2015 Intern Class
Learn more about our apprenticeship and residencies
Rachel Breyer
Tempe, Arizona
Hi! My name is Rachel Breyer! I am originally from Phoenix, Arizona, where I have begun "Church Baby" with a friend. Churchbaby is a living room small group made up of wandering millennial that gather bi-weekly to discuss Christian scripture and the ways in which it potentially could be helpful to our generation. Churchbaby is made up of individuals who, while many have been wounded or exiled from the church, still have a hunch that there is intrinsic meaning in the stories and culture of Christ. Churchbaby uses scripture as the center of the table, along with Søren Kierkegaard’s Works of Love and Mike McHargue’s “Axioms about Faith”. This experiment meets people in their context by following two fundamental beliefs – that any leadership must be reflective of the context of the members of churchbaby, and that honesty and respect for honesty is first and foremost in all gatherings. This experiment provides potential for transformation by opening doors for people to understand that life centered in love for neighbor is possible, and that Christianity is a wide and vast stream of beliefs that has room at the table for all. I am working on my M.Div at Fuller Theological Seminary. I decided to be a part of the 1001 internship to discern how I can better serve who God has called me to love.
Ryan Dahlstrom
Los Angeles, California
I am passionate and concerned about learning what it means to create safe places for people to encounter Jesus in this society. I am a spandex wearing cyclist who coaches football.
Jason Floyd
Los Angeles, California
I want gain experience in establishing a new worshipping community from people who have done it, and enhance the gifts God has given me. I would also like to meet and fellowship with others who have similar goals. I am excited to see what the Holy Spirit will do with us through this experience. Something unique about me? I love music, I have a huge collection of records
Hector Herrera, III
Chino Hills, California/ Princeton, New Jersey
My name is Hector Herrera III and l will be attending Princeton Theological Seminary this September for a masters in Divinity, hoping to be ordained in as Presbyterian minister. I graduated University of California, Irvine (UCI) 2014 majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Law. During my time at UCI, I co-founded a tutoring company, that services Southern California, called Genesis with my fiancé. This last year I was a math and and science teacher for a middle school in Los Angeles.
Pelle Kviesgaard
Los Angeles, California/ Aarhus, Denmark
I am Pelle all the way from Denmark, so forgive my bad grammar.
I studied at Fuller Seminary back in the autumn and somehow ended up in Northland Village Church, where I met Nick and Whitney. They mentioned something about a Church Planting Cohort and ever since I've been working on getting in. I wanna learn more, from those guys... Uniqueness: Nope, but I have been told by other people, mostly my mum, that I am unique.
Elizabeth, Leu
Pasadena, California
I spent most of my childhood in Dallas, Texas, although I moved a lot when I was growing up. Now I live in Pasadena, California, and work in Los Angeles. I have non-denominational, somewhat reformed and a little bit Pentecostal Charismatic background. I felt called to pastoral ministry and interned/worked at a few churches that emphasized discipleship-making and church planting. When I graduated from Fuller with my MDiv, I got a job with a Presbyterian church in LA. As I prayerfully discerned God's call for me, I had this vision of a Gospel-centered, multicultural, charismatic, Presbyterian church. That I began to pray about church planting and decided to join this program. I just started my ordination process with the PCUSA. I moved a lot when I was growing up, so I am highly adaptable and don't have a very strong sense of belonging to any particular group. But I absolutely belong to Christ, and I identify myself as an Evangelical Christian first before I think about my gender, ethnicity or work. My faith in Jesus Christ makes me special.
Kelvin Martinez
Pasadena, California
I went to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and I have a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I will be graduating from Fuller Seminary with my M.Div., with a concentration in Christina Ethics, in June of 2015. I love music and am a huge comedy fan. I lost a regional spelling bee in fifth grade because I misspelled cofee.
Cat Moore
Glendale, California
Cat Moore studied philosophy & literature at USC under Dallas Willard and intellectual history at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Previously an applied philosopher for the Los Angeles Unified School District studying leadership development, character, and relationships, she happily retired in order to begin her second and most-rewarding career as a Mom. In 2010, Cat launched her first creative brand with "The World of Grablatch Jukeberry," an online adventure into whimsical paintings, cartoons, photography, sketch comedy and short stories. She has spent seven years in the same neighborhood Starbucks, building community as a lay counselor and friend. These experiences are coming together into a book, podcast series and curriculum: "Our Cafe: brewing up some local love." She also directs Creative Communications for a US non-profit, manages an apartment complex, frequents the ballet studio, drinks English Breakfast tea like there's no tomorrow, and hopes to get her son a puppy soon because, let's face it, cats just aren't the same.
Zack Nyein
New Haven, Connecticut
Zack Nyein is a rising third-year student at the Yale Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music where he preparing for ordination in the Episcopal Church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) where he also served as the Lead Peer Minister for the Tyson House Episcopal-Lutheran Campus Ministry. After college he was called to revitalize the campus ministry within a struggling congregation at the University of Tennessee (Chattanooga) and was a founding member of Southside Abbey; an innovative new worshiping committed to reclaiming the notion of a geographical "parish" while striving to reach the "un-churched," "anti-churched," and "over-churched" with Christ's message of reconciliation in a heavily gentrified, segregated, and secularized urban neighborhood. During the past year of study he interned with Trinity Church-on-the-Green in New Haven where he used his interests in liturgy, mission, and the arts to facilitate the development of a new Monday evening communion service centered around a full meal. A native Southerner, Zack is thrilled to spend the summer on the West Coast experiencing a new culture and growing in the Body of Christ.
Chris Romine
Pasadena, California/ Hoboken, New Jersey
My name is Chris Romine and I'm a second year MDiv student at Fuller. My wife and I moved out to Pasadena from Hoboken, NJ after hearing the call to come to seminary. At that time she was running a Celebrate Recovery and I was working for a church, having just planted one in a neighboring city. I love the 1001 Worshiping Communities movement as well as all of PCUSA's church planting initiative, and hope to be one of many in a new generation of church planters. Something interesting? I'm not that interesting! My middle name is Grant, which is a family name carried down from Ulysses S Grant.
Brendan Ashley
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hey, I am Brendan Ashley and I currently live in Pittsburgh, PA and attend Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I am one year away from graduating with an Mdiv. I am married to Ashley Ashley, and we have a cat named Augustine. I love studying mission and prospect of detecting how the Lord is at work today in the U.S. landscape. I enjoy my time in the gym, as a way to release pent up energy. Last thing, I really love soccer, especially Arsenal and the Seattle Sounders.
Beau Dansizen
Avon Lake, Ohio
I am the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Avon Lake Presbyterian Church, a mid-sized church just outside of Cleveland. I am a distance student at Dubuque Theological Seminary. I am extremely passionate for mission, especially youth and young adult missions. I believe that mission is the heart of the church, and that we need to explore new ways to remain a viable church with a mission focus, utilizing different ideas for funding, worship, organization, etc. in order to achieve our goals for Christ. I am often told that I think outside the box, that I see things differently, and that I can communicate these things effectively, often making the mundane interesting and exciting.
Gracie Hellweg
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
My name is Gracie Hellweg and I live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I chose to be a part of this internship because there is clearly something new and beautiful happening in how we understand the Body of Christ in post-Christendom and I wish to join God in that work; I'm seeking to understand my call with greater clarity; and, in many ways it was an act of obedience to God. I work full-time in youth ministry at a local church but am able to use my sixteen years of ballet training to teach dance at a small studio.
Lih-Wen Lee
Dubuque, Iowa
My name is Lih-Wen Lee. My English name is Tina. I come from Taiwan. I can speak Taiwanese, Chinese and English. I just graduated from University of Dubuque Theological Seminary this May. My major is Missional Christianity. I participated in campus ministry when I was in Taiwan since 1998. Currently, I participate in the University of Dubuque international students’ ministry (especially Chinese-speaking students). That is why I chose to be a part of 1001 New Worshiping Communities.
Perzavia Praylow
Columbia, South Carolina/ Decatur, Georgia
Perzavia Praylow is from the northeast with native roots in the sea islands of South Carolina. Raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, she graduated from Drew University 2002. She competed Ph.D studies in American/African American History at the University of Illiniois-Champagne in 2012. During her time in Illinois, she was ordained as a minister and Elder at The Church Of the Living God. For the last two years she has navigated being a full time history professor and seminary student. During her first semester at Columbia Seminary while doing research on the PC(USA) ordination process and the history of African American Presbyterian churches she learned about the 1001 NWC movement. Perzavia is currently under care of Trinity Presbytery and a member of New Faith Presbyterian Church (Greenwood, SC). She is a third year MDIV student with an expected graduation date of May 2016. Perzavia is also a second-level 1001 NWC intern (2014-2015) during which she started a new missional ministry among older adults in Decatur, GA. Drawing upon her previous experiences mentoring, teaching and journeying alongside young adults in their Christian faith, Perzavia is interested in starting and sustaining a new missional ministry among unchurched, de-churched and disconnected young adults in the greater Columbia area during her 2015-2016 intern year. When she is not teaching and writing about the history of race relations in the South, she is most passionate about journeying alongside of others as they discover and live into their fullest potential in God through a personal relationship with Christ.
Katy Steinberg
Ormond Beach, Florida
Katy Steinberg is the daughter of a PCUSA pastor, J. Lawrence Cuthill, and registered nurse, the late Susan Cuthill. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2003 with a Bachelors in Business and minors in Mass Communications and Economics. After a fruitful but short career in business, she felt undeniably called to seminary and enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary in 2005. Life, however, had different plans, and she took a break from classes to strengthen her relationship with husband Jeff, grow their family by two (Macie: 4 and Sadie:2), and be with her mom during her final days. Katy’s call continued to nudge despite the twists and turns of life, and she soon found herself enrolled in the distance MDiv program at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. This portion of her story led her to a firm call to grow the Kingdom through 1001 New Worshiping Communities. She has now graduated with her MDiv and is actively planting the Missing Peace worshiping community and seeking ordination. Katy loves to spend time with friends and family and is excited to pursue a vocation that facilitates that love.
Julia Watkins
Decatur, Georgia/ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Following my 2014 graduation from Davidson College, I began the MDiv program at Columbia Theological Seminary, not far from where I grew up in Atlanta. Now, I'm spending a year working full-time to complete my supervised ministry requirements at Covenant Presbyterian in Charlotte and Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, respectively. I'm interning with 1,001 because I'm passionate about affecting change one relationship at a time, and I'm seeking innovative models for community that points people towards the Good News in a rapidly changing world. Oh! And a fun fact: I studied abroad in Jordan and Morocco and am trying hard not to forget the Arabic I learned!
Chih-Ho Wu
Dubuque, Iowa
My name is Chih-Ho Wu. My English name is Moses. I come from Taiwan. I can speak Taiwanese, Chinese and English. I studied my M.Div. in Taiwan. I am a pastor of Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT). I also graduated from University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in 2004 with my Master degree in Art of Religion. I participated in campus ministry when I was in Taiwan since 1991. Currently, I participate in the University of Dubuque international students’ ministry (especially Chinese-speaking students). That is why I chose to be a part of 1001 New Worshiping Communities with my spouse, Lih-Wen Lee. We are planting a NWC together in Iowa.
Sammie Evans
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
My name is Sammie Evans, and I am a pastoral associate at Broad Street Ministry. I have been working here the past year as an AmeriCorps member, doing volunteer coordinating and providing social services. In addition to that, I am a pastor to our resident worshiping community, providing pastoral care and leading worship. I am really excited to do this residency program next year because I will get to stay at a place that I love and feel called to be, and I will be able to focus more on the worshipping community and grow in my identity as a pastoral leader in a church setting that is innovative. A fun fact about me is that I love to can vegetables, fruits, and even meats with my mom!
Taylor Telford
Washington/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As a recent M.Div. graduate from Princeton Theological Seminary, I am greatly looking forward to the "hands-on" theological education and formation that will take place during my time as a 1001 resident. I have a passion for the church and am eager to live into the incarnational vocation of the body of Christ in a particular context. Having grown up in Idaho and studied in Washington state, I have a deep love for mountains, open spaces, and all the accompanying activities. Even though I will be participating in ministry in an urban area on the East Coast, I cannot wait to return to the Northwest and be a part of God's mission in an area so close to my heart.
Internship and Residency Leadership
Sara Hayden
Atlanta, Georgia
Sara Hayden heads up internships and residency programs for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement, and is the southeastern catalyst for this initiative. She owes her best training to her parents and her pastor, Jay McKell, who were a part of starting a new worshiping community in Overland Park, Kansas, throughout her childhood. Prior to being a part of 1001, Sara served for five years directing church planning efforts as Executive Director of the New Church Development Commission, based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a graduate of Truman State University, the University of Havana in Cuba, and Columbia Theological Seminary. She is thrilled to continue resourcing communities, churches and leaders as they pursue new expressions of church that both seek the welfare of and reflect the God-given gifts of their communities. She and her husband, Chris Henry, live in Atlanta, Georgia with their son Samuel.
Andy Greenhow
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Andy is the Minister of Stewardship, Congregational Partnership & Belonging at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia and the cohort leader for the first-ever 1001 Residents! He grew up locally but has since lived in Toronto, Canada, Nottingham, England, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Princeton, New Jersey. He did Cinema Studies, Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, and Political Science in college, which he then promptly utilized as a construction worker rebuilding houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. While working with homeowners and short-term volunteer groups in New Orleans, Andy learned a lot about trauma, healing, and telling the story of what God is doing even after incredible tragedy. He enrolled in seminary and, while there, came to BSM as a congregant. He took a year away from seminary and worked at BSM and then returned to seminary hoping that he could work at a place like BSM someday. During his last two years of seminary and until starting at BSM, he worked at one of BSM’s partner congregations and his home church, Wayne Presbyterian Church, as their Director of Young Adult Ministries. He cares about things like New Orleans, morose fiction, interesting music, Liverpool Football Club, traveling whenever possible, and the Phillies. He’s married to and the greatest admirer of Karen Rohrer, the pastor and co-director of Beacon, a new worshiping community in greater Fishtown.
Nick Warnes
Los Angeles, California
Nick Warnes is the organizing pastor of Northland Village Church and has a passion for seeing new churches plant and multiply. Nick has been married to Whitney for nine years and they love to check out the latest restaurants in NE Los Angeles together. Nick spends much of his time having conversations over coffee, reading about reconciliation and baseball, and meditating while he bikes through Griffith Park and the LA River Trail on his road bike. Nick received his Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in worship, theology and the arts and just finished his new book Starting Missional Churches: Life with God in the Neighborhood.