Come to the Table 2023 | Bible Study Sessions
MATTHEW 25 BIBLE STUDY 1: The 10 Bridesmaids | Rev. Stephen Park Choi
MATTHEW 25 BIBLE STUDY 2: The Son of Man Will Judge Nations | Dr. Gayle Griffin
MATTHEW 25 BIBLE STUDY 3: The Talents | Rev. Jose Gonzalez-Colon
Bible Study Leader | The 10 Bridesmaids :
Rev. Stephen Park Choi
Stephen is the Moderator of the Synod of the Northeast. Ordained in 2005, he is the pastor of the Stewartsville Presbyterian Church in Stewartsville, New Jersey, and a minister member of Presbytery of the Highlands. A lifelong Presbyterian from Chicago, Stephen has served in leadership positions throughout our denomination. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Princeton Theological Seminary. When not serving the church, Stephen enjoys playing and coaching basketball, hiking, watching movies, traveling, eating, and rooting for most of the Chicago sports teams.
Bible Study Leader | The Son of Man Will Judge Nations :
Dr. Gayle Griffin
Dr. Gayle Griffin is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of 17, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend Chatham College where she received her B.A. degree. She continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh where she received her M.Ed. and Ph.D. She met and married her husband who was a native of Western Pennsylvania. She is a widow and the mother of one daughter, Dr. FloJaune Griffin-Cofer, an epidemiologist, who lives in Sacramento, CA. She likes to read and is a member of 3 book clubs, enjoys walking, and engaging with youth.
Prior to moving to New Jersey, she was a member of Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, for 19 years. While at Grace Memorial, she served as a Deacon for 7 years, including 5 years as Moderator of the Deacon Board, and 10 years as an Elder. She worked as a Sunday School Teacher and served as a member of the Planning Team for the Pittsburgh Presbytery to develop its annual budget for the 50 churches under its leadership and established budget priorities for the Presbytery. She also served as the secretary for the church’s non-profit foundation, Schenley Heights Community Development Corporation.
Dr. Griffin currently resides in Newark, NJ and is a member of Roseville Presbyterian Church, Newark, New Jersey, where she serves as an Elder. In addition to serving as an Elder, she is a lay preacher and is commissioned to serve Communion. Dr. Griffin teaches the Adult Women’s Sunday School Class, Youth Confirmation Classes, and is the Chair of the Worship and Music Committee. She serves on the Roseville Church’s non-profit foundation, Roseville Outreach Community Corporation as its grant writer. She has served on the Human Resources Committee [Personnel] for the Newark Presbytery for the past 6 years.
Dr. Griffin is a retired educator. She served as an educator in all levels of school operations: teacher, supervisor, principal, and assistant superintendent. One of her greatest strengths as a Principal and Central Office Administrator was the ability to foster and encourage inclusive climates while working with diverse district staff, school leaders, and teachers. She has been an Executive School Performance Coach and served as Executive Director of the NJ Department of Education’s Regional Achievement Center in Essex and Hudson County where she worked with twelve (12) district superintendents and district staff. She established positive and productive working relationships in each district and enjoyed working with colleagues who welcomed the support they received to turn around school achievement for their most vulnerable students. She is currently on the Seton Hall University, Urban School Transformation faculty serving as an educational consultant for the New Jersey School District.
She has served on several boards in Pittsburgh, including the UNITED WAY Agency Review Committee, Field of Service V, 1994-2000: annually reviewing member agencies operations and budget allocations. In Newark, she served on the Newark Public Library Board of Trustees leading its Personnel Committee for 14 years, 2000-2014. She served as a member of the Council of Great City Schools Review and Evaluation Committee to review operations and instructional practices in Cleveland, Ohio and Milwaukee, Minnesota. For the past 5 years, she has served on the board of La Casa de Don Pedro.
Over the years, she has been the recipient of many acknowledgements & awards: CORNERSTONE AWARD from Chatham College for Outstanding Contributions to Pittsburgh Community – 1998; Designated a REAL PITTSBURGHER 1994 by QED PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE in March 1994 Issue; CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP AWARD by the Council of the Great City Schools 2008.
The accomplishment she is most proud of is being the co-founder of the I HAVE A DREAM® Foundation of Pittsburgh, PA – she was able to work in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and corporate leaders from 1993-2002 to adopt a class of 95 students in the school where she served as principal. The program promised college scholarships and support through high school graduation; 90% of the students graduated high school [the graduation rate for that community was 65%]. Over one million dollars of scholarships and support through college graduation was granted to 45 of them.
More importantly, she is a born again Christian. Dr.. Griffin believes, “A woman makes her plans, but the Lord orders her steps.” Through prayer, this proverb has guided her daily actions throughout her life.
Bible Study Leader | The Talents:
Rev. José González-Colón
José González-Colón is a Brooklyn native, teacher, and pastor who has led congregations in New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico. After graduating from Hunter College, José became a public school teacher while serving as a ruling elder and church musician in congregations in New York City. After the 9/11 tragedy led him to consider a vocational change, he subsequently applied to admission at Princeton Theological Seminary. José was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 2007. He has pastored churches in Queens, Brooklyn, and Puerto Rico.
Early in his ministry, José led efforts to counter health issues affecting people of color resulting from inadequate access to just food ways. He later found that the food system negatively impacted food producers just as much as consumers. Throughout his pastorate in Puerto Rico, José led relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane María, collaborating further with farmers and rural communities whose economies depended on urban centers. José led church initiatives to play an active role in local food systems and environmental concerns as community anchors to leverage resources that feed vulnerable communities.
In February 2021, José became interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Newtown. He continues to strengthen congregational presence in the local community in more holistic ministries geared towards health, wellbeing, and spiritual direction
Registration is now open for Come to the Table scheduled for October 20 – October 22. We will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday with dinner and end at 12 noon on Sunday with worship. Please note that each person is required to register individually. If you wish to share a room with someone, you should include that person’s name on your registration form and vice versa. Single or double occupancy rooms with a private bath are available on a first come, first served basis. We are delighted to announce that the Synod is providing a subsidized registration fee of $225. This includes each person’s lodging and all meals except for Sunday lunch. If you wish to stay for Sunday lunch, there is an additional $15 fee.
For Ministers of the Word and Sacrament to feel free to attend Come to the Table and remain through Sunday, the Synod will livestream the worship service from Silver Bay on Sunday. This will allow congregations to worship even if their pastor is at Come to the Table. This weekend is always beautiful at Silver Bay with the trees in full fall colors. We hope to see you there.