Rev. Dr. Patrick B. Reyes

Rev. Dr. Patrick B. Reyes is President of Auburn Theological Seminary and an ordained pastor, educator, author, and parent. A Chicano leader whose work centers on healing, vocation, intergenerational leadership, and imagination, Patrick helps communities draw upon the wisdom and love of those who came before while creating conditions for a more loving and healed future for the generations who follow.

At Auburn, Patrick oversees the seminary’s vision and strategy and works to identify and equip leaders with healing and future-focused practices. He is the designer of Faithful Futures™, Auburn’s immersive intergenerational leadership simulation, and has written and spoken widely on leadership, vocation, love, children, and imagining a healed future.

His work has been recognized by universities and national organizations, including induction into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars. He has also served in leadership with the Children’s Defense Fund, the American Academy of Religion, the Religious Education Association, and the Forum for Theological Exploration.

Patrick is the author of The Purpose Gap, Nobody Cries When We Die, and his newest book, Pedagogy of the Ancestors: Practices and Teachings for Future Generations, published in September 2026.

Junha Kim

Junha Kim is Associate Pastor for Youth, Mission & Service, and Community Engagement at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Northeast Portland. A 1.5 generation immigrant from Korea, he developed a heart for intersectional allyship and justice while growing up in Los Angeles.

A pastor and activist, Junha writes and preaches from a liberationist theological perspective and advocates for justice, equity, reparative reform, and universal human rights. He studied at UC Berkeley and Vanderbilt Divinity School and is pursuing doctoral work in Comparative Theology and Ethics.

Rev. Chris Dela Cruz

Rev. Chris Dela Cruz is Director of Youth Initiatives with Together Lab, where he helps build community power and cultivates belonging for young people through the Youth Solidarity Movement.

An ordained Presbyterian pastor and proud son of Filipino immigrants, Chris has served congregations in New Jersey, New York, and Oregon and has worked in intergenerational ministry, community organizing, Indigenous land-back efforts, and youth wellbeing.

the rev. abby mohaupt

The rev. abby mohaupt is Director of the Garrett Collective at Garrett Theological Seminary. Her academic and ministry work focuses on climate justice, faith, and the courageous grassroots leadership of environmental justice movements.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), abby has organized around climate justice in the PC(USA) and around the world. She is co-author of Climate Justice, Climate Hope: A Moral Economy.

Kevin Nye

Kevin Nye is a writer, speaker, and housing-justice advocate focused on ending homelessness through evidence-based practice and community partnership. He is cofounder and director of the National Faith Coalition to End Homelessness.

Kevin is the author of Grace Can Lead Us Home and Hope for the Mission and frequently teaches and preaches about how congregations can welcome unhoused neighbors and support policies that actually work.

Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman

Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman is Director of Branding and Founding Creative Partner of A Sanctified Art, a collaborative arts ministry serving church leaders and spiritual seekers. A Presbyterian pastor, artist, visual exegete, and theologian, Lauren uses visual art to explore the complexity of scripture and invites others to discover their own creative voice.

Kim Mendoza

Kim Mendoza believes everyone has a song to sing and seeks to live with eyes and heart wide open to the work of the Holy Spirit. A Filipino-American pastor and musician, Kim has led music at Mo-Ranch, Massanetta Springs, and Montreat Conference Centers and currently serves as Associate Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Flower Mound, Texas.

Beth Neel

Beth Neel is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a member-at-large of the Presbytery of the Cascades. She has written liturgy for the Follow Me curriculum, the 222nd General Assembly, and Stewardship Kaleidoscope. After living in nine states, Beth is happy to call Portland home.

Lanie Sipes

Lanie Sipes is Associate Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Newark, Ohio, and Moderator of the PC(USA)’s Educator Certification Committee. She loves imaginative and creative approaches to faith formation and worship and is helping design APCE’s 2027 Spirituality Center as a place for prayer, reflection, play, and sacred connection.

With gratitude to the Synod of the Pacific for helping make the 2027 APCE Spirituality Center possible through their generous sponsorship.