Henry Center :: Hansen Fellowships

With the generous support of G. Walter Hansen, the Henry Center offers three fellowships each year to PhD students whose vocational interests and academic research match the vision and mission of the Henry Center.

Meryl HerrMeryl Herr is a PhD student in the Educational Studies program. Her current research interests include how the intersection of educational theory, theology, neuroscience, and psychology informs spiritual formation practices in local churches as well as developing innovative pedagogical practices for higher theological education. Meryl earned her B.S. at Vanderbilt University and her M.Div. at TEDS. Upon completing her M.Div., she and her husband, Neal, were Pastoral Fellows at Christ Community Church (EFCA) in Kansas City. Meryl sees herself as called to serve both the local church and the academy. Within the local church, she serves primarily in the domains of worship arts and adult education. Currently she works as a graduate assistant at Trinity and delights in working with master’s-level students. Meryl also devotes some of her time to freelance writing and curriculum development. She has written for Kyria.com, GiftedforLeadership.com, EFCA Today, and Trinity magazine. Meryl and Neal also celebrated the birth of their first child, Jeremiah, in May 2012.

David H. F. NgDavid H. F. Ng is a British born Chinese and a PhD student in Intercultural Studies at TEDS. David studied at Moore Theological College, Sydney. He has since been involved in cross cultural ministry in England, Australia, South Africa and Asia in the areas of student and pastoral ministry, church planting and leadership development. He hopes to return to Asia on completion of his studies to be involved in ministry training and leadership development in formal and non formal contexts. He is married to Jenn and they have two children, Caleb and Jemimah. He enjoys playing football (that is, soccer) with his son, holidays at the beach with the family, and eating delicious food from around the world.

John SimonsJohn Simons is working on a Ph.D. in Theological Studies with a concentration on Church History at Trinity. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review. After graduating from law school, he practiced law in Atlanta, GA and Ocala, FL for ten years before beginning his doctoral studies. In his doctoral studies, John is seeking to bridge his legal background with his interest in theology and society by studying the relationship between theology and law in Puritan New England. In addition, he teaches in the REACH Adult Undergraduate Program at Trinity, where he helps students apply a Christian worldview to their studies. John has an M.A. in Theological Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary – Orlando. John and his wife, Lynn, have three children.

Mafdy YanyMafdy Yany is from Egypt and is a PhD student in Intercultural Studies at TEDS. He is the founder of the Living Water Ministry which is focused on humanitarian and social development in the Sudan. As part of his work, he established and directed two medical clinics and two orphanages. During the Sudan civil war, he supervised child relief mercy mission campaigns for seven years; he also established and directed a missionary training school in Sudan. Mafdy has also had significant ministry experience in Egypt. He founded Streams in the Desert, a national movement for training and sending missionaries. He has served as the Director of the Mobilization Office for Pioneers for the NAME Area (North Africa and Middle East) during 2003 to 2006. Mafdy is married to Vicky and they have two children.

Valentine Kwame HayiborValentine Kwame Hayibor is a PhD candidate in Intercultural Studies at TEDS. His research focus seeks to investigate the cross-cultural leadership challenges of Ghanaian Christians, who lead collaborative mission efforts in cultures that are different from their culture of origin. He has been on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in the past 24 years and has provided leadership as the National Director of the Ministry in Ghana for nine years. He also serves as a student missionary with the North American Missionary Board at Crossroads Church in Grayslake, IL. He is committed to building capacity in the Church in a way that integrates theory and practice toward the development of Christ-like leaders and to mobilize co-laborers, who will take the gospel in a transforming manner to their communities and entire nations. Val is married to Hil and enjoys family times, sight-seeing, creative evangelism, reading biographies, contemporary issues in global Christian mission, and leadership in governance.

Lian MungLian Mung, a Myanmar national, is currently working on a PhD in Theological Studies with a concentration in Old Testament at TEDS. He was the recipient of the Genie Lau Memorial Award for the year 2010, which is awarded to a TEDS student who has “a record of excellence in biblical studies with a commitment to service in the church.” Prior to coming to TEDS in 2008, he was actively involved in evangelism in Myanmar. He also served as both a youth and music director for several years in Myanmar and the Philippines. At Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in the Philippines, where he earned his M.A., M.Div., and Th.M., he taught Old Testament courses as a Myanmar missionary and faculty-in-training from 2004-2008, and served as the assistant to the academic dean from 2006-2008. While studying at TEDS, he regularly volunteers as a preacher and teacher among Burmese immigrants in Wheaton and Chicago. He has a pioneer’s vision to write Old Testament commentaries and textbooks in his own language for seminaries and Bible schools in Myanmar. He hopes this will help the pastors and ministers there understand the Bible in its historical-cultural context and make the biblical message relevant to their own.

Mark RogersMark Rogers is working on a PhD in Theological Studies with a concentration in historical theology at TEDS. He is serving as a pastoral resident at Crossway Community Church in Kenosha while he writes his dissertation. A former Ford Scholar, Mark is the editor of Glimpses of Christian History and has published articles in Fides et Historia, The Westminster Theological Journal, Themelios, and Christian History. Before coming to TEDS, he received his MDiv from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (2007), served as a college pastor and associate pastor at churches in California and Kentucky, and participated in several mission trips. His research interests include the 2nd Great Awakening, the history of missions, and Baptist history. Mark and his wife, Stephanie, have been blessed with two daughters.

Olugbenga AkinbolaOlugbenga Akinbola is a PhD student in the Intercultural studies program at TEDS. He is the Missioner of Mount Zion Anglican Church Chicago, a multinational Anglican church. He has his first degree in Sociology and Anthropology from O.A.U Ile-Ife and his Masters of Divinity degree from WATS, Lagos, Nigeria. He has a passion for cross-cultural youth ministry and has served as Youth chaplain of various Nigerian Anglican dioceses and parishes for over ten years. He is currently the coordinator of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) Youth Network. He and his wife serve as coordinator of Hearts-2-Hearts, a youth outreach initiative. His dissertation is concerned with the level of poverty in Nigeria, and its impact on Christian youth.

Andy NaselliAndy Naselli is currently working on a PhD in Theological Studies with a concentration in New Testament Exegesis and Theology at TEDS, where he serves as research assistant to D. A. Carson, administrator of Themelios, and editorial board member for Trinity Journal. He earned a PhD in theology from Bob Jones University (2006), and has authored several journal articles and about twenty book reviews. Recently, he edited a forthcoming abridgment of D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo’s An Introduction to the New Testament (Zondervan). His research interests are broad, with particular interest in New Testament and theological studies that edify the church. He and his wife, Jenni, are members of CrossWay Community Church in Bristol, WI.

Ingrid FaroIngrid is currently the Director of Women’s Ministries for Lakeland Evangelical Free Church in Gurnee, IL as well as President of The Combined Group, Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm. Ingrid is in the final semester of the MDiv program at TEDS and is ranked as one of the top PhD candidates by the Old Testament department. Her strong academic ability and practical ministry experience are a wonderful addition to the efforts of the Henry Center mission. Ingrid is interested in doing work on the problem of evil, issues related to women dealing with abuse, the role of women in ministry and spiritual formation. Ingrid hopes to use her gifts teaching in a seminary and church setting.

Dr. Hans MaduemeHans Madueme is studying systematic theology in the Theological Studies PhD program at TEDS. Hans studied medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. His passion lies in relating the best theology to the most significant parts of life. He works part-time as the Research Analyst for the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, a ministry of Trinity International University. He is teaching a class this spring on Christian Ethics at North Park College. Hans also preaches regularly at a local assisted care center. In a recently published article in the January issue of the American Journal of Bioethics responding to a lead essay by Dr. Steve Hyman (Harvard University), Hans addressed the neuroethics and morality of addiction. His interest in this subject relates in part to his ongoing work on a Christian understanding of sin. He anticipates his dissertation will involve a rehabilitation of the doctrine of sin for our contemporary context.

Reverend Emmanuel OgunyemiEmmanuel Ogunyemi is a student in the Educational Studies PhD program at TEDS. Emmanuel serves in a cross-cultural ministry with second-generation young Korean people in the Chicago area as a part-time pastor with Agape Korean Baptist Church. He recently founded an NGO, Life Builders Ministry International, focused on HIV/AIDS care and prevention in Africa. Its goal is to serve as a bridge between the churches in Africa and North America as they seek to pull both human and material resources together in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has devastated Sub-Saharan Africa. LBMI operates a home for children who lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. His dissertation seeks to investigate the perspectives of Nigerian theological educators on this crisis, and how their theological position is reflected in their theory and practice of theological education. His article “Polygyny and the African Church” was published by the Common Ground Journal last spring.

Reverend Jules MartinezJules Martinez is studying systematic theology in the Theological Studies PhD program at TEDS. His research interests are in the doctrine of God and theological ethics. Jules and his wife, Ana, came from Puerto Rico to TEDS in the summer of 2000 to pursue the MDiv and MA in Counseling, respectively. Their passion is to eventually serve the church in Puerto Rico and Latin America. Jules served for four years as an assistant pastor at a local Spanish-speaking Christian Missionary Alliance church. Jules returns to Latin America in the summers where he regularly preaches and speaks at various churches and ministry gatherings. Jules has served as a moderator for missionary conferences and ministry workshops and as a consultant for theological training in Hispanic communities. Most recently, he has been invited to participate as a student coordinator for the Lexington Seminar in June, which focuses on theological education and higher education.

Reverend Rick RichardsonRick Richardson is an Associate Professor and Director of the Masters in Evangelism degree program at Wheaton College, and is the Associate National Director for Evangelism with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He is an ordained Anglican priest and served for three years as Pastor of Evangelism and Small Groups for Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois. He is in the process of completing a PhD in Intercultural Studies at TEDS. Rick seeks to bring together his passions for evangelism, prayer and racial reconciliation in order to cast vision and equip an emerging postmodern generation in ministry for the sake of the gospel. He also enjoys fly-fishing, hiking in the Colorado mountains, and reading fantasy literature.

Lisa SungElizabeth (Lisa) Yao-Hwa Sung completed the PhD in Theological Studies at TEDS in 2007. She was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. A second generation Chinese American, Lisa received Christ and was called to vocational ministry while a graduate student at The University of Michigan. Her dissertation topic is “‘Race’ and Ethnicity Discourse and the Christian Doctrine of Humanity: A Systematic Sociological and Theological Appraisal.” Among her primary research interests are the relations of biblical and systematic theology; theology and social theory; theological anthropology; culture and biblical and theological hermeneutics; and the theory and practice of spiritual formation. She has extensive professional ministry experience, having served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA as a theological consultant and as a campus minister to graduate students at The University of Chicago, and on staff at her church as director of contemporary worship.

Anonymous Chinese StudentThis anonymous Chinese student has been very involved in Christian ministry both in the United States as well as China. He has shown tremendous perseverance in his faith and education despite the religious persecution in China. This student is nearing the completion of his PhD in Theological Studies at TEDS and has the goal of returning to China to make a significant investment in Christian ministry. This fellow also holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and teaches as an adjunct professor at a college in the Midwest. Most recently, he has been serving in several “creative access” areas of Asia, primarily preaching and teaching in churches.

Reverend Dr. Chukunulokwu Fyne NsoforFyne Nsofor completed the PhD in Intercultural Studies at TEDS in 2006. He is currently serving as International Director of GlobalNet, a ministry of Global Christian Ministries (GCM). GCM has locations in Deerfield, Illinois as well as Imo State, Nigeria. Fyne is also President and Chair of Faculty of GCM’s St. Augustine Institute of Advance Christian Studies (SAIACS), which seeks to develop leadership and facilitate Christian education, research and publishing. Through SAIACS Fyne has been teaching and strengthening relationships with other local ministries, particularly those invested in church planting and HIV/AIDS crisis ministries.

Dr. Sam ChanSam Chan completed the PhD in Theological Studies at TEDS in 2006. His dissertation applied speech-act theory to the theology of preaching. Sam is a full-time member of the postgraduate seminary faculty at the Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC) in Sydney, Australia. He lectures in theology, ethics, preaching and evangelism. He is also regularly booked as a preacher, evangelist and conference speaker. Sam is married to Stephanie. His loves are sitting in a coffee shop to read the newspaper, surfing, a good curry, and watching cricket in bed.

Yohanna KatanachoYohanna Katanacho completed his PhD in Theological Studies at TEDS in December 2006 and is currently living in Nazareth, Israel with his family. He has been teaching at Bethlehem Bible College and is the Director of the Academic Affairs of the Galilean extension of the college. Yohanna regularly preaches at the Local Baptist Church in Nazareth, and has been delighted to see God opening many doors for spreading His word. Yohanna has been asked to be the representative for all evangelical churches in Israel before the Israeli Ministry of Education in support of their efforts to produce a religious curriculum endorsed by the government for children in schools, intended to raise the level of Christian education among Arab Christian students.

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