Speaker Bio's

2009-10-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ben Cumming: The Rehabilitation of Myth

Ben is a graduate of Kings College, Cambridge and holds an MA in political Science. Ben lives in Cooper Young with his wife Ali. He teaches history and Bass guitar when he’s not writing and illustrating children’s books.

Dan Baker: Film & Faith

Dan is an award-winning filmmaker from Southern New Mexico. His recent films John Gray and The Glass positioned him as a finalist in the Doorpost Film Project, with John Gray placing within the top-five out of over six hundred competing submissions. He has taught multi-media production in churches internationally and is currently the Production Specialist at Hope Presbyterian Church.

Brent Diggs: Blogging

Brent Diggs is a writer, speaker, and humorist. He specializes in hybrid presentations that combine prose, video, and live performance, resulting in unique opportunities for creativity and engagement. Recent projects include The Ominous Comma weblog, DangerCouch, and the upcoming video series Mind Over Memphis featuring Dr Harold Toboggans.

Roger Lowther: Music & Mission

Roger W. Lowther was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He began performing and playing in church when he was 13 under the direction of Douglas Marshall. He received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and his Master of Music in Organ Performance from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Dr. John Weaver.

Mr. Lowther won the 1995 American Guild of Organists Region II Young Organists Competition and was a semifinalist in the Denmark International Organ Competition and Calgary International Competition. He has performed throughout the United States including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Paul Recital Hall. He was the organist at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee from 1998 to 2002 and First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee from 2002 to 2004. He has been serving with the Mission to the World Church Planting Team in Japan since 2005.

Roger and his wife, Abi, are part of a new church planting effort in center city Tokyo led by Japanese Pastor Rev. Fukuda. Through concerts and other artistic events, they create opportunities for friendship and evangelism and connect churches to surrounding communities. They often travel and perform with Japanese clarinetist Yoshimi Hirota and other Japanese musicians to encourage growth in the church. They also mentor Japanese Christians in leading worship as well as resourcing and empowering indigenous worship and hymnody.

Roger and Abi hiked across the country for five and a half months in 2002 completing the Pacific Crest Trail as “Black Hawk” and “Strawberry Girl.” The Pacific Crest Trail is 2659 miles long and runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border through California, Oregon, and Washington. They have a six year old, Aidan Hawke, a four year old, Eastin Athelas, and a four month old, Coen Clark. After a year-long home mission assignment, they plan to return to Japan in November 2009.

John Mason Hodges: Transcendence & Music

John Mason Hodges is a conductor, lecturer, composer, and writer. He has been conducting orchestras and choruses since finishing graduate studies in music at Indiana University in 1983. He lectures on aesthetics, education, and music; was Associate Professor of the Arts and Culture at Crichton College for 7 years, during which time he taught classes in worldview, history of Western art and music, and directed theater; and at Crichton was founding director of the Institute for the Arts and Cultural Apologetics. Most recently he has founded and directs the Center for Western Studies, a year-long college-level tutorial program targeting students who want to take a year off before entering college. The Center teaches the history of Western ideas through the great books. He is also a Scholar-in-Residence for the Fellows Initiative (www.thefellowsinitiative.com). He lives in Memphis with Day, his wife of 25 years, and their son Mason who is off to college. He and Day are founding board members of Westminster Academy, a Classical Christian school, where he also teaches the senior Capstone class and trains faculty.

David & Jodi Pierce: multiple sessions

David and Jodi Pierce are the executive directors of Steiger International, which is called to train, equip and release apostolic church planting teams around the world and to raise up evangelistic artists who would impact the trend setters in the fields of art and media with the message of the Cross.

David and Jodi share God's broken heart for the lost. In the early 80s, they started a bible study in Amsterdam on barge behind Central Station for the punks and anarchists of that city. Out of this ministry, David started the band No Longer Music (NLM), an evangelistic tool to reach the "Secular Global Youth Culture".

Using NLM as the vehicle, David and Jodi have gone into some of the most revolutionary, and often dangerous, underground communities in the world to reach people for Jesus. Punks, goths, militants, mercenaries, radical Muslims- David and Jodi have ministered to them all. Their energized and avant-garde use of extreme music and theater to communicate the gospel continues to win lives for Jesus from South America to Siberia.

Today, in addition to their evangelistic ministry, David and Jodi lead an annual 11-week Radical Missions School in New Zealand for those that have a heart for reaching the lost. Every year, 20 to 40 Steiger missionaries are trained, equipped and released into the mission field.

Additionally, David and Jodi are authors and accomplished public speakers. David and Jodi devote time to speaking in churches, universities and other events in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Their topics include sharing God's heart for the lost, seeing God's power demonstrated in your life and much more. Those that hear them speak are always left inspired and challenged.

Their books, including Rock Priest by David and Something Broken; Something Extraordinary by Jodi, have been instrumental in leading people to the Lord, inspiring people to enter into full-time ministry and challenging people to live lives fully committed to the Lord.

Richard Fudge: Painting

Richard Fudge received his BFA from the University of Memphis in 2003. A graphic designer by day, Fudge pursues his passion for painting by creating works in his studio and live on-stage during The Stirring – Hope Church's Sunday evening worship service. As the senior artist and gallery manager at The Stirring, Fudge promotes the enrichment of the worship experience through visual art.

Jack Fox: Creating Space

Jack resides in Terre Haute, Indiana where he is associate pastor of eXchange (exchangemcc.org) and Director of ArtReach (artreachmcc.org). He also serves as vice president of the board of directors for Arts Illiana.

Jacks Artist Statement: So how does one go from being a hospital administrator to a pastor/artist? I had to shake off a lot of layers that had built up over the years. No regrets, just being honest with myself. It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we become comfortable with who we really are and stop trying to live up (or down) to the expectations of others. By “others” I mean people who may genuinely love us but don’t see the whole picture or even get it and maybe try to define us the best they know how.

Maybe that’s why…

I prefer abstractions over realism. I am surrounded by realism already and like the thought of creating something that never existed. Composition and color are the key ingredients for my paintings. I consider a painting finished when I am pleased with the balance, but I can tend to get a little mathematical sometimes and have to walk away. I work mainly in acrylics because I enjoy how fast you can work and the wide variety of mediums that can help escape the boundaries of the canvas.

I enjoy abstract landscapes and cityscapes. I tend to use warm colors for my landscapes and primary colors on my cityscapes with a lot of black. Most of my work has some type of texture to it. Anything is game for adding texture; gels, joint compound, tissue, jute, barbed wire, mouse traps…etc.

Schedule:October 16th & 17th

2009-10-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Friday Night:

Re:Imagine-

Friday night: Pre-event Showcase with Emmanuel School from Nottingham England.

6:15-6:45

The Rehabilitation of Myths 7-7:45

Ben Cumming

Film and Faith 8-9:30

Dan Baker

Saturday Morning:

Re:Engage- Art & Mission

Saturday morning: 8:30-9:45(coffee & pastries)

Piercing the Darkness (Evangelism & The Arts) 10-10:45

David pierce

Creating space 11-11:45

Jack Fox

Break for Lunch- 12-1:30

Music & Mission 1:45-2pm

Roger Lowther

Transcendence in music 2:15-3pm

John Hodges

Break out sessions: 3-3:45pm

Movement (3rd floor in Momentum Dance Studio)

Robin Sanders & Keartra Knox

Poetry (2nd floor in gallery 210’)

Jim Allman

Painting (3rd floor in SCAC studio)

Richard Fudge

Blogging (1st floor in the Abbey)

Brent Diggs aka Dr. Toboggans

Re:Center-

Art’s and Evangelism part 2 4-4:45pm

David Pierce

Radical, Revolutionary & Sane 5-5:45pm

Jodi Pierce

re:Creation

Speaker Bio's

Schedule:October 16th & 17th