The 2019 Faculty consists of:
Ray Buckley
Native American Spirituality
Ray Buckley is the interim Director for the Center for First Nations Spirituality, and faculty member of The Academy of Spiritual Formation. Buckley has served The UMC as a staff member of The United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People Communication Office (UMCom), and Director of Connectional Ministries and Native Discipleship for the Alaska Missionary Conference. Mr. Buckley is the author/illustrator in a number of story-books and studies on Native peoples for children and youth. His work also includes the Abingdon Lenten study, Hard to Dance with the Devil on Your Back; a text on the craft of story, Dancing with
Words, for Discipleship Resources; the study on Prayer for the
Cokesbury Holy Living Series; and one of six writers for a New Dawn
in Beloved Community. ed. by Bishop Linda Lee, Abingdon, a committee
resource for the UM Council of Bishops. His stories, poetry and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals and books around the world. Ray makes his home in Palmer, Alaska.
Rev. J. Dana Trent
For Sabbath’s Sake: Embracing ourNeed for Rest, Worship, and Community in a 24/7 World
In the age of 24/7, we don’t prioritize time for the restorative practice of being present with ourselves, God, and others. This is not what God intended for us. We will explore the ways in which we can and must step out of the chaos in order to find rest, worship, and community. When we do, we lean into the gift God so freely shared in creation: an ancient elixir that can cure our modern woes.
Dana is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and faculty member of Wake Tech Community College where she teaches World Religions and Critical Thinking. Dana has written four books and her work has appeared in numerous periodicals. She and her husband, Fred, live with Truffy the Cat in Raleigh, where Dana also teaches group fitness for the YMCA.