Workshop Three

Francisca Ireland-Verwoerd is an ordained Nazarene minister with a PhD in Wesleyan Aesthetics and Art Pedagogy. Although an autoimmune disease does not allow her to work in traditional ministry roles, she fills her time and vocation with occasional teaching, preaching, writing, art making and hospitality.

Francisca, a citizen of the Netherlands and permanent resident of the US, served with her husband, Rev. Dr. Daryl Ireland, as missionary to the Fiji Islands, Taiwan, and in mission administration. After a midlife crisis, Francisca became more intentional about exploring and expressing art and creativity as part of her spiritual life, ministry, and communication. She is currently working on the first mystery novel in a series that features the life and theology of John Wesley. Also on her heart and hands is the construction of a 7.5’ x 36’ art installation called The Wall of Tears, which promotes the cause of the circa 400,000 migrant children that have entered the US unaccompanied in recent years. She has started the non-profit The Wall of Tears Inc. to raise funds for the artwork and the advocacy.

Daryl and Francisca have one daughter, Emma †, and a son, Alexander who is a senior at Trevecca Nazarene University.

About the Workshop: Based on Rev. Dr. Ireland-Verwoerd’s doctoral studies, training, PhD dissertation, articles, blogs, book chapters and extensive teaching experience with art and embodied practices, this workshop presents the neuroscience behind the transformational power of art viewing and “doing” and leads the participants through various exercises. The participatory part of the workshop follows a template that allows anyone with an interest in and affinity for embodied practice, aesthetics, creative expressions, and art to begin accessing this more “right-brain realm.”

Outcomes:  Participants will have a good grasp of the science behind pedagogy with art and the need for this pedagogy if our goal as ministers is to lead our people into more whole and holy lives. From the presentation and the experience of the exercises, the potential for transformation in spiritual life will become evident.

About the Workshop: Participants in this workshop will explore how spiritual direction is a tool for spiritual formation. They will learn to identify three tools of spiritual direction for growing in personal spiritual and empowered ministry. This workshop will be interactive, giving participants the opportunity to practice “sacred silence” with one another. 

Called to create opportunities for others to experience God at work, Rev. Donna S. Carlile is an ordained elder and ecclesiastically endorsed chaplain in the Church of the Nazarene. She currently serves as lead pastor to a multicultural congregation in Lake Worth Beach, Florida; services Palm Beach County, Florida as a hospice chaplain; and leads a shared campus with 3 unique language-speaking congregations: Haitian Creole, Spanish, and English. Further, Donna is a board-certified chaplain, spiritual director, and spiritual care consultant. Following her undergraduate degree in religion from Trevecca Nazarene University (2003) and Master of Divinity specializing in evangelism from Nazarene Theological Seminary (2007), Donna is now completing her Doctor of Ministry in spiritual formation and spiritual direction from Fuller Theological Seminary. With over 20 years of ministry experience, Donna has served Jesus as pastor in Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas. Through professional civilian chaplaincy, Donna has served hospice and palliative care patients, families, and communities in Florida, California, and Oregon. Donna and her husband have been married for nearly 20 years, have 2 teenage daughters, and treasure life in Florida.

About the Workshop: Spiritual abuse, religious trauma, and church hurt are filling podcasts, documentaries, and our social media feeds. However, abuse at the hand of religious leaders is not new and our God has a plan of healing and restoration. In Jeremiah 23, in response to corrupt shepherds, God says he will rise up new shepherds. Today, this is a call female pastors are uniquely positioned to answer. Will we be these new shepherds? Will the daughters of God rise up and prophesy healing in the face of abuse? This workshop will equip participants with trauma-informed ministry practices that they might use their unique female prophetic voice to gather those who have been scattered and bind up those who have been shattered.

Kayleigh Clark is a lover of Jesus and his church. She is an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church and a ThD candidate at Kairos University. Her current dissertation research seeks to identify a path towards healing for congregations who have experienced internal collective trauma. She is the founder of Restor(y) a resourcing, training, and consulting ministry dedicated to partnering with local churches on the journey towards healing. Kayleigh lives in Maryland with her husband Nate and their son Timothy where she has the privilege of shepherding a wonderful group of people at The River, a dinner church that meets in her living room. When she is not writing, studying, or imagining ways towards a healthier church, Kayleigh can be found outside with her family or in pursuit of the best local chai tea latte. 

About the Workshop: The goal of this workshop is for participants to overcome barriers and raise awareness that exist for women with disabilities to experience full inclusion in professional ministry. Daughters with disabilities are included in the prophesying daughters spoken of in Acts 2, and participants will walk through applicable scriptures highlighting these daughters. Participants will be challenged to identify barriers and obstacles that exist in the church for persons with disabilities, specifically those in ministry or those called into ministry. Participants will also be given resources and tools to address these challenges.

Rev. Kari Morris-Guzman has been an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church since 2000. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministries from Greenville (College) University in 1996, and a Master’s of Divinity degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2007. Kari has served in three Free Methodist Churches as an Associate Pastor, and is currently serving at The Avenue Church in Riverside, California. She lives in Riverside with her 12 year old daughter, Grace.

About the Workshop: Acts 2:17-18 articulates God’s divine plan, that women and men are both fully empowered to prophesy (i.e., teaching and proclaiming God’s Word). However, the reality is that even in traditions and denominations theoretically supportive of this egalitarian vision, women sometimes experience barriers that hinder their ability to fulfill this calling. This workshop will report recent research describing the barriers and opportunities women clergy face in their own words, and invite male co-laborers to consider ways in which we might better show up as listeners first to the unique stories of the women leaders around us.

Rev. Jason Le Shana is an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church USA and a PhD candidate in Organizational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University (graduation anticipated later in 2024). His current research is focused on promoting a better understanding of the lived experiences of women senior pastors in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition. Jason has previously served in youth and worship ministry positions in local churches within the Evangelical Friends Church and the Free Methodist Church. He is currently serving at Baylor University as the Program Director for the Religion & Disability Initiative. Jason’s wife Stephanie served as a Families Ministries Pastor in the local church for seven years and is now a full-time professional photographer. Stephanie and Jason love that they are currently living the “good old days” of parenthood, raising their three boys Elijah (10), Micah (9), and Jude (5) along with the real family MVP, Lucy the rambunctious golden retriever.