Faithful Givers Roadshow
Details
The Faithful Givers Roadshow, an intensive, one-day immersion in all things giving will be held on Friday, May 29 in Bangor and Saturday, May 30 in Falmouth. Participants will choose one of the two days. The program, which is offered at no cost, will include inspiration, instruction, and practical sharing of development best practices and next steps. Each parish or ministry will send those most keen to help build its financial strength. All clergy, wardens, vestry, treasurers, stewardship, and finance committees will be invited and at least one representative from each church or ministry must attend.
AGENDA (the same at both locations)
9 a.m. – Check in and hospitality
9:45 a.m. – Opening prayer, welcome, and introduction by Bishop Brown
10 a.m. – Keynote and panel discussion, followed by breakout learning sessions
Noon – Break and working lunch with roundtable discussion
2 p.m. – Concluding remarks and Q+A
3 p.m. – Departure
Please reach out to Director of Communications and Engagement Susan Sherrill Axelrod with questions. The registration deadline is Wednesday, May 20.
Keynote Speaker
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., eleventh Bishop of Ohio (retired)
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, from which he later received an honorary Doctor of Divinity. During his tenure as Bishop of Ohio from 2004 to 2023 he launched the Bishop’s Annual Appeal to support the Episcopal Community Services Foundation and new missions, which raised over $2.8 million by 2016. In 2014, he spearheaded “Planting for Tomorrow, Growing in Faith Today,” a collaborative fundraising campaign between parishes and the Camp and Retreat Ministry program, which raised $18.3 million by the following year. He also founded the Epiphany at Sea program for inner-city youth and has held trustee roles at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Kenyon College.
Panelists
Parish Endowment Development: Marisa Swystun, national director, Foundation and Institutional Advisory at AllianceBernstein
Marisa Swystun brings 20+ years of diverse nonprofit and foundation experience to clients’ investment strategies. Her career began with a focused family foundation in Detroit and the Art Institute of Chicago. She then co-founded a 501©3 maternity clinic in Cote d’Ivoire and later served as the chief development officer for Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management. On Bernstein’s Foundation and Institutional Advisory (FIA) Team, Marisa works with advisors to support and add structure to their servicing of nonprofit, foundation, and association clients. The FIA team brings a wide range of philanthropic subject matter expertise and experience to the table, including customized development/donor engagement strategies and enhanced operational tools focused on driving sustainable growth and increasing mission impact.
Annual Giving Development: The Rev. Amanda Gerken-Nelson, rector, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Yarmouth
The Rev. Amanda Gerken-Nelson joined St. Bartholomew’s as priest in charge in 2022 and became rector two years later. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, she was ordained in 2015 and spent two years as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in East Hartford, Connecticut before becoming executive director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM), a nonprofit organization that advocates for and supports LGBTQIA+ leaders in the Lutheran Church in the United States and Canada. She became an Episcopal priest last October. Under her leadership, in 2025 St. Bartholomew’s conducted a successful capital campaign that raised $200,000 for building improvements.
Facing Challenging Environments for Development: The Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch, rector, Church of the Epiphany, New York City
The 16th rector of the Church of the Epiphany, the Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch presides over a season of vitality as the church settles into its new and much larger home, with new outreach partnerships, new senior staff appointments and a new financial picture. He is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary in New York City. Originally from Oklahoma, Matthew has extensive experience in the Middle East, having received his calling to ordained ministry while serving as a diplomat at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. He is a trustee of the Spafford Children”s Center in the Old City of Jerusalem and leads its American fundraising campaign. He was admitted last year to the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem by His Majesty King Charles III. Matthew (Di-Ti-YO-Hi-Ha) is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Capital Campaign Development for mission, ministries, and facilities: The Rev. Jon Feuss, currently associate rector, St. James’, Los Angeles; starts as canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Los Angeles in July.
Jon Feuss is currently serving at St. James’ in-the-City Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, CA. He recently led a grass-roots capital campaign to prepare the church for its centennial in 2026. The campaign included planning and fundraising for a total refurbishment of the building, the completion of design concepts from the original plans, and the installation of an air-conditioning system while preserving the church’s Gothic Revival aesthetics. Previously, Jon was a manager at Deloitte Consulting, and more recently, the senior director of human resources operations for the National Football League. He holds a master of divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont/Bloy House and is a graduate of Rowan University where he earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and computer science.