Convenors & Assistant Convenors of the Convocations
(Elected by members of the Convocations for a two-year term)
ALTOONA:
Marilyn Pyeatt (2024)
The Rev. John Harwood (2024)
HARRISBURG:
Kathy Hettinga (2025)
The Rev. Greg Welin (2025)
LANCASTER:
Elaine Austin (2024)
The Rev. Bradley L. Mattson (2024)
NORTHERN TIER:
The Rev. Janis Yskamp (2024)
Assistant TBD
SOUTHERN:
The Rev. Martha Ambrose, Deacon (2025)
Melanie Graves (2025)
SUSQUEHANNA:
The Rev. Dina Ishler (2025)
Kristin Lenig (2025)
WEST BRANCH:
The Rev. Lauri Kerr (2025)
Beverley Porter (2024)
List updated 9/14/2022
Altoona
Marilyn Pyeatt (2024)
Marilyn Pyeatt, along with husband, Woody, and younger son, Nathaniel, joined St. Luke’s Altoona after moving to Blair County from Dallas, Texas, in August of 2016, to be closer to their elder son, Nick, and his family. She and Woody were raised as Presbyterians, but in high school, Marilyn felt a strong need for a different worship style that would help her grow closer to God, which she found in the Episcopal Church. They were both confirmed in 1978 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, one of a number of places they have lived to pursue their mutual love of theatre. Currently, they are working together to produce plays in St. Luke’s Auditorium, embracing the opportunity to use their gifts to raise money for the parish and provide a creative way to show God’s love. Marilyn also enjoys writing and adapting plays, watching indoor soccer, playing word games, and especially spending time with her grandchildren, Gavin and Josephine.
The Rev. John Harwood (2024)
John Harwood came to St. Mark’s-Lewistown on Pentecost, 2017, after spending seven years serving Trinity Episcopal Church and Zion’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Renovo, Pennsylvania. In Lewistown, he serves on the advisory boards for the Mifflin-Juniata Agency on Agency, the Shelter Services, and the Lumina Center. He currently chairs the Diocesan Evangelism committee and has served on the Standing Committee.
Harrisburg
Greg Welin (2025)
Greg Welin came to serve Mount Calvary Church in Camp Hill in 2017. He began his ministry here as his wife, Amy Welin began her work as Dean of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Harrisburg. Most of his ministry has been in Connecticut where he was ordained in 1992. He has had much experience as an interim priest and priest-in-charge, serving churches working through significant issues before starting a search process for a permanent rector. He has served on the standing committee in Connecticut and serves on the standing committee in this diocese at present.
Greg also works with the Diocesan Migration Ministries Resource group. He is active in a group from Christian Churches United called RUAC, the Race and Unity Action Coalition. They gather for discussions about race and diversity with churches in Harrisburg and churches on the west shore of the Susquehanna.
Kathy Hettinga (2025)
Kathy T. Hettinga is a Postulant for Holy Orders for the priesthood in the Diocese of Central, PA. She is an award-winning book artist, photographer, author and designer with a BFA from Calvin College and an MFA from Colorado State University. A teacher and the first woman to be named Distinguish Professor of Art and Design, she taught at Messiah University, Indiana Purdue University, Colorado State, as well as for IMAGE in Santa Fe. Long interested in Theology and the Arts she taught at Wesley Theological Seminary, and as Research Fellow at the Institute of Sacred Music, Worship and the Arts at Yale Divinity School, where she exhibited her work, sang in the Marquand Chapel choir, took many courses and offered critiques in type/graphic design courses. She designed the SEEN Journal for Christians in the Visual Arts for over a decade, and is Design Consultant for POWER Interfaith.
Kathy chairs the Adult Formation and Spiritual Growth Ministry at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mechanicsburg where she is in the choir, and served as Senior Warden, Junior Warden and as a delegate to Convention. She is serving on the Standing Committee. Most recently she is serving on the SSFM task force for Communications and Marketing, and offered the pastoral voice for CIVA Gathers. She is married to Nathan Sooy and together they have three sons. Kathy loves learning, the people of God both inside and outside of the Church, the Scriptures, and participating in the life of SSFM.
Lancaster
Elaine Austin (2024)
I am a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA., where I have served in many roles including as senior warden and as chair of the search committee for our present rector. I was also a member of the search committee for Bishop Scanlan. Professionally I was a teacher for 30 years in the Eastern Lancaster County School District.
The Rev. Bradley L. Mattson (2024)
The Rev. Bradley Mattson serves as Rector of Hope Episcopal Church, Manheim, PA. As a bi-vocational minister, Bradley maintains a financial services practice which he founded in 2002; advising individuals, businesses, non-profits, and churches in the areas of investment, planned giving, and insurance.
In his spiritual life he has a deep appreciation for woodworking, gardening, creation care, sacred music, and Franciscan spirituality. Bradley is a graduate of the Bishop Dean T. Stevenson School for ministry, and a passionate advocate for the small parish, and regional collaborative ministry. He lives in Lancaster with his wife Rev. Jennifer Mattson, and their four children; Anna Gail, William, Thomas, and Elizabeth Grace.
Northern Tier
The Rev. Janis Yskamp (2024)
Rector, All Saints Brookland, and Christ Church Coudersport
Episcopal Congregations of Potter County
Janis and her husband, Wayne, live in Mansfield, PA. They have three grown sons, Wayne (Becky), James and Bradford (Michelle), and two grandchildren, Madison and William.
TBD
Southern
The Rev. Martha Ambrose, Deacon (2025)
Martha Ambrose, (She/Her) moved to Pennsylvania and the diocese in the spring of 2019 with her husband, the Reverend Grant Ambrose, and their daughter, Alice. Martha was ordained to the diaconate (transitional) this past July and looks forward to sharing in this new ministry opportunity.
When she has the chance, Martha enjoys reading, British murder mystery shows, crocheting, and spending time in God’s creation.
Melanie Graves (2025)
I have lived most of my life within the borders of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, attending churches in the Northern and Southern Tier of the Diocese (and many in between). As a member of St. Mary’s Waynesboro, I’ve served in enough roles to develop skills required to evaluate needs and strengths, to plan events, to lead functional tasks and educational opportunities, and to develop meaningful relationships. My career and my involvement in my community have allowed me to develop skills need to network, create plans for improvement, and support individuals, as well as, programs in their journeys toward sustainability.
Susquehanna
The Rev. Dina Ishler (2025)
The Reverend Dina Carter Ishler (she/her) was born in New Jersey and baptized in the same church as her father, historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Freehold, New Jersey. She is grateful for this heritage that has nourished and sustained her throughout her life and now, wonderfully, comes to deep fulfillment in the ministry of the priesthood. She is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College, The Eastman School of Music, and the Dean T. Stevenson School of Ministry; she is a passionate advocate of SSFM and its outstanding preparation for ministry.
Dina has been in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania since 1992 when she began worshipping at St. Andrew’s, Shippensburg, and has subsequently worshipped at St. Andrew’s, York, and St. Edward’s, Lancaster (her sponsoring parish.) She is loving doing life with the dear people of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Sunbury, as their Priest in Charge, and has recently moved to Selinsgrove, where she lives with her husband of thirty years, Patrick. Dina and Patrick have three grown children, Faith, Carter, and Thomas. She cooks and bakes from scratch when she has time, is an avid reader, a lover of the Hymnal 1982, and a contemplative wanderer of the forests and lakes of Pennsylvania, taking deep joy in kayaking as a spiritual practice.
Kristen Lenig (2025)
Photo and bio to follow.
West Branch
The Rev. Lauri Kerr (2025)
Rev. Kerr is a cradle Episcopalian. I was raised on a dairy farm near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and attended Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Wellsboro until she went to Virginia Theological Seminary. I have a Bachelor of Art’s in Psychology and Master’s of Organizational Leadership from Mansfield University. I was ordained to the Deaconate in June of 2000 and to the Priesthood in December of the same year and served as Deacon in Charge and the Rector of Saint Paul’s, Manheim until I moved to Sayre, PA, where I served as interim for Church of the Redeemer in Sayre. Since serving as interim in Sayre, I have served in two capacities in Lycoming County, first as the priest for the parishes of Greater Lycoming Episcopal Area Ministry or GLEAM, and now as the Missioner for the West Branch Convocation. In the past, I have also served on Standing Committee and Council of Trustees of the Diocese of Central PA and currently, I serve on the Finance Committee of the Diocese.
I am a movie buff, a carry over from my family running a video store. I enjoy bowling and spending time camping and hiking. I have been with my wife, Mary, for 22 years. I have three step children William, Jason and Megan. I am passionate about social justice especially issues around racism, inclusion, and climate change. It is critical that we work to make our churches and communities places where all free comfortable and welcome. This is a way that we can be good stewards of our brothers and sisters. In an effort to help foster respectful conversations on difficult topics, I also authored a book titled “God’s Rainbow People”.
Beverley Porter (2024)
Photo and bio to follow.
