Upper Room at KCWC

We are pleased to have Jim Stafford and Jorge Berrios of The Upper Room on KCWC faculty again this year. Both will be available for private appointments and will serve on the editor panel.

See their photo in online article celebrating the 70th anniversary of the publication: http://bishops.umc.org/interior_print.asp?ptid=43&mid=7400&pagemode=print

Jim Stafford

Jim sent us the following bio.

"After an enlistment in the U.S. Navy I entered college, majoring in English. In the meantime I held positions in transportation industries, producing heavy trucks and aircraft structures. Subsequently, I worked for several years as a technical writer and later as a technical editor.

In May 1994 I joined the staff of the Upper Room where I serve as associate editor of The Upper Room magazine. The outreach ministries of The Upper Room’s publications and programs provide me with many wonderful opportunities to touch the lives of people around the world each day. God has truly blessed me with work that I find most interesting and challenging. When I receive letters from readers, expressing how an Upper Room meditation has encouraged them in their own faith walk, I realize just how gratifying and rewarding my career can be.

My spouse, Kitty, and I reside in a rural neighborhood near Lebanon, Tennessee. We have two children: Jeremy is married and a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps; Megan is a nurse. We attend Westland United Methodist Church in Lebanon. Kitty and I have been United Methodists for more than 30 years. The church has always been an integral part of our family life. For several years I taught a Sunday school class of couples and singles in the forty- to fifty-something range. Currently, I serve as chairperson for our church’s administrative board.

My favorite personal pastimes are reading (mostly non-fiction), yard work, and motorcycling."

Jim will be teaching a two-part workshop, "Sharing Your Faith: Writing Daily Devotionals." The focus of this workshop is to help you develop the essentials for good devotional writing. Discover where and how to start writing meditations. Learn the significance of being Bible-based and authentic as you share your faith through your writing. Sample and compare several leading daily devotionals to see how they differ and receive a market list. This workshop is designed for both beginning and intermediate writers.

Jorge Berrios

Jorge is back for the third year, I think. He will offer workshops on Spanish-language writing skills for Latino writers. During the editor appointments time slot, he will meet privately with Spanish-language or English-language writers.

Currently associate editor of the Spanish edition of The Upper Room (El Aposento Alto), Berrios has extensive background in marketing research and international advertising. He is from Puerto Rico.