Note #9112 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06070 Feb. 9, 2006
Notes about people
by Jerry L. Van Marter
Dr. Wenzao Han, 83, a top official in the China Christian Council and the Amity Foundation, died on Feb. 3.
From its creation in 1985 until 2003, Han served the Amity Foundation as general secretary, executive vice president and vice president. He was president of the China Christian Council from 1996-2002. At his death he was chair of the Advisory Committee of the Protestant Churches in China, a position he had held since 2001.
Philip Wickeri, a longtime PC(USA) missionary to China who worked closely with Han, remembers him as "a strong Christian leader, an outstanding administrator, a Chinese patriot, an ecumenical statesman and a personal friend." Wickeri, who teaches at San Francisco Theological Seminary, met Han in 1979. He said Han was also "a man of action ... a shrewd organizer and an extroverted networker." In recruiting Amity staff, Wickeri said, Han "developed the idea that each staff member should cultivate the three 'Cs' - compassion, commitment and competence."
Since its founding, the Amity Foundation has printed and distributed more than 40 million Bibles.
Han is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Zhuo Zhaohua, two sons and three grandchildren. A memorial service was scheduled for Feb. 9 in Nanjing, China.
# # #
Kristi S. Bangert, 59, has been named executive director of communication services for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Bangert, who has been interim director since November, assumed the post officially on Feb. 1. She succeeds the Rev. Eric Shafer.
Bangert, a Minneapolis native, joined ELCA Communication Services in 1997, serving as director of marketing, public relations and planning.
# # #
Church World Service (CWS), the global humanitarian agency with close ties with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, has announced three new staff appointments:
Cheryl Dudley, a former official of American Baptist Churches USA, has been named senior advisor to the executive director.
Lynda Selde joined CWS's Education and Advocacy Program as associate director for analysis and advocacy at the United Nations on Jan. 17. She previously worked for non-governmental organizations including CARE, UNICEF and the UN.
On Jan. 23, Fidele Lumeya joined the Washington, DC, office of CWS's Emergency Response Program as associate director for international response. She has extensive experience in international humanitarian aid and disaster response, primarily in Africa.
# # #
The Rev. Joanna Adams, pastor of Atlanta's Morningside Presbyterian Church, will be the featured speaker for the Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 editions of "Day 1," the national radio program formerly known as "The Protestant Hour." Each program will include a sermon by Adams and a five-minute interview conducted by host Peter Wallace.
On the first program, Adams' sermon, "Clarity About Your Calling," will be based on text from Exodus 3. On Feb. 19, her sermon, "Why Can't We Pull Up the Weeds?," will be based on Matthew 13.
# # #
The Rev. Kimberly Long has been named associate for worship in the Office of Theology and Worship in the Congregational Ministries Division. She will assume her new post on March 6.
Long will be editor of Theology and Worship's quarterly journal, Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching & the Arts. She also will be involved in such initiatives as incorporating new members into the community of faith, exploring sacramental ethics and developing new liturgical resources.
Long, a graduate of the College of Wooster in Ohio and of Princeton Theological Seminary, has a doctorate in liturgical studies from Drew University and has served pastorates in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to
mailto:PCUSANEWS-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org.
To update your email address, send your old email address and your new one to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
For questions or comments, send an email to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
To learn more, visit http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/