Mary Mohlke
APCE 2003 Educator of the Year

"My journey as a Christian Educator has been much like making a blessing bowl. There are many different pieces and layers that formed me, that form the walls of support. There is a lot of connecting like glue that shapes and holds me together."

Click here to read Mary Mohlke's award speech.

Mary Mohlke is Director of the Ecumenical Resource Center and Coordinator of Education for the Presbytery of Western New York. She is also an Educational Consultant, watercolorist and calligrapher She has served as a staff educator with North Presbyterian Church and a Chemist at Union Carbide. In high school, her son wrote a paper called, "My Mom, the Renaissance Woman".

Mary and her husband, Byron were pulled into Christian Education as middle school and later senior high fellowship advisors long before she realized it was her calling. A move from Williamsville, NY to New Jersey provided opportunities to direct vacation church school and teach Sunday school when her two children were young. After a move back to Williamsville, NY, Mary was invited by her church to take para-professional courses in Christian education offered by the IDEA Center, an ecumenical partnership for education in Western New York. In 1978, she began tending their resource center filmstrips and leading workshops involving church school teachers in co-operative art projects. In 1983 she became the director of the resource center, which relocated to North Presbyterian Church in Williamsville.

Attending APCE since 1982 clarified Mary's call to Christian education. She was the northeast regional representative from 1984 - 1990 working with the annual event and membership committees and served as the Cabinet secretary through 1993. Her art work enhanced the covers of the annual events brochures nine times from 1987 to 2001. In 2001 she was the artist in residence, creating the banners and stage set for the annual event in Birmingham. Taking classes in preparation for three levels of certification helped make clear her call. She became a Certified Christian Educator in 1994.

When conducting workshops for children, youth and adults, Mary involves participants in learning through visual arts, writing, music, movement and dance. Her work is featured on the video "The Presbyterians: Belief and Doctrine." She has been instrumental in the development of The Academy for Lay Ministries and Personal Growth, providing certification courses for lay pastors and Christian educators. She is among the leadership of a group of ecumenical church educators who meet monthly for support and education.

Her work with partner churches in Wynberg Presbytery of the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa, led to a visit there in 1995 to lead Christian education workshops in eight congregations. Return visits of pastors and lay people led to the establishment of a resource center in one of the churches in Wynberg Presbytery.

It is with great joy that the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators presents the Educator of the Year award to this creative, energetic and inspiring woman.