2022 Keynote and Speakers
October 21-22, 2022
In the record of the life of Jesus of Nazareth in the gospel of Luke, one detail that is hard to miss is how frequently Jesus is depicted at the table. From tax collectors to Pharisees, Jesus is frequently engaged in intentional fellowship around food, and his discourse is filled with the motif of the marriage supper. Not only do we encounter a Christ who teaches about feasting and is often himself dining, but the whole narrative of his life can be understood as an enactment of a great feast, with Jesus taking on multiple roles in the drama, from the Host, to the Bridegroom, to the very feast itself. It is essential to hear the music of the Old Testament in the background of these stories to understand the layers of significance that are being communicated. Throughout the whole of Scripture, God reveals himself in and around the symbolism of the wedding feast, and we learn that the grand story of redemption has a happy ending with a glorious welcome to a joyful feast. The Father has prepared a Bride for his Son and wants to fill his house with guests to celebrate. We are invited to find our place in this story and a seat at his table, so come and feed on his Word as we see our Banqueting King with new eyes.
General Session 1
Shannon Fodale
The Benefits of the Big Picture for the Smaller Snapshots
General Session 2
Rachel Vendsel
At His Table: Jesus is our Bridegroom, Luke 5:27-39
General Session 3
Rachel Vendsel
At His Table: Jesus is our Host, Luke 14:7-24
General Session 4
Rachel Vendsel
At His Table: Jesus is our Feast, Luke 24: 13-35
Keynote Speaker
Rachel Vendsel (MAR, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a licensed Christian counselor in Fort Worth, Texas. She also serves as the Women’s Care Director at Colleyville Presbyterian Church. She has a heart for trauma healing, and started Caritas Counseling in 2019 (www.caritasdfw.com). She has enjoyed teaching the Bible since 2006, is married to Mike, and mom to two terrific kids. In her leisure time, Rachel loves to do needlework.
Have You Heard?
Rachel was our keynote speaker in 2019 on the topic: We Have Seen His Glory — Finding Christ in the Old Testament Appearances of God. You can listen to these talks on our YouTube Channel Playlist for 2019:
The gospel came alive to Shannon Fodale in college. Since then, it has transformed her life and priorities. Shannon and her husband, Mark, serve at Providence PCA in Quakertown, where Mark is Pastor of Preaching, and Shannon directs the women’s ministry. They also serve as missionaries with DiscipleMakers, a Pennsylvania-based campus ministry. They are passionate about seeing lives changed with the transformational message of the gospel. Shannon is the mother of four children and “MumMum” to their two grandsons. She earned her Master’s degree in Counseling from Westminster Seminary, where God deepened her understanding of caring for the body of Christ through pursuing the greatest treasure — Jesus.
Shannon recently gave a talk on “Tamar’s Story in the Glimpses of Grace Conference held in April of this year (2022) at Providence Presbyterian Church in Quakertown, PA. You can listen to her talk on the Providence Presbyterian YouTube Channel:
Rachel was born and raised in a Christian home where faith in God and musical training were always the focus. She began to serve God with her musical abilities at a very young age and was led to major in music education in college. It was in 1989 that she first came to serve on the worship team of Faith Presbyterian Church of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania in an assistant capacity. Following her passion to help others grow their musical talents, she formed “Relentless Faith” a youth jazz band in September of 2010. In June of 2012, she became the Director of Music Ministry and is very excited to share new music as well as time-honored music, with the congregation. “Music is such a glorious gift from God. It is a privilege to be involved with music in ways that help others worship God, learn the truth of His great love for us and also help others realize their own musical gifts.” Rachel teaches about 35 piano students privately during the week. She lives with her husband Jeff and a few critters in Langhorne. In her spare time, she has honed her cappuccino making skills and can produce an award-winning brew.
This is Rachel’s 6th year leading us in songs of praise to our great God. You can listen to Rachel’s music from our 2020 Workshop on our YouTube channel:
