Celebrating Our Newest Board Members

From its inception, the Covenant Network of Presbyterians has been a broad-based, national group of church leaders working for a church that is simultaneously faithful, just, and whole. We seek to support the mission and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and to articulate and act on the church’s historic, progressive vision and to work for a fully inclusive church. Throughout that process, outgoing Board members Sam Evans and Cliff Kirkpatrick have offered many excellent years of service and leadership, and we thank them for their dedicated work.In this new year, we are celebrating new Board members who share our commitment to widening the welcome of the PC(USA):

Daniel Herron, a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington and a Young Adult Advisory Delegate at the 2022 General Assembly.

The Rev. Joanna Hipp, associate pastor of Southport (N.C.) Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Julia Watkins, associate pastor for mission and congregational life at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Greenvile, S.C.

The Rev. Alex Vaiz, co-pastor of Casas de Paz (Houses of Peace), a new worshiping community in Sacramento, California.

The Rev. Laura Schmidt Viau, pastor of First and Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

Over the following weeks, we'll highlight specific Board members in our communications so that you can get to know them more. This week, we're thrilled to introduce the Rev. Julia Watkins.

A native of Atlanta, Julia is now growing roots in Greenville, SC, where she serve as Associate Pastor for Outreach and Congregational Life at Westminster Presbyterian Church. She loves bringing people together around a shared experience of human vulnerability, from which we receive and respond to God’s abundant grace. Julia previously served at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. She received degrees from from Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity) and Davidson College (Bachelor of Science in Psychology). A lover of cooking, gardening, and the great outdoors, Julia believes life is best when shared and hopes in a world where everyone belongs.