Rev. Dr. Elizabeth S. Tapia

The Rev. Elizabeth S. Tapia, Ph.D. is a Filipina theologian, educator and pastor. She grew up in a Methodist home in a fishing village of Bulacan, near Manila, Philippines.

Trained as deaconess, theologian and pastor both in the Philippines and the United States, Elizabeth has been active in promoting ecumenism, Asian women's theologies, and human rights advocacy.

From 2002-2005, Dr. Tapia was on the Staff of the World Council of Churches as Fulltime Lecturer in Missiology at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland. Prior to that, she taught Systematic Theology for ten years at Union Theological Seminary, Philippines.

In June 2007, she started her work at Drew University and Theological School as Director of Center for Christianities in Global Contexts.

She earned her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Religion and Theology from Claremont Graduate University. Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion. BA from Harris Memorial College in Manila. Her fields of research interest include cross-cultural reflection, mission and immigration.

Her spouse, Alan Cogswell, is also an ordained pastor, a counselor and healer.

Drew Center for Christianities in Global Context

On December 5, 2006 the Drew Center for Christianities in Global Context was launched at Drew University Seminary Chapel. The Center was established for reflection, research and "modeling" of the place and practices of Christianity in a global context.

The Center represents a much-needed response to and deep reflection on the meaning and impact of Christianity's growth with a tremendous "southward/eastward" shift. In a globalized and pluralistic world it is important to value the meaning and implications of this shift for theological education, the graduate study of religion, mission, and the churches.

Bishop Mark L. MacDonald

In 2007 The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald assumed office as the Anglican Church of Canada's first National Indigenous Bishop after serving about 10 years as Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Diocese of Alaska where he was consecrated bishop on Sept. 13, 1997.

His formal education includes a B.A. in religious studies and psychology at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, an MA in Divinity from Wycliffe College in Toronto, and post-graduate work at Luther-Northwestern Theological Seminary in Minneapolis.

Bishop MacDonald has had a long and varied ministry, holding positions in Mississauga, Ont., Duluth, MN; Tomah, WI and Mauston, WI; Portland, OR; and the Southeast Regional mission of the diocese of Navajoland. Immediately prior to his ordination to the episcopate, Bishop MacDonald was Canon Missioner for Training in the Diocese of MN and vicar of St. Antipas' Church, Redby, and St. John-in-the-Wilderness Church, Red Lake, Red Lake Nation.

He has served on the board of The Indigenous Theological Training Institute; the faculty of Leadership Academy for New Directions (Land XXVIII); and, a trustee of the Charles Cook Theological School in Tempe, AZ; and is the Board Chair for Church Innovations, Inc., member of the Episcopal Council of Indian Ministries, Member of the Governor's Council on Suicide Prevention (AK), President of Alaska Christian Conference. He is also a Third Order Franciscan.

Among his published works are "Native American Youth Ministries," co-authored with Dr. Carol Hampton and published in Resource Book for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults, the Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY, 1995; "It's in the Font: Sacramental Connections between faith and environment," Soundings, July 6, 1994, Vol. 16, No. 5; and A Strategy for Growth for the Episcopal Church: Joining Multiculturalism and Evangelism, Inter-Cultural Ministry Development, San Jose, CA, 1994. He co-edited Liturgical Studies IV, just released by the Church Publishing Company.

Married to Virginia Sha Lynn, they have three children: daughters Rose May Li (17), Brenna Li (15), and one son, Adrian Blake (8).

Rev. Dr. Russell Daye

Through his Pastoral work, academic studies, writing, workshop leadership, and lecturing Rev. Dr. Russell Daye has engaged both local and global Christianity in social ethics, theology, world religions, and reconciliation.

Since 2005 Rev. Dr. Russell Daye has been the Minister at St. Andrews United Church in Halifax Nova Scotia. Previously he served Pastoral charges in the Quebec Eastern Townships and Northeast Newfoundland.

In 2002 he received his Ph.D. from the Department of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal where he studied in the Comparative Ethics stream learning about the relationship between religion and social, political and economic challenges in a variety of countries and studying the world's major religions. For his dissertation he studied the reconciliation process in South Africa and did field work in South Africa in churches, mosques and African townships. He also received an M.Div at United Theological College at McGill University in Montreal, which included fieldwork in congregations and overseas. He holds a B.A. (Honours in Psychology) from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. As a lecturer at McGill University and Concordia University, Dr. Daye taught courses like "Church in Context" and Christianity in a Global Perspective".

Dr. Daye served as United Church of Canada International Personnel in Fiji where he participated in Fiji's national Reconciliation process. He was an advisor to the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education, and Advocacy (ECREA) in Suva, Fiji as well as an advisor to Fiji's Ministry of National Unity and Reconciliation. These roles included workshops and speeches for the Parliament of the Fiji Islands, the Society of Economists, and the University of the South Pacific. He was a lecturer at the Pacific Theological College, Suva, Fiji in a wide range of courses in ethics, theology, and world religions.

Dr. Daye is the author of Political Forgiveness: Lessons from South Africa (Orbis Books) as well as a large number of publications on topics including Reconciliation, Non-violence, and Globalization and Christianity.

Dr. Daye was a member of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition Atlantic Observer Project at Burnt Church, New Brunswick. He is currently co-chair of the Living into Right Relations Task Group (right relations with First Nations) of the United Church of Canada, the chair of the Task for on Aboriginal Relations and Concerns of Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada and the chair of Halifax Presbytery's Gospel, Ecumenism and Theology Committee. Over the years he has been a member of a number of agencies and committees working on issues such as social justice, education, advocacy and theological education.

He describes the passions of his life as including: time with his partner Fiona and sons Sam (7) and Will (5); messing about with preaching and homiletics; and time in nature.