John Donnelly is a Catholic who has worked all his professional life as a religious educator. After twenty five years of teaching and coordinating religion in Catholic Schools, John was called to serve Government School children and their families in 2003. He has a degree in Theology and a Masters in Religious Education that he put to good use in the development of the K–12 Catholic SRE program. John is currently employed by the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle as the Director of the Office of Life and Faith. He heads a team of coordinators in the Hunter and Manning regions who support and train SRE teachers, parish catechists, Seasons for Growth companions, marriage educators and Natural Fertility Services.  Formation and training of church workers is a real passion for John who gains great satisfaction in organizing conferences, workshop days, forums and retreats. John and his wife Brenda have five grown up children and many grandchildren. The faith formation of children has been a life work through involvement in family, parish and schools. John has taught SRE in many state schools including Belmont, Floraville, Cessnock West and Hamilton South public schools.                                 Contact details: e: john.donnelly@mn.catholic.org.au; p: 02 4979 1329

As a trained primary school teacher and ordained Baptist pastor, Cheryl constantly seeks to be in the best place that God would have her, and currently she combines her gifts of teaching, pastoral and administration to be the Production Coordinator of GodSpace, a ministry resource for SRE teachers and children’s ministries and as the SRE Consultant for the Baptist Association of NSW & ACT (Baptist Union of NSW). Over the past 35 years Cheryl has completed studies in Wollongong and Sydney, NSW, and Philadelphia, USA; had pastoral responsibilities at four Baptist churches; been a classroom teacher in a number of state schools and Christian Studies at Menai High School; started the Creative Arts programme at St George Christian School; been the Coordinator of Creative Ministries with Baptist Youth Ministries which included collating a resource book on creative arts called ‘Beyond The Arts ‘ and the Coordinator of Kids Stump (part of Black Stump). Each week Cheryl builds her hands on experience by working with a Year 6 SRE class that includes a special needs child. Cheryl has a passion to see that children and young people have the opportunity to receive well presented information about the Christian faith and journey so that they may make up their own mind about responding to God’s invitation to a transforming life experience. Cheryl currently shares her home with a delightful Labradoodle dog. Contact details: e: sre@nswactbaptists.org.au;   p: 02 9868 9235

Michael taught geography for 14 years in the UK before getting ordained in 2009. He is currently Rector of St Stephens Dorrigo in the Anglican Diocese of Grafton. He teaches SRE every week in the local primary school and is Vice Chair of the Waterfall Way Christian Education Committee which employs a high school SRE teacher in the Dorrigo and Bellingen area.
He has been married to Stephanie for 16 years and has three children.

As a trained primary school teacher and ordained Baptist pastor, Cheryl constantly seeks to be in the best place that God would have her, and currently she combines her gifts of teaching, pastoral and administration to be the Production Coordinator of GodSpace, a ministry resource for SRE teachers and children’s ministries. Over the past 30 years Cheryl has completed studies in Wollongong and Sydney, NSW, and Philadelphia, USA; had pastoral responsibilities at four Baptist churches; been a classroom teacher in a number of state schools and Christian Studies at Menai High School; started the Creative Arts programme at St George Christian School; been the Co-ordinator of Creative Ministries with Baptist Youth Ministries which included collating a resource book on creative arts called ‘Beyond The Arts ‘ and the Coordinator of Kids Stump (part of Bsslack Stump). Each week Cheryl builds her hands on experience by working with a Year 2 SRE class that includes a special needs child. Cheryl has a passion to see kids empowered to be a part of the church of today and to be free to express their God given gifts wherever and whenever God desires them to be ministering to others. Cheryl currently shares her home with a delightful Labradoodle dog.
Contact details: e: editor@godspace.org.au; p: 02 9868 9235

Alison Newell  has been involved in Catholic religious education for over 25 years at a local and State level, teaching every year group from Kinder to Year 12.  She is currently employed by the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay which covers an area from Manly to Palm Beach in the northern beaches, the North Shore and Hornsby regions of northern Sydney and the Central Coast.  Alison leads a team of coordinators and administrative staff whose work involves authorisation, training, curriculum development and support to coordinators and SRE teachers.  She is responsible for the continuing development of the K-12 Catholic SRE program Walking With Jesus Pathways of Discipleship. Alison is currently the Chair of the Central Coast SRE Committee, an interchurch group which supports SRE across the Central Coast region.  She serves as the Chair of the Catholic Conference of Religious Educators in State Schools (CCRESS), whose membership is drawn from the eleven Catholic Dioceses of NSW and ACT.  Alison is a Catholic representative on the DEC Consultative Committee.  Her objectives are to promote SRE as a valuable inclusion in the State school curriculum, whilst respecting the rights of parents and all SRE providers; and to support SRE teachers to provide quality religious education to children and young people of the 21^st Century.

p: 0412 510 858

Murray Norman is the General Manager of Presbyterian Youth and has been for with PY for the last 16 years.  He is also the Deputy Chair of Genr8.  Murray is involved in youth camps, training youth leaders, and the development of SRE in the Presbyterian church and beyond. He has a background in law and accounting, is married with four children and attends Abbotsford Presbyterian Church. Contact details: e: murray@pynsw.org.au; p: 02 8567 4700

Territorial Youth and Children’s Secretary for the Salvation Army

p: 02 9727 3836

Family and Children’s Ministries Director NNSW Conference

p: 4951 8088