Chicago, Ill – The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) announces the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors: Rev. Dr. Van A. Stinson (Louisiana), Rev. Myriam Cortes (Tennessee-Western Kentucky), and Rev. Hyewon Sophia Hyon (Northern Illinois), and Rev. Dr. Van A. Stinson (Louisiana). Each of these leaders have accepted their call towards the agency’s work of challenging the Church to a continuing commitment to the full and equal responsibility and participation of women in the total life and mission of the Church.
“We are excited to have Rev. Dr. Stinson, Rev. Cortes, and Rev. Hyon join GCSRW's board during this transformational time in the life of the Church. They bring valuable experience and commitment to the empowerment of women across our connection that will help us meet the needs of our worldwide church,” shared, Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, GCSRW’s General Secretary.
Rev. Dr. Stinson was appointed by the South Central Jurisdiction (SCJ) College of Bishops to fill the vacancy previously held by Rev. Katrena King, who was elected to serve on the Board by the SCJ. King recently transitioned from her Board role to join the GCSRW staff as the Director of Monitoring and Resource Development.
Rev. Cortes and Rev. Hyon were appointed by the GCSRW Board to fill two Member-at-Large vacancies. Rev. Juyeon Jeon and Dr. Emma Escobar, who previously served in those roles, stepped away to pursue new opportunities within the United Methodist connection. Jeon now serves as a leader of the Korean Ministry Plan and Escobar currently serves as the President of Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA).
“We are thankful for the gift of service that Rev. Jeon and Dr. Escobar have each given to GCSRW. It is exciting to know such strong women leaders across the connection, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in new and transformative ways,” stated York Arnold.
Rev. Cortes, Rev. Hyon, and Rev. Dr. Stinson join 15 other Board Members, working in partnership with GCSRW staff to help guide the work of the agency’s quadrennial goals in the areas of monitoring, sexual ethics, leadership, and education.
Rev. Myriam Cortes was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and has lived in Nashville, TN, for the past 27 years and is a mother of two wonderful young adults. She is a Licensed Local Pastor in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference and is the pastor of Ebenezer UMC, a Hispanic/Latino congregation recently chartered in West Nashville.
Cortes studied business administration at Interamericana University in Puerto Rico and earned an associate's degree in psychology from Nashville State Community College. She is in her second year of the M.Div. program at Wesley Theological Seminary and hopes to become an elder in The United Methodist Church. Before answering God's call to ministry, she worked for seven years as a business manager for a marble and granite company.
Rev. Hyewon Sophia Hyon was born and raised in Korea, where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Methodist Theological University in Seoul. After moving to the United States, she completed both an M.Div. and an M.T.S. at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary, happily collecting degrees along the way. Continuing her passion for learning.
Hyon adores Chicago summers and maintains what she calls a “complicated relationship” with its winters. She enjoys hiking and began ballet after the age of forty, a practice she has unexpectedly found life-giving and a cherished part of her life. She shares her home with three cats, two of her own and one belonging to her new husband, which officially makes her the proud mom of three cats.
Rev. Dr. Van A. Stinson is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and a graduate of The Methodist Theological School in Ohio and Wesley Theological Seminary. Throughout his ministry, he has served in a variety of leadership roles within the Louisiana Conference, including pastor, District Superintendent, Director of Clergy Excellence, and Director of Connectional Ministries.
He currently serves as the Executive Director of Mission and Ministry and Assistant to the Bishop, where he helps guide the vision and strategic initiatives of the Louisiana Conference. He lives in Baton Rouge, with his spouse, Rev. Laura Brewster, and is passionate about equipping future leaders, fostering connectional vitality, and advancing the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
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About the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women
The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women advocates for full participation of women in the total life of The United Methodist Church. GCSRW helps the church recognize every person – clergy and lay, women and men, adults and children – as full and equal parts of God’s human family. They believe that a fully engaged and empowered membership is vital to The United Methodist Church’s mission "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Learn more at GCSRW.org.
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