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| New York City Summer Staff Team 2007
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Back row, from left to right: Kristin, Cindy (City Director), Chad,
Katie Hopper, Drew and AJ / Front Row: Jessica, Emily, Katie Hickok, Alexxa and Noelle (Associate
City Director) |
Kristin Erbelding
Kristen is from Rochester, NY. She attends Messiah
College in Grantham, PA where she will be a senior Mathematics major with
minors in Statistics and English. In the past, she has participated in mission
trips to Appalachian Ohio and Syracuse, NY, as well as Chicago, Philadelphia,
Toronto, and Los Angeles with CSM. Kristen has taught Vacation Bible School
at her home church, and is also involved with International Justice Mission at
her school. She loves knitting, playing basketball, running (occasionally),
photography, scrapbooking, and British literature. She also has an affection
for musicals, BBC television shows, and Bollywood movies. Being from Upstate
New York, she is excited to spend her summer in the “other part” of the state,
serving God. Her goal this summer is to simply better learn how to love God
and his people. “I am excited to see God moving in the city and in my life. I
hope that in whatever I do, God is glorified.”
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Katie Hickok
Katie was born and raised in Kalamazoo, MI. She
graduated from Calvin College May 2006 with a BA in International Politics. She
now attends Grand Valley State University where she is working on her Masters in
Social Work. Katie has been on a few short term mission trips to Mexico,
Pittsburgh and Chicago focused on construction. She has worked with the middle
school youth group at her church (Madison Square) for four years, and the high school
youth group for two years. The youth groups, like the church, are centered in the
inner-city and serve a diverse group from both the suburbs and the city. She has
also worked with middle schoolers as a lead counselor at Springhill Christian Camp.
Katie loves reading, movies, watching and playing sports of all kinds, and hanging
out with new people. Katie is "looking forward to this summer in New York serving
the residents of the city, as well as all the new people I meet coming to learn more
about this awesome city."
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Katherine "Katie" Hopper
Katie is from Bogalusa, Louisiana. She's a sophomore at
Southeastern Louisiana University majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders
(speech pathology). Throughout her High School years Katie was blessed with the
opportunity to go on several mission trips with her youth group during the summer.
She's worked in Gallup, New Mexico (two summers); Cleveland, Tennessee; Miami,
Florida; and New York City twice (once working with the 411 church and then working
with CSM). Her best friend's dad was a pastor on Molokai, Hawaii. In summer 2006
the two of them plus another friend spent two months in Hawaii teaching Sunday School,
organizing an off-island bible camp where they were also counselors, and working
with a group from California who came to do a VBS. Each trip was a different experience
both spiritually and culturally.
Katie loves doing missions, but one of her all time favorite things to do when she
has some down time is dance. Katie's been dancing since she was 3 and hasn't stopped
since. She's found a new passion for ballet, but also enjoys jazz, modern and lyrical
...anything but tap! She's quite shy at first, but is extremely laid back and will
eventually open up.
There are so many things Katie hopes to happen when she's in New York this summer.
She wants to meet a ton of new people and make lots of new friends. She also wants
to know more about the city and the people there. Katie hopes that she can make the
students' experience in New York the best they could've hoped for. Whatever happens
this summer, she hopes the work they do will make just one person's day better. "I
pray that hope and encouragement will be given to the people who need it most, and
that God is glorified because of it."
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Chad Merchant
Chad was born and raised in Wichita, KS. When he was 16
he moved to Pittsburg, KS, a small college town in southeast Kansas. Even though
he was raised going to church, it was in a church in Pittsburg that he finally
came to have a relationship with God. Then at the age of 17 he moved back to
Wichita. After only a year back in Wichita he decided to go Titus Bible College
back in Pittsburg. He received an Associate Degree in General Religious Studies.
After that he went back home to Wichita where he lived and worked until he joined
CSM in New York.
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Jessica Pulley
Jessica is from the "very large" city of Masontown,
Pennsylvania. She will be a junior this fall at Waynesburg College, in
Waynesburg, PA. She is a Social Science,Pre-Law/Political Science dual major.
She has been on two CSM trips to New York and Philadelphia through her college.
This fall she also hopes to go to Biloxi, Mississippi to aid in Katrina Relief
efforts. She is a site coordinator at an after school program in Waynesburg,
Kid's Cafe. The program services elementary and middle school aged children.
Jessica has also been a camp counselor at a Christian Baptist Camp. She enjoys
relaxing inbetween her hectic schedule, watching movies, cooking, and eating.
Her interests are serving others, academics and working with children. "In working
with CSM, I hope to grow as a person, and also discover how to be a better servant
leader. I greatly look forward to the opportunity to serve regularly at some sites,
and grow and serve with the varying groups; I also look forward to experiencing the
city from the perspective of an inhabitant."
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Andrew "Drew" Reding - Drew hails from the amazing
state of Kansas, where he graduated with a commercial graphics degree from
Pittsburg State. He hosted for CSM in San Francisco during the summer and fall
of 2005, and also in New York this past spring. Drew jumped at the opportunity
to host in New York this summer, where he expects the Lord to do amazing things
in the city and the lives of the students. He
spends his free time sporting a fanny pack and going to concerts. His personal
mission statement is “To truly love people so that they can begin to understand
the love of their father in Heaven.” He looks forward to loving the people of
New York and leading groups as he shares that love. |
Emily Strickler
Emily is from Snohomish, Washington, just north of
beautiful Seattle. She graduated in May 2006 from Northwest Nazarene
University with a BA in public communication. She has been to Mexico on
mission trips several times and also to London, San Francisco, Seattle and
New York. While this will be her first experience working with CSM, she
has enjoyed working with jr. and sr. high students as well as freshman girls
at her college.
One of her favorite things to do is to hang out with her friends in downtown Seattle.
She also appreciates a great Jim Carey film and you wouldn’t be surprised to find
her with an americano from Starbucks in her hand at any given time of day.
Her goal for this summer is to share her passion and love for Jesus. “My goal
is not to change the city. I just want to love people. The ministry trips that
I went on in high school ignited my passion for inner-city ministry and my love
for helping people. I want to help other kids find that passion as well”.
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Alexxa Tavlarides
Alexxa is an Arizona native who graduated
from The University of Arizona with a Journalism degree. Over the last two years
she's been working for a local television station in Phoenix. Alexxa has also
volunteered at various activities with my church and also with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. She enjoys swimming, hiking and cooking. This winter/spring, she began her first experience
with the Center for Student Missions. “I am excited to serve God while exploring
New York City, learning about the issues in the city and meeting new people.”
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Alex (AJ) Warr
A.J. grew up in Puyallup, Washington (just south of
Seattle). He is currently a sophomore at Wake Forest University studying
religion. During high school he went on mission trips to LA (with CSM), the
Yakima Indian Reservation (twice), Mexico, and West Philadelphia. Besides
mission trips, he was a Big Brother to a young adolescent boy from Mexico
during high school. At Wake Forest he volunteers as part of the leadership
team at Campus Kitchen, an agency that recycles, cooks, and delivers food to
people who need it most, along with working at the American Red Cross as part
of the work study program. He is as true a Northwesterner as one can be: he
enjoys fishing, backpacking, and frisbee. "This summer I look forward to being
side by side with amazing youth as I serve and learn from the least of my
brothers in New York City."
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