Meet a Community of Church Leaders Committed to Peacemaking
Mosaic alumni are a growing network of leaders and congregations who are committed to walking the long road of peacemaking. They come from diverse denominations, geographies, and theological backgrounds, united by a shared conviction: that the church has a vital role to play in transforming conflict into opportunity for healing.

Pastors, Peacemakers, & Scholar-Practitioners:
Mosaic’s alumni community represents this and more
Our alumni continue to live out Mosaic’s values in their communities long after the cohort ends. From launching local justice initiatives to reshaping congregational culture, they are proof that this work takes root and multiplies. As the Mosaic alumni network grows, so does our collective impact.
Our Alumni’s Areas of Impact
One Mosaic congregation transformed a painful community conflict into a catalyst for healing. Through listening sessions, public witness, and a reimagined mission, they helped shift the conversation from blame to repair. Their journey shows what’s possible when churches commit to justice and reconciliation.
“The Peacemakers Cohort helped to solidify in my mind what it means to be a peacemaker.”
Alumni Community
Our inaugural cohort of Mosaic participants includes church leaders from a variety of denominations and contexts across the United States, all united in their commitment to learning, growing, and becoming equipped in the work of peacemaking.
Rev. Justin Fung
Senior Pastor Christ City Church
Cohort: 2025
Rev. Justin Fung
Rev. Dr. Justin B. Fung is the Senior Pastor at Christ City Church in Washington, DC, where he integrates his passion for discipleship, spiritual formation, and justice.
Justin also serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Missional Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Learning to Live, a curriculum for spiritual transformation in multiethnic contexts. Justin has served on the DC Mayor’s Interfaith Council, the board of trustees for the V3 Church Planting Movement, and the Advisory Council for the Fuller Center for Spiritual Formation.
Born in Hong Kong, he studied in London, England and Pasadena, CA, and now resides in DC with his wife Carolyn and their two kids.
Andrea Ackermann
Pastor of Community Life Christ City Church
Cohort: 2025
Andrea Ackermann
Andrea (she/her) serves as the Pastor of Community Life at Christ City Church, where she is excited to create opportunities for connection and belonging. A Korean American adoptee and pastor’s kid from Prince George’s County, Maryland, she is passionate about making space for others to thrive. Andrea lives in the Trinidad neighborhood of DC with her husband Drew, their two teenage daughters, and the best dog, Lucy.
Joel Carlman
Outreach Pastor & Director Project Renew
Cohort: 2025
Joel Carlman
Joel Carlman serves as the Executive Director for Project Renew, the justice and peacemaking initiative of Denver Community Church. With over 20 years of international development experience, primarily in East Africa, Joel connects the DCC faith community with local and global partners to foster creative service, transformational learning, and radical generosity. He holds two master’s degrees in Development Finance and Futures Studies. Joel is passionate about blending the healing journey of the individual with the broader work of justice and spiritual formation. He and his wife, Alison, will celebrate 20 years of marriage next year, and they have two children, ages 11 and 8. In his free time, Joel enjoys wood- and metal-working, cycling, backpacking, and archery.
Hannah Thom
Lead Pastor Denver Community Church
Cohort: 2025
Hannah Thom
Hannah is a Denver native. She has been married to her husband for 11 years, and recently welcomed her first little boy, Hudson Dax, into the world! She is the Lead Pastor of Denver Community Church–and knew from a young age that she felt a call to vocational ministry. She holds a BA in Biblical Studies from Life Pacific University, and a Mdiv from Denver Theological Seminary.
Kyndi Rudzena
Founding Member Good Shepherd New York
Cohort: 2025
Kyndi Rudzena
I am the daughter of a career U.S. Marine and our family ended up being stationed in Memphis, TN in 1995 as my younger sister was being treated at St Jude Hospital for a form of childhood cancer that eventually claimed her life. I attended high school and college in Memphis and moved to NY in 2011 with my husband Michael Rudzena. I am a founding member of Good Shepherd New York and mom of four kids, ages 19 to 6.
Allen Thomas
Lead Pastor Outer West Community Church
Cohort: 2025
Allen Thomas
Allen was born in India, raised in New York, and now calls Texas home. He serves as the Lead Pastor at Outer West Community Church. He’s been married to his wife Crystal for nine years, and together they have three kids (Ezra, Madeline, and Penelope). In his spare time, you’ll find Allen changing diapers, watching documentaries, or sneaking in a round of golf or a game of basketball.
Chad Ellenburg
Senior Pastor Pleasant Valley Church
Cohort: 2025
Chad Ellenburg
I am originally from Tennessee and still getting used to Minnesota winters. Married for 30 years to Lisa and Dad to three amazing kids/adults (Ages Maia 24, Caleb 21, Abi 19 – it goes fast!). Love Jesus more and more every day but also feel like I am just getting to know him. Have so many growth edges – especially in areas like peacemaking. But I am thrilled to be a part and to get to know all of you.
Sammy Gondola
Missions Pastor Pleasant Valley Church
Cohort: 2025
Sammy Gondola
Born and raised in Panama City, Panama and came to faith in Christ at an early age growing up as a pastor’s kid and served as a missionary with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Panama right out of high school for three years. I have a degree in Public Relations and Music from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Been serving as the global missions and outreach pastor at Pleasant Valley Church in Winona Minnesota since 2016. Married to my wife Billee for 21 years and we have three teenagers.
Cyndi Parker
Director of Education & Conversation
Cohort: 2025
Cyndi Parker
I am an Old Testament scholar who thinks Deuteronomy is the best book of the Bible. I lived and taught in Israel/Palestine, and I continue to lead educational trips there to engage the context of the Bible. In fact, I love context so much that I have a podcast called Context Matters that engages the Bible and how we in a modern context engage the Bible. I love traveling and meeting other parts of the body of Christ around the world.
Joshua Stamper
Artists Parish Leader Resurrection Philadelphia Church
Cohort: 2025
Joshua Stamper
Joshua Stamper is a transdisciplinary artist and composer whose work explores hiddenness, revelation, ephemera, and archive. He has worked as an orchestral arranger, studio conductor, and session musician for Columbia / Sony BMG and Concord Records, Lionsgate Films, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Legendary Entertainment, and for independent labels Domino, Dead Oceans, Important Records, Sounds Familyre, Smalltown Supersound, Joyful Noise Recordings, and Mason Jar Music. Joshua’s music has been commissioned by the Grammy-winning chamber choir, The Crossing, and includes collaborations with the Daedalus Quartet, Mantra Percussion, and the Philadelphia architecture firm, KieranTimberlake. He has received fellowships from MacDowell, the BAU Institute, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the Speranza Foundation. Joshua’s work has been supported by the American Composers Forum, the NewAm Composers Lab, the Lilly Endowment, the Anne M. and Philip H. Glatfelter III Family Foundation, the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, the Eric Stokes Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Paul Choi
Lead Pastor Village Church
Cohort: 2025
Paul Choi
I was born in South Korea, immigrated to New Zealand, studied theology in Canada (Regent College), the UK (London School of Theology), and the USA (Western Seminary, Boston College, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary), and now serve as Lead Pastor at Village Church, located in Portland/Beaverton, Oregon. Village Church is an intentional intercultural congregation with around 35 nationalities represented, pursuing integrated approaches toward church-being, because of its belief in the gospel of reconciliation in Jesus Christ.
Karen Fancher
Council Member Village Church
Cohort: 2025
Karen Fancher
I am currently transitioning from a role as an administrator at a Christian University and a professor in a Master’s Program in Global Development and Justice Studies. God has given me a passion for peacebuilding, and I hold a deep conviction that being people of peace and seeking the flourishing of all people is integral to our Christian discipleship and witness. I have had the privilege to learn from peacebuilders in Israel/Palestine, the Balkans, South Sudan, and the United States. I look forward to this journey of continued learning and engagement.
Mike Rigdon
Pastor of Family Redemption Church
Cohort: 2025
Mike Rigdon
Mike Rigdon was born in Jordan, grew up in the Middle East, and has spent the last 24 years in the U.S. immersed in refugee resettlement, community development, and peace-building efforts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sustainable development (interdisciplinary) from Wheaton College and an MBA from the University of Texas. He has served on the boards of the Christian Community Development Association and Micah Global, networks striving for flourishing communities free from poverty and injustice nationally and internationally.
Words from our Alumni
My experience with the Telos cohort was revolutionary. The amount of stories, history, data, and experiences was rich. Every conversation, presentation and person met on the cohort was a gift that enriched my life. Peacemaking has become something tangible…”
2023 Cohort Member
My resolve for justice and solidarity with the marginalized has been forever shaped by being part of such a thoughtful and thought-provoking group.”
Adam B.
2024 Cohort
The Peacemakers Cohort helped to solidify in my mind what it means to be a peacemaker… The more that Christians practice [peacemaking] in their everyday lives and are empowered by and follow promptings from the Holy Spirit, the more that God’s shalom will be witnessed in our communities and around the world.”
Lisa W.
2022 Cohort
Mosaic is more than a cohort—it’s a catalyst. Congregations participating in our peacemaking cohorts have gone on to launch new justice ministries; partner across lines of political affiliation, race, and class; and led their cities in public witness and peacemaking. The ripple effect of this work continues to grow with each new cohort.
“Pull quote from Mosaic person about impact on their Congregation”
“Jesus is outlining this interconnected way of formation that gives us the ability to grow into the kinds of people who are able to make peace in our complex world. We need this pathway now more than ever.”
Apply to our 2026 Cohort
Think your church might be a great fit for the Mosaic Program?
The application window for our next Mosaic cohort will open Spring 2026 with cohort selection in June 2026. We’d love to hear from you!