The 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) called for the formation of a Climate for Change Task Force. The following individuals have been named to the committee by the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th GA, in consultation with the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns, the associate for Cultural Proficiency, and the General Assembly Nominating Committee.
Elder Colby Anderson is a senior at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where he is majoring in business marketing and minoring in religion. He has been involved in many levels of the PC(USA), participating in music programs in his congregation and serving on committees. He attended the 216th General Assembly (2004) as a youth advisory delegate. In 2008, he served the Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys as elder commissioner.
Elder Yvonne Armstrong is the executive assistant to the general manager of administration at the New York City Housing Authority. She has also worked in the agency’s unit, charged with ensuring that it adheres to laws relating to equal employment and fair housing and provides services to people with disabilities. Armstrong is an ordained deacon and elder in the PC(USA) and has served on her presbytery’s committees on ministry and representation. She is moderator-elect of the Presbytery of New York City.
The Rev. Cathy Chang is a pastoral resident in a two-year Transition into Ministry program at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Penn. She has served as the vice moderator of the Asian Association at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2004, she joined the PC(USA)’s Racial Ethnic Young Women Together core leadership team and served a two-year term as co-moderator, starting in 2005. In 2006, she received anti-racism training through the Multicultural Church Institute at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.
The Rev. Hardy H. Kim is the associate for church growth at First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. A graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary, Kim has also served as a Lilly Pastoral Resident at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. While in seminary, he served in several capacities, including moderator of student session, student representative to the board of trustees, member of the Asian American Ministries Task Force, and co-founder of an Asian-American student organization. From 1997-98, Kim was a Young Adult Volunteer in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Rev. Al Masters is interim chaplain at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. He is also a contributing author to Feasting on the Word. Masters enjoys working with young adults and served on the Young Adult Ministry Consultation of the PC(USA) and the General Executive Board of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga.
The Rev. Diane Givens Moffett, (chairperson of the committee) is pastor of Saint James Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C. She is the author of Beyond Greens and Cornbread: Reflections of African American Christian Identity. She has 21 years of experience in parish ministry and has served three congregations, creating an environment for change and growth. Moffett earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Berkeley and her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.
The Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes is the associate executive presbyter at Winnebago Presbytery, where she works with groups focused on mission, communication, leadership development, connectional ministries, youth ministry, congregational and presbytery-wide transformation, and advocacy ministries. She also works with ecclesiastical bodies on organizational issues as a facilitator and consultant.
The Rev. Jose Olagues is the associate executive for congregational resourcing at the Presbytery of Grand Canyon. In this position, he assists 70 varied congregations across Arizona in several areas, including Christian education, leadership development, mission, evangelism, stewardship, and social justice. Olagues has volunteered as an educator in developing leadership skills among racial ethnic lay members. He attended seminary after an early retirement from the corporate world, where he worked in human resources.