Joyce Carpenter: I am a retired nurse. My husband and I have two sons and four granddaughters. I have been a member of the Ellis church for over 40 years. I am the church secretary, UWF president, and co-leader of the youth group, which meets weekly on Wednesdays.
Richard Fitzgerald: Conference Circuit pastor for the Great Plains. I’ve worked with the Ellis and Odell UMCs in southeastern Nebraska for two years.
Erin Konecky has a complicated history with organized religion. Even though her father began his second career as a UMC pastor when she was in high school, she grew up splitting time between UMC and Missouri Synod Lutheran. Conflicting ideals, and a lack of joy in church, caused her to walk away from church after high school. Occasionally, she'd drift back to various Methodist churches, but when her and her husband moved their family from Lincoln to a small town in Western, NE, they were drawn to the Methodist church in town, officially becoming members in 2022. When talks of disaffiliation surfaced, she knew she wanted to remain UMC. Spearheading a group of like-minded people, Erin created Faith UMC, with a mission of celebrating diversity and praising God through acts of service. Her primary goal was to create a place where children were embraced. Outside of her church leadership, Erin lives in Imperial, Nebraska, with her husband, Tim, and their three children. She recently transitioned from a 16-year career in education to become a project manager for a tech company based in Omaha.
Andy Martin is the son of United Methodist minister and an elementary music teacher. He's currently a business innovation consultant and leadership coach in Topeka Kansas. He and his wife Janelle have been married for over 30 years and have three adult children. Andy is a member of countryside United Methodist Church and serves as the co-chair of the ministry vision implementation team for the countryside executive team. He's humbled in honor to serve as the lay leader for the new East Central district of the Great plains annual conference in partnership with district superintendent Jenny Collins.
Denise Pani was born in Coffeyville, KS. Her family moved to Midland, TX when she was two. She received a B.A. in English in 1982 from Texas Tech University. While in Lubbock, TX, Denise met and married Eric in 1985. She completed an M.A. in English also from Texas Tech University in 1987. She and Eric moved to Monroe, LA, where she became an Instructor of English for 14 years. She earned an M.Ed. in Community Counseling (2007) from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Denise worked as a Counselor at the ULM until 2007 and then had a private practice until 2016, when she retired from counseling. After Eric retired, they moved to Coffeyville, KS, in 2022. They attend First United Methodist Church in Coffeyville and are lay leaders for the Listening Encounters team.
Eric Pani was born and raised in northeastern PA. After graduating with a BS in Meteorology from Penn State University, he attended graduate school at Texas Tech University and earned both the MS and PhD. While living in Lubbock, he met and married Denise. They moved to Monroe, LA in 1987 where Eric was hired as a faculty member at Northeast Louisiana University, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe. During more than 30 years on the faculty, he held several administrative positions and retired as Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Emeritus Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2019. In 2022, he and Denise moved to Coffeyville, KS and have been renovating their home, originally built in 1904. They attend First United Methodist Church in Coffeyville and are lay leaders for the Listening Encounters team.
Rev. Jeanne Koontz is an ordained Deacon serving as the Associate Pastor at McPherson First United Methodist Church. She also currently serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry and has previously served on the Great Plains Justice and Mercy Team. Rev. Koontz is currently serving as the Listening Encounter Coach for Coffeyville and Edna United Methodist churches. She is passionate about equipping the church to work on changing unjust systems and working alongside others in her community to bring transformative change. She resides in Hutchinson with her husband Danny and two sons, Aiden and James. She loves playing the piano and spending time with her family.
Early Workshop: Emilie Wolff, Char Pyle, Clara Breneman; Late Workshop: Melissa Gepford
Emilie, Char, and Clara are three high school students in the Great Plains Conference who just completed their first pilgrimage to Greece through Leadership Lab.
Melissa Gepford serves as the Intergenerational Discipleship Coordinator for the Great Plains Conference and has the honor of shepherding high schoolers through Leadership Lab.