Speakers
At Missions Conference, you'll get to hear from expressionists, ethnomusicologists, ethnodoxologists, and ethnoartists as well as ministry founders and directors, authors, professors and missionaries.
Geinene Carson
Geinene Carson
Geinene Carson considers herself an expressionist, creating vivid works of art that embody the intersection of art, science, and lived experience. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and sculpture from William Carey University, she studied abroad in France, then moved to Vienna to serve the international Christian mission organization OM. She then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, from where she led groups of international artists on cross cultural art-making excursions. After her daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, she began focusing on neuron-centric subject matter and creative advocacy in the realm of rare disease, neuroscience, and mental health. Geinene continues to serve OM as a consultant and artist mentor for Inspiro Arts Alliance, engaging a variety of audiences through art making, exhibitions, writing, and teaching.
Mat Carson
Mat Carson
Originating from Montreal, Canada, Mat Carson began serving with Operation Mobilization (OM) in 1999 by traveling for three years throughout North Africa and the Middle East. He has since helped pioneer arts ministry within his organization and currently directs Inspiro Arts Alliance, a ministry of OM dedicated to cultivating and empowering artists globally to spark beautiful worship and witness among the least reached. Mat lives happily in the forest outside Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Geinene, and two children.
Sheila Fortson
Sheila Fortson
Sheila Fortson is the founder and executive director of FAME Center (Fortson Arts and Music Education), a nonprofit music and arts organization in Chicago, that provides arts education to students in underserved communities. After over 20 years of teaching piano, violin, and voice and over 15 years in choral conducting, she was passionate about giving arts education back to Chicago’s under-resourced communities. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Moody Bible Institute and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia College in Chicago. She directed the Moody gospel choir, Voices of Praise, for five years and also directed the student choir at Liberty University. In addition, she’s served at By The Hand ministry and on staff at several local churches in the Chicagoland area in vocal worship and creative production.
Dr. Robin Harris
Dr. Robin Harris
Dr. Robin Harris has served for decades in cross-cultural contexts, including 10 years in northern Russia. In addition to serving as chair of Dallas International University’s Center for Excellence in World Arts, she serves as president of the Global Ethnodoxology Network (GEN), a network for arts and mission workers that she helped launch in 2003. She holds an MA in ethnomusicology from Bethel University, an MA in intercultural studies from Columbia International University, and a PhD in music (ethnomusicology) from the University of Georgia.
Jaewoo Kim
Jaewoo Kim
Jaewoo Kim leads ministry development and is the director of networking for Proskuneo Ministries in Clarkston, Georgia, an organization devoted to bringing nations together in worship. He loves connecting people and worshiping communities both locally and globally to spark friendship and partnership. Passionate about cultivating culturally diverse communities of Jesus worshipers, he is the author of Willingly Uncomfortable Worship and works with the Korean diaspora and other diasporic communities around the world.
Joy Kim
Joy Kim
Joy Kim is an ethnodoxologist and the arts and worldview director for Proskuneo Ministries, an organization devoted to bringing nations together in worship. She designs and directs arts programs that encourage multimodal co-creation, build community, and develop artists in creative leadership. She works with diaspora artists to engage in global mission together through building multicultural worshiping communities globally. She desires to promote unity in diversity in all she does, reflecting our triune God.
Dr. James R. Krabill
Dr. James R. Krabill
Dr. James R. Krabill served in West Africa for 14 years as a Bible and church history teacher among African-initiated churches (AICs) in village settings, Bible institutes, and on theological faculties. He holds an MDiv from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and a PhD from the University of Birmingham in England. He is the author-editor of numerous articles and several books, including, The Hymnody of the Harrist Church (1995), Does Your Church “Smell” Like Mission? (2001), Anabaptists Meeting Muslims, with David Shenk (2003), Is It Insensitive to Share Your Faith? (2005), Mission and Worship for the Global Church (2013), and Unless a Grain of Wheat (2021). Retired from full-time employment after 42 years as a mission worker and administrator with Mennonite Mission Network, he continues to teach around the world.
Héber Negrão
Héber Negrão
Héber Negrão is the anthropology and ethnoarts coordinator of the Evangelical Missionary Linguistic Association (Wycliffe in Brazil) and a PhD candidate in World Arts at the Dallas International University. Héber also serves as the online language coordinator for the Lausanne Movement and as a board member of Wycliffe Global Alliance and the Global Ethnodoxology Network. Involved in the ethnoarts ministry in Brazil for 17 years, his passion is to see every people group praising God using their own arts in a culturally appropriate way.
Kelli Worrall
Kelli Worrall
Kelli Worrall is the field chair of Music and Media Arts and professor of Communications for Moody Bible Institute. She holds an MRE from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an MFA from Roosevelt University. She is the author of the book Pierced & Embraced and co-author of 20 Things We'd Tell Our Twenty-Something Selves, which she wrote with her husband, Moody Professor Peter Worrall. She is passionate about helping other people understand how the experiences of their past have formed them, how to process those things well in the present, and how to communicate effectively about them in their relationships.
Mariyam Yohannis
Mariyam Yohannis
Mariyam Yohannis is a Scripture engagement specialist, translation advisor, and instructor serving in Ethiopia with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She teaches ethnomusicology/arts and story-based trauma healing workshops with minority language people groups and also teaches at Mekane Yesus Seminary. She has a heart for the Bible-less people of Ethiopia and loves to see people have access to Scripture in their mother tongue. At church, she leads worship and trains others to sing the Scripture using their languages, music, and cultures. Singing is in her blood, and she enjoys praising the Lord in different languages. Mariyam holds degrees from Minnesota’s Northwestern University and Biola University’s linguistics program.
Moody Bible Institute
Moody exists to proclaim the gospel and equip people to be biblically grounded, practically trained, and to engage the world through gospel-centered living. In short, we prepare people for their purpose and calling!