WMI Conference and W. Don McClure Lecture 2026

We are only able to offer this major event at a low cost because we have faith that churches and individuals like you will support this work by becoming a sponsor. Would you be willing to support WMI as a Conference Sponsor? If so, please click here to donate online or you can write a check payable to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with WMI Conference on the memo. Also please make sure to e-mail your logo in jpg format to wmi@pts.edu. If you have any question, please let us know by e-mailing us at bkhyllep@pts.edu

1. Sponsorship up to $500

• Your/your church’s name/logo will be displayed on the WMI Conference website and program
• Special mention on our Conference social media 

2. Sponsorship more than $500

• Church’s name/logo on the WMI Conference website and program
• Special mention on our Conference social media and from the platform during the Conference

We are excited to offer the following workshop options. These workshops are designed to provide practical insights, foster meaningful discussion, and equip participants with valuable tools they can apply in their professional and ministry contexts. We look forward to welcoming attendees to engaging, interactive sessions led by experienced presenters.

The Art of Theology: Creating a Neighborly Vision of Justice

Lakeisha McCoy Aquino

Visual vernacular and local aesthetics pervade our Christian witness (Sunday bulletins, stained-glass windows, fashion, sacred objects, etc.) and have the power to connect us to—or divide us from—our neighbors. Spaces and experiences can invite or alienate. Drawing from my Valentour Fellowship research, this workshop explores these paradoxes through visual theology grounded in three key insights: (1) visual vernaculars help engender Christian+national identity, (2) artists serve as visual theologians, and (3) local expressions foster agentic Christology, helping faith take deeper root in new and long-existing communities. Together, we’ll explore examples and their significance, leaving with heightened sensory and corporal awareness of neighbor and faith.

Wild, Loud, and Rude: When Neighbors Become Family 

Dan Wonneberger

Every church has a history and a culture. Children and students who grow up in the church learn that history and adopt that culture. Our neighbors don't. So when friends and neighbors are welcomed in, their habits, questions, and perspectives can feel too wild, too loud, or too rude to fit in. What if those moments of discomfort are actually opportunities for hospitality? Join us as we explore what it looks like to grow more comfortable with discomfort and to welcome our neighbors as they become part of God's family.

The Price of Proximity: Neighboring and the Cost of Showing Up in 2026

Monica Ruiz

Being a good neighbor in the 21^st century comes with a price. This session examines what that cost looks like on the ground in Pennsylvania, through the lens of immigration, detention, family separation, and the legal rights people don't know they have. A frank conversation for those ready to stand together.

Re-Membering the Neighborhood: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood as Model for Reparative Ecclesiology

Dr. Clarence E. Wright

Children’s television host  (Mister) Fred Rogers '62 on the surface may seem an odd choice to address the topic of ecclesiology, let alone reparations. But a closer examination reveals key principles featured in the long running public television program that can serve as a model for church-led reparations in the 21^st century. Reparations for the purpose of this workshop are not repayment or retribution, as often misunderstood, but cultural repair. The applied theology of Fred Rogers expressed through Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood offers an unexpected but deeply instructive framework for churches and quasi church ministries to engage in this necessary work.

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst is the Richard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity at Western Theological Seminary. Ruth yearns to see peace and justice embraced in the beautiful and broken world we call home. A wife of one and mother of many, theologian, missiologist, educator, and storyteller, she has been involved in leadership development and theological education for integral mission in her native Latin America for several decades. She teaches at Western Theological Seminary and serves with the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (a learning community with students across Latin America), and with International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation. She serves on the board of A Rocha Costa Rica, the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, the American Society of Missiology, and the Global Christian Forum. She lives with her husband, James, in Costa Rica as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation. Her studies include a bachelor’s in education (Argentina), an MA in interdisciplinary studies (Wheaton College), and a Ph.D. in theology (Boston University).

Lakeisha McCoy Aquino is an MDiv candidate at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Valentour Fellow, and a member of First Presbyterian Church of Miami. She is a former lay leader at Riverside Church of New York and a former corporate marketing and communications professional. She holds an MBA in marketing and strategy and a BFA in fine arts. Her research explores how aesthetics function as conduits for religious enculturation, drawing on fieldwork in Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Korea. She is the creator of the YouTube series Key Aquino’s Divine Travel Joy, and is pursuing ordained ministry through the Presbytery of Tropical Florida, integrating visual vernacular, embodied witness, and public theology.

Monica Ruiz is the executive director of Casa San José, a Pittsburgh nonprofit community resource center dedicated to advocating for and empowering Latino communities through integration and self-sufficiency. The organization’s mission is to model a culture of acceptance where immigrants and newcomers are treated with dignity, respect, and kindness. A recognized advocate and coalition builder, Monica has received honors, including the 2019 Women of Influence Award and the 2025 Most Influential Latina Award from the Pennsylvania Latino Convention. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and is a Lead Now Pittsburgh fellow. Born in Cleveland to Guatemalan and Puerto Rican parents, Monica began her career at Catholic Charities and joined Casa San José as an intern in 2014. She lives with her husband, children, and extended family.

Dr. Clarence Wright serves as senior pastor of Love Zion Baptist Church and as president and professor of practical theology at Missio Seminary, both in Philadelphia, Pa. Devoted to public service, his work spans community economic development, homeless advocacy, anti-violence initiatives, and international missions across five continents. He was elected by the Missio Board as the institution’s fifth president—and the first Black president in its 50+ year history. Dr. Wright recently served as the Fred Rogers Fellow for both Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College. 

Dan Wonneberger is the director of family ministry at Redeemer Church, Snellville, Ga. He is an energetic leader with a deep faith and is equally at home yelling at a sporting event as enjoying a quiet afternoon in the woods. Dan is loud, weird, fun, caring, and loud. His heart is to create a safe space for students of all faith levels to belong and call home. He triple majored in undergrad and is currently pursuing his masters of divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Ashley, have invited youth into their lives for years and have three young children, Addie, Milo, and Brynlee. He enjoys hiking with his dog, disc golf, kayaking, reading, watching or playing sports, and finding everyday adventures.

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