Director of Ecopaz. the Institute for Ecology, Peace and Justice Studies, based in Rio de Janeiro. He also taught Ethics and Contemporary Ideologies at the Methodist University in Rio de Janeiro.

In January 1997, he received a call from the Florida Council of Churches to become the Executive Director of the Council and he assumed that post on March 1, 1997.

From August of 2000 until April of 2003 he also served as Dean of the Orlando Campus of the South Florida Center for Theological Studies.

On June 1, 2003, he assumed the position of Director for Latin American Relations of the National Council of Churches and held that position until March, 2005.

In December 2004, he founded Faith Partners of the Americas.

Rev. Suzan Schrader Holderbaum, MS, CMP, SC-C

Pastor of Harmony Way Community Church
Fowlerville, MI

Degrees:

BS and MS in Spiritual Counseling Breyer State University, 2006
Summa Cum Laude
Other Colleges attended:
Flathead Valley Community College- Kalispell, Montana
Cuyahoga Community College- Parma, Ohio
Lorain County Community College- Elyria, Ohio
Berkshire Community College- Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Canyon College- Idaho

Certifications:

Certified Spiritual Counselor- American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc., 2006
Certified Music Practitioner – Music for Healing and Transition Program, 2003
Certified Herbalist - Nature's Sunshine Institute, 2001
Certificate in Touch for Health, 1986
Reiki Master Practitioner, 2000
STNA and Home Health Aide Certification- Ohio, 2000
Respite Worker: Livingston Community Mental Health
Volunteer activities: St. Joseph Mercy Hospice

When I was first referred to the Apostolic Catholic Church (ACC), I looked for its website and the words that greeted me were expressions of seeing Christ in all people, particularly the needy and oppressed. There was a call for justice and action in being the arms and legs of Christ, in word and deed. This spoke to my heart and my understanding of what Jesus called his followers to do.
I was invited to come to a conference with the clergy to meet and experience those who had committed themselves to this tradition. Day two there was no turning around.
One of the traits of the ACC I have found so compelling is that its clergy has such diversity, yet solid in foundation.

We all have a story. Where would our significance as humans be without our story? I learned that quite deeply by the many years of ministerial care in hospice that I experienced. And, in every story is a part of the whole; each person bringing their own unique gifts and challenges to our families and communities, thus to the world.
When I was a very young girl, I heard in my heart, a call to the service of Christ. As the years went on, there were other calls too, and each of them contributed to the greater call in that they seasoned me and taught me, and prepared me for the day I would walk the circle to the touch on my shoulder that said, "You, Now."

MSW, Barry College 1974-1976.
USF Tampa Campus 1968-1971. BA in anthropology.
Polls Junior College, 1966-1968. President of the Folk Lore Society 1966-1968.
Graduated high school 1962.

U.S. Army 1962 to 1965 (Glad I never had to shoot at others in combat.)

Union Camp Box Factory 1965-1966.

Worked for HRS 1972-1974.

Director of the Polk County Nutrition Program, 1976.
School Social worker, Hillsboro Count, 1976-1978.
Hillsboro Community Mental Health Center, 1978-1990.

Therapist at Mendez School (school for emotionally disturbed children). Therapist at Children's outpatient forensic populations (male sex offenders).

Field supervisor for MSW graduate students 1985-1990.

Charter Hospital of Tampa Bay 1990-1991.

Mental Health Care, Inc., Superisor of Central Intake and the Mobile Crisis Response Team, 1991-1995.

Florida Prison System, Zepher Hills, 1996; psychological specialist.

Mental Health Care, Inc., Supervisor, Residential Treatment Program, 1997.

1999-2006 - Mental Health Care, Inc. Mobile Crisis Response Team.

I was raised in a conservative, Evangelical church in a small town (population 4,000) in Michigan. The rigid religious training resulted in a positive set of values but also in a frustration borne of the feeling that something was missing. Many years of searching led me, finally, to the Apostolic Catholic Church, where the Catholic social gospel made me feel as though I had "come home."

The majority of my career has been spent in the administrative assistant/secretarial realm, as well as several years as a court reporter. The most fulfilling positions were those that provided service to others, such as working at a drug and alcohol rehab center, as well as two years of service in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia.

My husband Bernie and I felt a call to work directly with the poor and marginalized, not only providing material needs but creating a sense of community. Bernie became ordained as a priest and I as a deacon and we began The Old Catholic Church of the Beatitudes, a small but growing parish in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. My primary role is the development of a healing ministry within the church, based on Healing Touch, Reiki and other energy based systems. In these approaches the practitioner works with her hands to manipulate the energy that naturally surrounds the human body, thus allowing the body to heal itself. Research has shown that this kind of work can speed healing times after surgery, provide relaxation, reduce anxiety, etc. The healing ministry includes periodic healing masses, training and use of prayer groups and private energy sessions with those who need ongoing intervention.

Educational Background:

Mt. St. Francis Seminary College Prep. Grad. 1956
University of Dayton Philosophy History B.A. 1961
Assumption Seminary & College Theology B.A. 1963
University of Minnesota Educational Admin. Educ. Psych. M.A. 1964
Assumption Seminary & College Theology M.A. 1965
University of Minnesota Higher Education Educ. Psych. Ph.D. 1967

Experience:

Administration
Bellarmine & Ursuline College Co-Director for Merger 1967-68
Bellarmine-Ursuline College Director of Research 1968-69
U.S. Office of Education Fellow, Special Assistant, National 1969-70
Center for Educational Research and
Development
American Association for Higher Assistant Executive Director and 1980-82
Education, DC Treasurer
Association of Theological Assistant Director 1975-79
Schools in the U.S. and Canada
Archdiocese of Louisville Executive Director, Office of 1980-82
Education
Catholic Conference Center, Director 1989-91
Diocese of Charlotte
Association of Theological Director, Student Information 1996-
Schools in the U.S. and Canada Resources

Teaching:

Bellarmine & Ursuline College Assistant Professor 1967-79
George Washington University Visiting Assistant Professor 1972
University of Texas-San Antonio Visiting Associate Professor 1972-74
Washington Theological Coalition Associate Professor 1974-78
University of Dayton Visiting Professor 1978-79
St. Leo College, FL Adjunct Faculty 1992-95
Edison Community College, FL Adjunct Faculty 1994-96
Illustrative Consultancies:

Archdiocese of Halifax Consultant to Archbishop Hayes, 1968-70
Higher Education
Center for Applied Research in Associate 1974-82
In the Apostolate, DC
National Center for Educational Subject Matter Learning Project 1975-78
Statistics
Sisters of St. Francis Director, Study on Formation and 1979-82
Oldenburg, IN Recruitment
Sacred Heart Model School Pastoral Minister, Director of 1982-89
Planning

Franciscan Order:

Chairman, Student Committee on Seminaries 1969-70
President, Commission on Formation and Education 1970-75
President, Commission on Pastoral Concerns 1976-82
President, Commission on Continuing Formation and Education 1982-91
President, Conference of National Spiritual Assistants and 1989-91
Spiritual Assistant to the National Executive Board, Secular Francis
Order

Editor:

CARA Seminary Forum 1975-77
In the Spirit of St. Francis 1987-88
Centerpieces, Catholic Conference Center 1989-91
Profiles of Ministry Newsletter 1994-96
Interpretation 1996-

Publications:

Author of a dozen books and monographs, thirty journal articles, lectures and workshops in the fields of education and religion. Recent research articles include The Entering Student Questionnaire, A Study of Five Years of Use, (March, 2001), Student Diversity and the Data (Theological Education, 38:2, 2002) and A Call to Growth: The Potential of the Profiles of Ministry Program (Theological Education, 39:2, 2003).

Current Responsibilities:

The administration and development of the Association's Profiles of Ministry Program and the Student Information Project (Entering Student Questionnaire and Graduating Student Questionnaire), the evaluation of ATS's accrediting standards, co-responsibility with the Executive Director for the development of Vision2010, and Director of the thirtieth anniversary study of the expectations of clergy and laity in North America for beginning ministers and priests. This project involves two years of research, fifty-two of the Association's seminaries, fourteen denominational families, and more than five thousand clergy and laity. Analysis and interpretation of the data begin in the summer of 2004.

Education:
St Therese School of Nursing
Waukegan, Illinois
Registered Nurse, 1968

Spiritual Direction Formation
Three year program
Diocese of Richmond, St. Thomas More Parish
1986-1989

Edmond Rice School for Pastoral Ministry
Diocese of Venice in association with Barry University
Post Graduate Diploma 1998

I was raised in a large Irish, Roman Catholic family. My life centered around God and the Church. I cannot remember a time that prayer was not a major part of my life. I have always felt called by God to live life to the fullest. I have been married to Dan for the past 37 years, We have four children and 10 grandchildren. We have lived in many different states so have belonged to many different parishes. I have shared life in these parishes as Eucharistic minister, educator in adult, children and intergeneration religious formation, facilitated bible studies, woman¹s share groups and prayer teams. I have also serve on parish council in two different parishes and as parish council president at St Maximilian church in Port Charlotte Fl. The last two parishes were truly post Vatican II parishes. Each parish functioned with the belief that the people are the church. Even though the parish experience was exciting, I have felt a call to withdraw from parish life and seek my own spiritual path. The past three years I have been on a mystical journey, going within and studying different religions. I have sensed a deep connection to all creation and all people. I find myself ministering daily to each person I come in contact with. I believe each of us has a mission to complete and there are no coincidences. I sense the time has come to be back in formal ministry and I am in prayer for discernment as to the direction God is placing me. The past 38 years besides raising a family and parish life I have worked full time as a hospital nurse in intensive care, the operating room, recovery room and the past two years as a home care case manager for hospice. I am a Certified Nurse in the Operating Room and a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. I have worked in the scientific end of medical healing my whole career but in the past five years have learned my true calling is in the healing arts. I work with healing energies such as Reiki, healing touch and spiritual direction.
I was introduced to the Catholic Apostolic Church a few months ago and feel very comfortable with the teachings and philosophy, especially in regards to the full participation of all members, male and female. I desire
to do God¹s work in whatever capacity God desires. I am in prayer for discernment about ordination and seek the prayers of the community. All things are possible with God who is my source.

DEACON CANDIDATE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ENICE, FLORIDA June 1999 - October 2000

POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA, PASTORAL THEOLOGY 1998
E. Rice School For Pastoral Ministry
In association with BARRY UNIVERSITY, Diocese of Venice, FL

ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE NURSING October 17, 2003
Excelsior College Member of The University of the State of New York
Albany, New York

ADVANCED GRANT WRITING CERTIFICATE March 27, 2002
Manatee Community College Bradenton, FL

MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE SOFTWARE COURSE 1996
Charlotte TECHNICAL CENTER, Port Charlotte FL

DALE CARNEGIE SALES TRAINING COURSE, Roanoke, VA. 1991

TELEMARKETING SALES WORKSHOP
Bell Atlantic Education Services, Baltimore, MD1990

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
PROGRAM Public Health Education And Business Administration1984-1987 Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE RESPIRATORY THERAPY 1974
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, Fl

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Dayton, Ohio
Liberal Arts 1966-1968

Maureen and I have been married since April 1970. We have four adult children and ten beautiful grand children, as of this writing.
Lay ministry has been a part of my life since 1976 when I experienced an epiphany, which returned me to church from which I had been estranged for about ten years. For the first time God was real in my life. Parish was an integral part of daily life. I participated in many ministries feeling an increasingly deeper call. In 1995 I entered the first ever class of the Diocese of Venice's new school for pastoral ministry and graduated three years later. Encouraged by my pastor, I entered the permanent deaconate program for the diocese. After little more then a year I requested the Bishop to remove me from the candidate list.
Health care has been my principle occupation for more than forty years. As a college freshman in 1966, I took a job as an Oxygen Technician. I am Florida licensed as a Registered Respiratory Therapist as well as Registered Nurse. Currently working as a Case Manager (primary nurse) on the Home Team for Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of Southwest Florida.
Included in my resume are experiences as a professional educator in three college level academic settings. I have also provided continuing education credits for licensed Health professionals required for periodic license renewal.
Practice, in acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care and providing care in client homes. I also have skills in the area of sleep-apnea, geriatrics, social service director and geriatric care manager. Clinical applications and sales experience was with a manufacturer for pulmonary diagnostic and metabolic stress testing equipment.
My career has taken me to many different and varied venues including, but not limited to community hospitals, military (U.S. Navy 1968 -72) and Veterans Administration hospitals.