C2 Leadership Institute Testimonies

Elysia Adi

Indonesian Christian Church

Young Emerging Leaders Program Cohort '16

"I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this program. This experience was a exercise turned into a reality. Not only have I grown as a child of God but also I learned how to be a better student, speaker and business leader."

C2 Leadership Institute Testimonies

Marcy Palos

RLA- Los Angeles

Pastor Cohoty Cohort '23

"I am grateful for the opportunity to learn the importance of connecting with government officials, making us not just a ministry or an outreach, but as an actual nonprofit organization." Additionally "When we first launched we were a little shaky and Hyepin was a huge help in our big shift in our organization. It really came to flourish when we started stepping out and letting our light shine, which is something we're taught in the C2 class. To say that this class was impactful to us as an organization is a major understatement. Hyepin continues to be a mentor in my life."

Check out what each cohort had to say!

Young Emerging Leaders Cohort

Multi-Generation

Cohort

Pastors

Cohort

Young Adult

Cohort

Cohorts

Fal '22 Cohort

Rev. Baldwin Avendano

Calexico United Methodist Church

Rev. Catherine Capp

University UMC Irvine

Rev. Karin Ellis

La Canada United Methodist Church

Rev. Sione 'John' Finau

Parker UMC

Rev. Christian Jung

First United Methodist Church of Reseda

Rev. Brenda Kilioni-Paongo

Trinity United Methodist Church

Rev. Eun Bok Kim

Keystone Korean Baptist Church

Rev. Rae Lathrop

Desert Spring United Methodist Church

Rev. Samuel Nam

Aiea United Methodist Church

Marcy Palos

RLA

Jun Park

Light of Love Mission Church

Rev. Gina Pollard

City Square Church

Rev. David Rennick

First United Methodist Church of Phoenix

Thomas Rice

First United Methodist

Jayson Shone

Hillside LA

Rev. Akanesi Tupou

Twentynine Palms United Methodist Church and Yucca Valley United Methodist Church

Rev. Rick Uhls

Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church MC/California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

Rev. Eve Williams

Advent United Methodist Church

Rev. Christopher Wurpts

North Scottsdale United Methodist Church

2021 Pastors and church leader
cohort

Andreana Lin

Virginia Presbyterian Church

Rev. David Choi

Hesperia United Methodist Church

Dr. Elbert Kim

Camarillo United Methodist Church

Erin Stenberg

Malibu United Methodist Church

Josh Zulueta

First UMC Paso Robles

Kris Tate

Glendale First United Methodist Church

Lyda Eddington

Westchester United Methodist Church

Marissa Wells

Faith United Methodist Church

Rev. Matthew Hambrick

Costa Mesa First UMC

Molly Lorden

Normal Heights UMC

Susan Naslund

Good Shepherd Ministry Center

2021

2021 Young Adult Cohort

Lauren Korczakowski

FACE Intern

"So through C2 I learned many valuable skills and lessons that I will definitely take with me to all my other future endeavors. I'm really grateful for having the opportunity to learn how to shine my light. Whether it be through research, advocacy, programming, and/or community outreach, I'm very grateful for the opportunity that C2 has given me and working at FACE throughout my internship experience."

Lavinia Taukolo

Harris UMC Intern

"My C2 experience has been so amazing. Through our weekly gatherings and applying what I've learned into the project and the ministry that I am doing, C2 challenged me to make the necessary connections for my project to go out and to be bold. And the impact that it had on my Ministry is that it went beyond the four walls of our Sanctuary. It was no longer contained within the church but extended out to our broader Community."

2020 Pastors Cohort

Rev. Mandy McDow

Los Angeles First UMC

"The C2 Cohort has shifted my pastoral focus from relying on our internal resources to exploring external resources. Pastors have been trained to shepherd our flocks, but C2 has encouraged me to talk with people in different industries about the best ways to care for, provide, and nurture my congregation. Rather than seeing politics and institutions as “other,” we have been invited to unite our concerns, so that we can work for the sake of creating the Beloved Community together."

Victor Cyrus-Franklin

Inglewood First UMC

"C2 guided me to build a concrete vision for my congregation to re-engage our community in the 21st century. With the wisdom and networks gained from C2, the church can truly fulfill the Gospel's mandate to lift up "the least of these."

Rev. Wonseok Yuh

Harris UMC

"The C2 Leadership Institute program brought us the tools, the know-how, and the relationships to access resources that can help more quickly meet the current needs of our communities. There are more resources than we could account for that are more readily accessible! The willingness of others to support or partner may be higher than we assume individually and as a community."