Matt Bennett is Founder and President of the Christian Union. He grew up in Houston, Texas and earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University. After working for Campus Crusade for Christ at Princeton University for 12 years and developing the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League, he resigned to study at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for a Masters of Divinity. In 2002, with fellow Ivy League alumni, he founded the Christian Union with the mission to change the world by bringing sweeping spiritual transformation to the Ivy League Universities.
Barbara Bucklin is the founder of Luke 4:18 Ministries , a ministry serving the Body of Christ by providing prayer, meeting physical needs of the homeless and poor, and working toward the unity that Jesus so desired. A respected citywide ministry leader, Barb serves on steering committees for numerous inter-church and citywide ministry groups, adding both insight and hands-on help. Barb describes her role as a “networker”, bringing together churches, ministries and individuals to “fly in formation” as if they were birds of one “flock”, and modeling prayer on the way. Bringing the generations together has become a passion for her.
Tony C. Budet serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of University Federal Credit Union (UFCU), Austin, Texas, a $1.2 billion, not-for-profit, financial cooperative serving 150,000 members. Budet is a seasoned executive, strategist, and developer of talent who excels at positioning his organization to succeed in a competitive, highly regulated, commoditized business environment. During his 25-year tenure with UFCU, he has held several executive-level roles, including Chief Financial Officer, and has successfully guided the organization through a variety of challenging circumstances and economic conditions. Budet holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He is active in the community and a member of Austin Ridge Bible Church.
Felicity Dale received her medical training at Barts Hospital in London, and worked as a family doctor before leaving to look after her own family of four children. She and her husband, Tony, were active in the British House Church Movement, helping to pioneer a church in their medical college and later in the East End of London.
In 1987, the Dales moved to the United States, and again jumped heart-first into church planting. Out of these church planting pursuits, the vision and relationships developed that led to the formation of House2House Ministries.
Tony Dale was brought up with missionary parents in Taiwan. In the late ‘60’s he went back to England to begin at medical school, which is where he met Felicity. While working in the East End of London, they help to establish a church there, and also pioneered the work of Caring Professions Concern, a group teaching doctors and nurses how to live their daily professional lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. In 1987 they moved to the United States, and while there have both branched out into business and have been very involved in the early stages of the house church movements that are now sweeping across the United States. They help to edit the House 2 House Magazine, and through their books, most recently The Rabbit and The Elephant, written with George Barna, are influencing Christians across the nation to take a clear stand for Christ.
Dr. Cornell Haan is the National Facilitator of Spiritual Unity for the Mission America Coalition, the co-founder of The Presidential Prayer Team and the Vice President of The World Prayer Team. Before accepting the position as National Facilitator of Ministry Networks in 1996, Dr. Haan, over the span of 30 years, led six various churches as Senior Pastor.
Dr. Haan has been involved in over a dozen community and ministry oriented organizations. He has also served with Christian Family Services, Home for the Homeless, Set Free Ministry, and the Bradenton Bible Conference. Dr. Haan has been a facilitator for nearly 75 national networks.
Robert Landrum was born in Bristol, Tennessee where he graduated from King College. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin and there received a Master of Mathematics and a Master of Computer Science.
Currently Mr. Landrum is a Software Developer for Northrop Grumman. He employs Java programming on mapping software for the BCE project. Mr. Landrum enjoys hiking, visiting museums and historical sites, reading, and photography. He also is coauthor of The Garden Club Mystery and a deacon in the Presbyterian Church in America.
Tom Westbrook: If having degrees makes you smart, then Tom Westbrook (M.Div., M.A., and Ph.D.) should be smart, but that is often not the case. His family sees him blunder through days with nothing but God’s grace to explain any good things those days.
He has enjoyed work in churches, universities, and business: and is surprised that the places God used him were rarely the places he thought God was using him.
He knows this: that in small groups, where discipling, honest to God prayer, and encouragement break out, the Holy Spirit shows up and things go amazingly crazy.
Glenn G. Wood, M.D. graduated from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1979 and completed a residency in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Children's Medical Center in Dallas in 1982. He is board certified in Pediatrics.He is the founder and Medical Director of Carousel Pediatrics which is composed of four pediatric offices in the Austin area with plans for active expansion in the next few years.
Dr. Wood has also written a book on the AIDS Epidemic and many articles for newspapers across the United States discussing research on children, marriage, family, social, and spiritual issues.