Chimes
FALL 2025
The start-up bus with a mission
By Elizabeth Conway ’26 and Rebecca Parker ’26
I
n January 2025, three buses departed Denver, Chicago, and Princeton, New Jersey, with 35 theological students, faculty, staff, and documentary filmmakers. We headed to New Orleans to learn about, generate, and pitch start-up ministries. Students came from SFTS, Princeton, Austin, Multnomah, Baylor, and Wesley seminaries to see unique new ways of reaching and building congregations and ministry services. The group was diverse in perspective, gender, race, sexuality, age, and religion. The project was supported by a grant from Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City.
Traveling from Denver, SFTS seminarians visited eight start-up ministries in six locations before arriving in New Orleans. We saw many of these ministries in action, learning about funding, service types, populations served, inspiration, successes, and challenges. From forging guns into garden tools to creating community space for a neurodivergent congregation, the work of these ministries was creative and thoughtful.
We teamed up to design and pitch our own start-up ideas. Faculty helped us develop the start-up ministry focus and pitch teams, name the idea, build a brand, envision a marketing strategy, ideate funding and profitability, list resource needs and budgeting, craft launch timelines, articulate Biblical foundations, and practice the pitches— an invaluable exercise in distilled Start-Up 101 Mentoring.
Traveling through the southwest and south reminded us that our lives rest heavily on the backs of peoples who were colonized. We visited a Native American boarding school in Oklahoma which raised awareness on systems of church-enabled white supremacy. We stopped at the site of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, remembering historic injustice and resistance.
At last, SFTS faculty and students rose to numerous occasions with patience, creativity, and grace in moment-by-moment ministry outside of the walls to the church, together.
News for Alumni & Friends of San Francisco Theological Seminary at University of Redlands
(Top right) The Mountain Springs Aquaponica greenhouse, a ministry set up by the Mountain Springs Church, that provides free fresh produce for the community.
(Bottom right) At the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, from left: SFTS students Elizabeth Conway, Lamont Hartman, and Rebecca Parker; Carl Hildebrand, Center for Faith and Justice; SFTS student Ivan Herman; and SFTS Professor John Falcone.
Passings
Passings reflect deaths from March 30, 2024 to Aug. 25, 2025*
James Zeek ’61, Dec. 22, 2024.
James Huffstutler ’63, July 16, 2025.
Gary Reif ’79, June 8, 2025.
Ken Sunoo ’12, Aug. 1, 2024.
Class notes
Class Notes reflect submissions from Feb. 22, 2025 to Aug. 22, 2025
1960’s
R. Alan James ’60, ’63 continues to direct the Institute of Theological and Interdisciplinary Studies in Stillwater, Minnesota. He and Ruth A. James are well. Mrs. James is still teaching folk dance. Alan states that life is lovely, rich and challenging. For those interested in correspondence, he offers his email, alan@astonishme.org.
Dick Kite ’62 is approaching his 87th birthday. Struggling with neuropathy in both legs, he has curtailed his woodworking ambitions; no more flute or drum making. Dick still facilitates a once-a-month gathering of Native American flute players and drummers at Silver Glen Cooperative Senior Living Facility in Bellevue, Washington, where the Kites live. For fellow residents, they have organized a program called Saturday Afternoon Live with visiting musicians; direct a Choir Chimes group; and publish a quarterly publication with writings of the residents.
Tom Owen-Towle ’67 wrote Living with Purpose and Integrity: A Fresh Perspective on the Ten Commandments to reimagine the Decalogue to discover timeless truths as a beacon for honest and sacred living during our tumultuous times.
R. Michael “Mike” McLellan ’69, ’75 is still active in ministry. Since retiring from his parish in 2005, he has been serving as a chaplain with Sutter Hospitals. In 2002, the city of Tracy, California, named him Professional of the Year; in 2022, he was named Citizen of the Year for his contributions to the city’s non-profits. Mike married his college sweetheart Marietta Williams just as he began his first year at SFTS. They are celebrating their 59th anniversary this year. Mike adds, regarding the Humble Brags opportunity in these pages, “I have never been described as humble...”
Janet Wolfe ’69, at the age of 85, has retired from most activities. However, she still does a lot of work for her church, First Presbyterian in Marshfield, Wisconsin. She is a retired pastor who served a church near Marshfield, First Presbyterian, Arpin, which is small but still going strong with the help of a lay pastor.
1970’s
Choo Lak Yeow ’71 recently published a book Reeradicate Racism, A Quest for a Level Playing Field, written with Samuel Wong. He is also the author of 2023’s White Privilege in Transition. A former British subject from Singapore, Choo Lak Yeow writes on his experiences of white privilege. His 30-year ministry in theological education has taken him to 59 countries. This include 11 years in the parish ministry in Malaysia and America plus three years of the Touch-a-Heart beach-and-park ministry to the houseless in Waianae, O`ahu. He wishes all “Aloha and mahalo nui loa.”
Elizabeth “Beth” Kelsey ’75 spent 15 years in pastoral ministry and 23 years in mental health work. Currently, after five years of retirement, Beth is serving the United Parish (Presbyterian USA and United Methodist Church) in Bottineau, North Dakota.
Ronald Lee Cobb ’77 just published his eighth book, Ten Thousand Meditations on Love. Ron was inspired by the Sufi mystic named Rumi, a spiritual writer who continues to inspire followers of Islam, Judaism, and Jesus.
1980’s
Joseph Kang ’81 announces his memoir Rolling Stone, Journey into the Global Village. He and wife Hannah have lived at Monte Vista Grove Homes in Pasadena, California, since retiring in 2011 from their Mission Co-Workers’ ministry in Zomba, Malawi, and St. Petersburg, Russia. Last year, Joseph translated Herman C. Waetjen’s Christianity as the Moral Order of Integration into Korean. His article “Theology of Gawani: Toward Interconnectedness and Wholeness of Life” appears in Dr. Dong In Baek’s book Reimagining Liberation: Gawani Theology and Hermeneutical Perspectives in the Malawian Context
Dana L. Brown ’83 excitedly reports her retirement. Since SFTS, she has been living in Oregon and has had a diverse career serving a parish, directing a welfare rights nonprofit, co-directing a tenant’s union, public policy advocacy for county social services, a short stint as executive staff to a county commissioner, and decades self-employed as a nonprofit consultant. Now she volunteers for a cat rescue and a dance organization, supports efforts to preserve democracy, travels with her wife of 21 years, cares for their dog Bubba, and enjoys their lovely home in Portland. Love and hugs to old friends and colleagues!
Diana (Tobé) Louise Crowe ’86 passed two years ago, in 2023, at the age of 94. Diana earned a master’s degree from SFTS in pastoral counseling and was proud of it. Daughter Elizabeth recalls that for her mother, typing her thesis prior to computers was a chore. Elizabeth enjoys receiving email from SFTS as it reminds her of mom.
John Hasenjaeger ’86 was privileged to be part of the German Summer School of the Pacific’s production of Mozart’s Magic Flute and was able to sing a couple of the bass arias. At first, he was a little shaky on the low F and F# required, but after a couple of weeks’ practice, those low notes came back!
Mary A. Hansen ’88 has moved to Oxford in Florida where she occupies a suite in assisted living. She shares that she enjoys it!
Mike Wheeler ’89 is finishing his third year as Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, and his 31st year as pastor at Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church in Spokane, Washington.
1990’s
Peter Maier ’93 continued his ministry through 2018, flourishing thanks to his education from SFTS professors, Chaplain Howard Rice, the GTU, and the grace of God and many Spirits of Holiness. He came out of retirement in 2019 for his last official pastoring at Point Reyes Presbyterian. His wife Ruth McCreight passed in 2024, and he credits a spouse loss support group with Yolo Cares for carrying him through the life-changing process.
Louise Westfall ’94 retired in February after 45 years of ordained pastoral ministry in five congregations. She lives in Denver, Colorado, and continues to pursue justice, music, and grandparenting.
*Only if the notification date is between Feb. 22, 2025 and Aug. 22, 2025
Choo Lak Yeow ’71 has a new book, Reeradicate Racism, A Quest for a Level Playing Field.
Joseph Kang ’81 wrote a memoir titled Rolling Stone, Journey into the Global Village.