Cher Curtis

Cher Curtis has a passion for seeing the gospel message shared  “from generation to generation.”  She served as Director of Children’s Ministry at Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton, MO, from 1994-2010, and is currently  serving in the area of curriculum development. 

 Cher has a BA from Smith College.  The mother of three children including an adult special-needs daughter, Cher and her husband, Lee, also have two granddaughters.  Cher and her daughter, Libby, are currently enjoying working together to develop a children’s program that coordinates with World Harvest’s Gospel Transformation Bible study which is currently being offered to moms and their children on Friday mornings at Central Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Dr. Mark Dalbey is Vice President of Academics and Faculty Development and Assistant Professor of  Practical Theology at Covenant  Theological Seminary.  He joined the faculty at Covenant in 1999 having also served as Chaplain and Dean of Students.  Prior to that Mark was a pastor for 15 at two churches.  He has earned degrees from Tarkio College, Pittsburgh  Theological Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary.  In recent years he has done short-term missions works Mexico, Bulgaria and Ghana.

He is married to Elizabeth and they have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

Dr. Stephen Estock has earned degrees from Rhodes College, Covenant Theological Seminary and his PhD. from Capella University.  Stephen was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and served in pastoral ministry for seven years before becoming the Minister of Christian Education at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in 2002.  He also is an Adjunct Professor in Practical Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary.  Dr. Estock is a member of the PCA Committee on Christian Education and Publications as well as the Board of Great Commission Publications.

 Stephen and his wife, Susan, have three children.

Robin has volumes of experience in Christian Education.  She earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Teaching Certificate from Covenant College, as well as a Masters in Special Education from the University of Colorado.  She has taught at the elementary school level, directed Student Support Services at Evangelical Christian Academy, and served 5 years on the ECA Board of Directors. Currently, Robin is the Director of Children's Ministry at Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, CO. She presently serves on the Pioneer Club Board of Directors. She and her husband, Tom, have 3 grown children -- two sons in military service and a daughter at Covenant College.

Donald Guthrie is Associate Professor of Educational Ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary.  Dr. Guthrie earned his Ed.D from    the University of Georgia, M.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, M. Div  from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and B.A. from Grove City College.                          

Before coming to Covenant Seminary in 1997, he served with the Coalition for Christian Outreach, a campus ministry in Pittsburgh, PA from 1985-1997.

Dr. Guthrie is a published author and frequent speaker at conferences, retreats and  adult education classes in local churches.

He and his wife, Mary, have two young adult children.  Dr. Guthrie also serves as a ruling elder at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church.

Sue Jakes is mother of four, grandmother of three, and lives in Atlanta, GA where she serves as Christian Education Specialist CEP. She is also a teacher trainer and educational consultant for Great Commission Publications and has served as the children’s ministry coordinator at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, GA. Sue has a Masters Degree in Education. She has been teaching children, youth, and women’s groups in the church for over twenty-five years. Sue is co author of Heart of the Home.

Dr. Eric Larsen serves as the Director of the Global Youth & Family Ministry and Institute for Mission to the World.  An ordained pastor, he holds degrees from Covenant College, Covenant Theological Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary where he earned a doctorate in youth, family and culture.  Eric serves as adjunct professor for Covenant Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Christ Bible Seminary (Japan). 

 He has lived in Kenya, Australia, and the United States, and has served in well  over 25 countries throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, Latin America,  and Asia-Pacific regions.  Eric’s passion is to see ministers equipped to lead the church in reaching the emerging generation around the world. 

 His work involves training cross-cultural youth ministers and equipping national leaders and local churches to reach young people in their communities. Along  with reaching global youth, the Larsen’s invest in missionary kids by providing resources, training, and care for Third Culture Kids and their parents.   In fact, Eric is a TCK himself!  Having grown-up as children of ministry leaders, Eric and             Rebecca understand the unique challenges these families face.  They are the parents of four children: Abigail, Meghan, Natalie and Emma.

Since 1996, Mark Lowrey has served as the Director of Publications for Great Commission Publications, the official publisher of the PCA and OPC.  Under his leadership new Bible study curriculum has been developed for 2 year-old through older elementary students and teachers.  Mark also led the project to develop

Kids’ Quest Catechism Club curriculum. Prior to joining the staff at GCP, Mark was the founding director of Reformed University Fellowship/Ministries in 1977.

Mark earned his MDiv. degree from Reformed Theological Seminary and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.

He is married to Pricilla and they have two adult children.   

Dr. Bruce McRae has been an ordained minister for 24 years — the first 3 years in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the last 21 in the Presbyterian Church in America. He currently serves as the Director of Church Relations for Great Commission Publications, the publishing company owned jointly by the PCA and the OPC. He also teaches courses at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, and Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Westminster Seminary (M Div), Fuller Seminary (D Min) and Georgia State University (MBA). Before serving at Great Commission Publications, he served as a senior pastor, as an executive pastor, and as a marketing manager at UPS. He is the author of a modern language version of the classic work The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification. He and his wife Katie live in Atlanta and have three children.

Danny is a graduate of Covenant College and Covenant Theological Seminary and has had broad experience in youth ministry prior to and during his enrollment at Covenant Theological Seminary. Danny has served as the camp director at Camp Westminster in Conyers, Ga., youth director at Carriage Lane Pres. in Peachtree City, Ga., and as a youth intern at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian. He has also been on staff at New City St Louis and now works both for New City Fellowship in Chattanooga and CEP.  Danny works with youth pastors, volunteers and students, serving as an encourager and equipper to those involved in youth ministry.

Sue is currently on staff at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church in Lookout Mountain, TN, where she has served as the Director of Mother’s Day Out for 9 years. She served on staff at Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, MD, first as the Sunday School Administrator and later as the Director of Children’s Ministry for a total of 15 years.  She has both BA and MA degrees in Elementary Education.  Sue also has 11 years of teaching experience in public schools.

Mary Oldfield is a graduate of William Woods University.  She has served on the staff at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church for 12 years.  Since 2007, she has been the Director of Children’s Ministries.  Mary has five years of experience as a Bible Study Fellowship children’s leader.  She is married and has two adult children.

Barksdale Pullen is currently the Minister of Family and Children at Wildwood Presbyterian Church (PCA) in suburban Tallahassee, Florida.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Mississippi and his Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. Ordained in the PCA, Barksdale has also served as the Minister of Children’s Discipleship at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Other Christian education experience includes participating in regional teacher training conferences, leading a team to the Ukraine for a series of Children’s Ministry workshops, and teaching a course on Christian Education at the Donetsk Regional Bible Institute in the Ukraine, and Maranatha Bible College in Campina, Romania. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Covenant Theological Seminary.

Jason Walsh

Jason Walsh is a graduate of The University of Texas and earned his MDiv. from Covenant Theological Seminary.  He served on the     staff of Perimeter Church in Atlanta prior to becoming the Children’s Pastor at Chesterfield Presbyterian Church in 2007.  He is married to Nina and they are the parents of two sons.