MONTROSE, NY: At their June 9 meeting, the members of the Peekskill Area Pastors Association (PAPA) held annual elections for executive board positions. The organization, in existence for over 100 years, is an inter-faith fellowship that has long been an institution in the greater Peekskill area. The monthly meeting was held at the Reformed Church of Cortlandtown and was co-sponsored by that congregation and the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Orthodox Parish.

Outgoing two-term president, the Rev. Dr. Adolphus C. Lacey, pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Peekskill presided over the election. The new board will consist of:

President, Archbishop Michael J. Champion, of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Vice-President: Rev. Carlye Hughes, of St. Peter Episcopal Church
Treasurer: Rev. Mark Ioset, of the Presbyterian Church USA - Hudson River Presbytery
Recording Secretary: Ms. Helen Mizer, of the Mohegan Lake Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Corresponding Secretary: Rev. Jeanette Phillips, of the Park St. AME Zion Church

Reverend Lacey will continue on the board, as immediate past president.

Rev. Ioset, Ms. Mizer and Rev. Phillips continue in their previously held positions, for another term. Archbishop Champion had been vice-president of the organization for the past year and Rev. Hughes joins the board for the first time. She arrived in Peekskill in mid 2007.

Bishop Michael J. Champion, a native of Peekskill, spent 20 years of ministry in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and received a Master of Arts Degree in Theology from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland in 1993. Ordained to the priesthood in 1997, he took on the leadership of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the Americas in 2004 and returned to Northern Westchester in 2005, where he relocated the church's administrative office and founded the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Parish.

The ministry has led him to travel extensively, visiting parishes around the world, including Ukraine, Ecuador and Colombia. Bishop Michael works extensively in inter-religious ministry and was a participant last summer's historic Yale conference Loving God and Neighbor in Word and Deed, a workshop on the document A Common Word Between Us and You. The event gathered religious scholars and activists from around the world and was co-sponsored by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan and the Yale University Center for Faith and Culture's Reconciliation Program.

The Archbishop has long been a proponent of liberation theology and took an early interest in the development of the Latin American church. He studied the Spanish language for eight years, at the high school and university levels. Champion is convinced of the need to act in the interests of justice, equality and the dignity of all people, speaking often as an advocate for the rights of immigrants and any persons who are marginalized or experiences bias. He is a co-chair of the Cortlandt Taskforce on Diversity. Recently, Archbishop Michael has been a cofounder of the Iglesia Liberación Latina - Ascensión del Cristo an inclusive and progressive community in Cortlandt, which celebrates a familiar liturgy while welcoming all, regardless of their state of life. The church also conducts a weekly breakfast program as a gesture of hospitality for local immigrant workers.

Reflecting on goals for the future of PAPA, Bishop Michael hopes to help increase the interaction between the organization and the local society, and build upon the many programs already implemented and others which are in the developing stages. PAPA sponsors many community cornerstone programs, including the daily Noontime Meal Program, conducted at the Peekskill Salvation Army headquarters, and the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner. The group also lends much support to other local efforts and institutions, such as the Jan Peek Shelter, the Sunny Doughnut Breakfast program and CHOP (Caring for the Homeless of Peekskill). Recently, PAPA has inaugurated a website at www.pastorsofpeekskill.org, which when fully developed, Archbishop Michael envisions as the premier portal for faith-based and social outreach resources in the greater Peekskill area.

During his tenure as president, Rev. Lacey was a unifying voice, promoting human dignity, in the face of several bias related incidents in the greater Peekskill area. His efforts saw him as a founding member of the Cortlandt Taskforce on Diversity. Among other things, he has been instrumental in expanding the community's annual Martin Luther King inter-faith service into an inclusive event, embracing the diversity of the population.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Communication Committee
Peekskill Area Pastors Association